The Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Service is part of the Specialist Education Service.

What we do

Children and young people with additional social, emotional and mental health needs may struggle to access or engage with learning. We work with schools to help them better understand the needs of pupils with additional SEMH needs and how they can be best supported. 

The SEMH needs of individual pupils may present in a variety of ways, including:

• Being withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging or disruptive behaviour
• Being anxious or low
• Difficulties with attachments
• Difficulties with attention

We help schools, parents/carers and pupils (where appropriate) to develop support plans to help pupils attend, access and engage in school fully and safely. As part of this, we complete observations, model strategies to school staff and offer advice and guidance. We may work directly with pupils as appropriate.

We are a team of specialist teachers who support teachers in schools. We are not therapists, counsellors or medical mental health practitioners and whilst we do work with those services when they are involved, we cannot offer this level of specialist medical input should it be needed.

We work closely with the other specialist education services, when required, as sometimes children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs also have needs in other areas such as cognition and learning or communication and interaction. We also work closely with a wide range of other services such as Early Help, Education Welfare and Health.