A partnership between national framework provider Pagabo and The Education Alliance Trust has been formed to provide £600,000 vital mental health funding for schools. 

The Trust’s Be Well Programme is predicted to deliver over £2.4m of social value over four years, with every £1 invested predicted to generate more than £4 in return.

As a contracting authority on Pagabo’s professional services framework, The Education Alliance has set aside its fees to provide £600,000 of investment over the next four years to deliver an integrated package of information, training and support developed in partnership with Humber NHS and Hull and East Yorkshire Mind.

Gerard Toplass, executive chairman at Pagabo, said: “According to the World Health Organisation, depression is one of the leading causes of illness among adolescents so we are thrilled to be involved with The Education Alliance Trust’s Be Well programme, providing the Trust with a method of raising funds for vital mental health services in its schools. Usually schools can only invest in things on a yearly basis, but this unique approach is a guaranteed four-year investment which will provide the schools with the stability needed to make long term plans and employ staff with longer, assured roles.

“The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extends into adulthood – and therefore into our future. By doing all we can to look after our young people now, we are working towards a healthier and more positive future for all.”

The programme will fund a planned series of sessions which will be held for students, assisting them to cope more easily with the challenges of everyday life, manage stress and build supportive relationships with their peers. Each secondary school will have support five days per week from Humber NHS Foundation Trust professionals, and one trained youth mental health first aider will be provided in each trust school for every 50 students.

Jonny Uttley, CEO of the Education Alliance Trust, said: “The last decade has seen an incredible culture shift, and with it comes new challenges. There is now a great deal of conversation around the pressures on young people and how we as a society can best support them.

“This partnership with Pagabo is truly unique and will put in place and develop a culture of wellbeing with practical, accessible support both for young people in our schools, but also the people who are supporting them too. This extra funding has enabled us to set up this programme, bringing a level of expertise to our schools that isn’t currently standard across the board.”

Jon Sealy, managing director for UK and Europe at consultancy firm Faithful+Gould, the Lot 1 provider on Pagabo’s Professional Services framework, endorsed the programme by adding: “The Be Well Programme is exactly the kind of thing we need in schools to help address mental health issues amongst the next generation. The fact that we can help raise funds for these vital services through the work we do with Pagabo is brilliant. It’s fantastic to see different organisations coming together to work towards a brighter future, and we hope to see more people collaborating in this way.”

This latest initiative for Pagabo follows the launch of the Pagabo Foundation earlier this year, which aims to raise the profile of mental health within the construction industry.