Mental Health

BMet students have access to free online support with Togetherall, who are there to help you get support, take control and feel better.

You will have access to a 24/7 online global community and professional support from trained professionals. This platform provides a safe space online to get things off your chest, explore your feelings, get creative and learn how to self-manage your mental health and wellbeing. They’ve been providing support since 2007!

Click here to read more about Togetherall.

To join, simply go to www.Togetherall.com and sign up under ‘I’m from a university or college’ with your academic email address – once you’ve signed up you’ll pick an anonymous username, which is how you’re known on the site.

Supporting College Frameworks

Safeguarding

• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
• All staff have training annually with reminders throughout the year at briefings, staff meetings and development days.
• All new staff have safeguarding training as part of their induction.
• All records are kept securely with the college safeguarding system.
• All staff are required to sign and acknowledge they have read and understood Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and the College Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy annually.
• The Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputies are experts in this field and provide support to staff in dealing with disclosures and onward support.

Ready, Respectful & Safe

• We have a moral obligation to prepare young people for the rigours of work and life beyond education, supporting adults to re-skill, upskill or re-enter the workforce.
• We are here to educate the whole student, helping with their moral and personal development and resilience to everyday life.
• We apply our policies and procedures for each student, acknowledging that each individual and situation is different and adjusting as required.
• We prioritise students who are classed as disadvantaged, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH) or Inclusive needs (SEND), however, we are passionate about providing the same support to all students, irrespective of background.
• We make reasonable adjustments for students with special educational needs or vulnerable students.
• We have a support-based behavioural approach; recognising good behaviour and supporting students to understand the impact and consequences of poor behaviour.
• We involve parents/carers for learners aged under 18 in supporting improvements in behaviour.

Pastoral, Wellbeing & Mental Health

• We do not give up on students and constantly look for ways to support them.
• Our interventions are directed by evidence-based practice.
• Our Pastoral & Wellbeing team are passionate about becoming experts in their field around pastoral and mental health support.
• We work with numerous external agencies to support our students.
• We recognise that early intervention is vital.
• We will develop our understanding of trauma and move towards being a trauma informed organisation.
• We involve parents/carers as appropriate in the support which we put in place.
• Our interventions are assessed and evaluated using entry and exit questionnaires.
• The mental health of our students and staff is of the highest priority. Attendance
• All staff have a role to play in ensuring each student attends college.
• Tutors/Attendance Intervention Officers support by providing first wave support, checking in with students who have poor or low attendance.
• We work together with parents/carers for those aged under 18 and external agencies to address and remove barriers to attendance.
• We prioritise students who are classed as disadvantaged, Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs (SEMH) or Inclusive needs (SEND), however, we are passionate about providing the same support to all students, irrespective of background.
• We follow the policies and procedures which are in place, acknowledging that each student and situation is different and adjusting as required.

Student Engagement & Student Voice

• We will support a peer-to-peer student network of support, training and developing students to build supportive skills to help others with low level mental health needs.
• We will promote learner voice opportunities for feedback on mental health & wellbeing through curriculum, surveys, student councils and student Governors which inform actions for development.
• We will promote the benefits of physical activity and sport in building and sustaining good mental health & wellbeing, providing opportunities for students to get involved in non-competitive activities.

Counselling at BMet is free and confidential

We like all of our students to be supported as much as possible whilst studying at college. If you have a problem and friends and family aren’t able to help, we can provide you with an opportunity to talk and discuss your concerns or worries freely and openly with a counsellor who won’t judge you or your issues.

Everything is kept completely confidential, unless you are in danger of harm. This will be discussed with you by your counsellor.

No problem is ever too big or small to and to talk about how you feel can really help.

Sharing your feelings with a counsellor and finding solutions to move forward in your life can help you feel happier about yourself and raise your self-esteem.

How do I refer?

• You can self-refer using the Learner Landing Page via the ‘Student Experience’ tab:  select ‘BMet Counselling Service’ and then ‘Site Referral Form’.
• You can ask your mentor, tutor or lecturer to refer you
• You can ask at Student Services

Our counsellor is a fully qualified, accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Counselling is voluntary and no one can make you attend.

Contact

e: counsellors@bmet.ac.uk

For urgent or out of hours support, click here to access the details of several service providers.

Bereavement Counselling

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice have launched a new bereavement telephone service, providing free one-to-one support to those 18+ who are struggling with the loss of a loved one.

This new service can be accessed by anybody who has been bereaved, no matter how the person died or how long ago the loss was.  You can email this service using bereavement@birminghamhospice.org.uk with your name and number and somebody will get back to you.

YoungMinds Crisis Messenger

The YoungMinds Crisis Messenger text service provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need support, you can text YM to 85258.

We know that finding the right support is important, especially if you need someone to talk to right now. We aim to connect every texter to a trained volunteer promptly to provide crisis help. They will listen to you and help you think more clearly, enabling you to know that you can take the next step to feeling better.

It is free and confidential to text our service from the following major networks:

• EE
• O2
• Three
• Vodafone.

These include – BT Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Virgin Mobile, iD Mobile, Sky, Telecom Plus, Lebara and GiffGaff. Some Android phones issue a warning that you will be charged for texting us, provided you are on one of these networks this warning is incorrect and you will not be charged. If you text us from a network that is not on this list there is a possibility that you may be charged for the messages and that they may appear on your bill, this is because some networks do not provide the capability to message short codes.

For more information visit YoungMinds Crisis Messenger.