MENTAL Health Support Teams are set to be put in place to support schools in Barrow.

Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have been successful in their bid to be awarded the trailblazer initiative by NHS England.

Two support teams will be put in place in the Morecambe Bay area, one will cover Morecambe and Heysham and the other will cover Barrow.

These teams will provide early intervention on mental health issues, such as exam stress, behavioural difficulties or friendship issues, as well as providing support to staff.

They will act as a link with local children and young people’s mental health services.

Jade Ainsworth from Barrow is involved in the redesign of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

She said: “I started struggling with my mental health when I was 14 years old and I didn’t get much help through school.

"The change in my behaviour was put down to being a teenager.

“I went to sixth form but then my mental health plummeted and I had to drop out and ended up being hospitalised.”

Over the years Jade was moved around the North West to different mental health facilities and has faced a number of challenges.

She feels passionately that it’s in the best interest of the patient for mental health issues to be addressed straight away.

She added: “When it comes to mental health, early intervention is crucial.

“I believe this support being brought into schools will not only benefit the children but also the communities they live in.”