The Link Programme is led by the Anna Freud Centre, with support from the NHS, and funding from the Department for Education. This national project aims to bring together health and education professionals to work collaboratively and better meet the needs of children and young people. All CCGs are expected to take part, and it will be offered to all schools.
The project began in 2019 and was expected to run for four years. Due to Covid sessions were run online to bring together health and education colleagues. The programme is structured around two initial workshops to explore joint working, understanding the mental health conditions that are most commonly seen, reflect on how these issues are managed, and how to measure wellbeing.
There have been two initial pilot evaluations conducted by an independent evaluation team. These found better communication between services, increased knowledge of mental health conditions and treatment pathways, and has acted as a catalyst for wider change with a better understanding of evidence-based practice.
The offer was adapted and pivoted to become a free, bespoke facilitation for local strategic leaders, to be delivered completely online from May 2021, until the project ended in March 2022.