Name: Gwyneth Stephen.
Professional Title: Head of Service.
Background: Born in Dumfriesshire, SW Scotland, Gwyneth trained as a mental health nurse before taking up her deferred place at Glasgow University. After graduating with an MA Hons degree in English, Gwyneth moved to Yorkshire to set up a community-based Addictions service. She then worked as Project Lead with the King’s Fund and Yorkshire Regional Health Authority setting up mental health initiatives across Yorkshire and Humberside. Gwyneth’s next move was into education, training as an English teacher and working in inner city schools for 7 years before joining the Medical Needs Teaching Service in 2012. She was appointed Head of the Medical Needs Teaching Service in 2017.
Name of Organisation: Medical Needs Teaching Service (MNTS).
Status of organisation: The MNTS is commissioned by Leeds Local Authority through the East Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre (John Jamieson school) Leeds.
Area of the country: Yorkshire and Humberside.
Description of your organisation: The MNTS provides education for children and young people unable to access school because of physical or mental health needs. Working nationally and across Yorkshire and Humberside region, the service has specialist teams teaching and providing Specialist Learning Mentor support at the regional hospitals: Leeds Children’s Hospital; the in-patient CAMHS Tier 4 hospital, Little Woodhouse Hall and Specialist Learning Mentor support to post-16 young adults in oncology is provided within the multi-disciplinary team at St James’s Hospital. Whilst in the community, education is provided either in a young person’s home, in other community setting such as a library, or at the Queenswood Education Centre, the day provision for young people in Leeds who are unable to attend school due to their physical or mental health need.
