Kent PINS Conference

Overview

The Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) conference brings together educators, parents, carers and professionals. PINS provides a collaborative platform for sharing knowledge, resources and strategies on inclusive practice and support for neurodivergent children and young people.

The Mental Health Support Team supported the planning and organisation of the PINS conference. This included hosting a stand that combined information sharing with a dedicated space where the MHST could sit with parents and carers, enabling meaningful conversations about their concerns and support available. The stand and practitioners promoted the MHST service, explained referral pathways, answered questions and signposted families to local support.

i-THRIVE in action

Needs-led: Throughout the day, parents and carers attended workshops on supporting children and young people with sleep, disordered eating, and understanding neurodivergence in social situations. This included discussion on “masking,” where individuals hide aspects of themselves to feel accepted or avoid stigma.

The event featured stands from multiple local organisations offering support services. The MHST worked with these organisations to signpost parents and carers to the most appropriate services, to ensure a collaborative approach to care. This mutual signposting strengthened partnerships and demonstrated the shared, local commitment to supporting neurodivergent children, young people and their families.

Partnership Working: The workshops were led by experienced practitioners and advocates, offering practical advice and emotional support. Sessions were co-facilitated by the MHST and partner organisations to promote a shared language and understanding. This was reinforced by using clear, accessible terminology—for instance, choosing everyday words like “worry” instead of clinical terms such as
“anxiety”—to emphasise that mental health is everyone’s business.

Accessibility: Across the day, simple, practical tools such as the SPELL Framework (Structure, Positivity, Empathy, Low Arousal, Links with Others) were introduced. Combining these strategies with clear language helped parents and carers feel confident and supported in understanding mental health and neurodivergence.

Conclusion

The MHST, embedded within the PINS project, played an active role in planning and organising the conference. Their involvement strengthened collaboration between internal and external services, improving shared understanding and coordinated support. Acting as a conduit for NELFT’s wider children’s mental health teams, the MHST were able to share expertise from specialist services such as the Autism Assessment Team and the All Age Eating Disorder Service. By connecting these teams with the wider community, they ensured parents and carers received clear, accurate and comprehensive information about available support, enhancing the value of the event and increasing access to early mental health advice.

Their presence also enabled the MHST to reach families beyond MHST-linked schools, broadening awareness of mental health support for children and young people.

Next Steps

• Continue sharing information about upcoming training and learning opportunities with professionals, parents and carers.
• Ensure learning from the PINS project is sustained and shared across teams.
• To continue to collaborate with organisations and services to ensure children, young people and their families get the right support at the right time.
• To continue to listen and actively communicate with children, young people and their families to support a common language and ensure mental health is everyone’s business.
• To continue to be fully embedded within the PINS project, contributing to their ongoing work and strengthening collaborative, cross service approached that benefit children, young people and their families.
• Deliver further training for school staff and professionals on key mental health topics to build confidence, increase understanding, and support earlier identification of needs in education settings.