Health bosses have handed out an £8.4m contract to provide mental health support to 7,000 children in the region's schools.
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Foundation Trust will be heading into schools in Norfolk and Waveney after securing the lucrative three-year contract.
It will see the trust heading up well-being services in the region's schools, aiming to offer earlier interventions to prevent children from developing mental ill health.
Currently, these services are provided by Ormiston Families, which will continue its work alongside the Cambridgeshire trust to allow for a smooth handover.
The contract has been awarded by NHS Norfolk and Waveney, which launched a bidding process earlier this year.
Four organisations came forward to bid for the contract, with Cambridgeshire presenting the strongest option.
It will not be the first time that services has been outsourced to the NHS trust, which is rated as outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.
Currently, health visitors, school nurses and speech and language therapists in Norfolk and Waveney are all provided by CCSFT.
It has also been providing equivalent services in Peterborough and Cambridge since 2020.
Rebecca Hulme, associate director of children, young people and maternity for NHS Norfolk and Waveney, said: "I am pleased that this knowledge of our local communities and experience in delivering mental health support in schools will further benefit young people across Norfolk and Waveney, enabling them to flourish.
“I’d also like to thank Ormiston Families for developing the current teams and for their valuable support over the last two years.”
The contract will see CCSFT lead 10 teams of mental health workers in supporting school children across the region.
John Peberdy, children's services director of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to be awarded the contract to deliver mental health support teams across Norfolk and Waveney.
"As the current provider of health visiting, school nursing and other community health services across these areas, we welcome the opportunity to support children, young people, and families with mild to moderate mental health needs.
"Our experience of delivering mental health support teams across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will enable us to work efficiently with local schools and colleges to ensure children and young people receive early access to interventions."
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