She has visited schools and colleges in the United Kingdom and around the world, including in Bangkok,[6]: 18–19 The Hague,[7]: 18 Shanghai,[8]: 5 Kathmandu,[9] Montreux[10]: 18 and Taipei,[11] delivering classes and conducting research with teenagers, teachers and parents on mental health, body image and social equality.
[13] She began writing a weekly column for the Times Educational Supplement in 2015, but resigned from the newspaper in May 2019 in "solidarity with the trans community" after it published an article recommending a resource to teachers that she described as "transphobic".
[15] Devon has worked with a number of UK charities and organisations including Body Gossip and Mental Health First Aid England.
[19][20] Devon continues to give regular evidence to the Health and Education Select Committees and is involved in political campaigning.
This is a set of seven simple guidelines for ensuring that imagery and language used in mental health reporting are responsible, genuinely educational and stigma-reducing.
[30] It was debated in parliament in January 2019,[31] and in 2023 recommendation for mental health first aiders in all work places was included in the government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy.
On 30 August 2015, the Department for Education (DfE) appointed Devon as its first ever mental health champion for schools, as part of a wider £1.25bn drive to improve care.
Announcing the decision, Education and Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah said: "Natasha is an inspiration to many young people and I'm delighted to have her on board as our first mental health champion.
[33] Shortly afterwards, Devon wrote in The Daily Telegraph of her initial caution in accepting the role, adding: "But then I thought – Why have they picked me?
[36] Devon emphasised that while she had carried out her role unpaid to maintain her independence of the government, the new appointee would be salaried and could "be paid effectively to toe the party line".
These indicated that despite the department's denials that she was sacked for making public criticisms of government policy, DfE officials were discussing her removal on these grounds months before her position was terminated.