In November 2017, the Department for Education (DfE) released statistics about the characteristics of those assessed as Children in Need in England in 2016-17, SFR 61/2017, 2 November 2017.
Of the 389,430 children assessed as Children in Need during this period, mental health issues were identified as a factor in just under 40% of all cases. This included either the mental health of the child or of adults in the family or household. Certainly, schools and colleges regularly raise concerns about the prevalence of mental health related issues in children they are concerned about, while at the same time worrying that getting help from already stretched services, such as CAMHS, is a real challenge. Many schools and colleges report that issues such as anxiety, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and depression are on the increase. It is important that we make referrals to appropriate agencies when we are concerned. However, we also need to consider what we can offer in terms of Early Help and how we equip our staff, pupils and parents with the tools and knowledge to try to deal with problems as they arise.
Two invaluable resources for schools and colleges are ‘Young Minds’ (https://youngminds.org.uk/) and ‘Boing, Boing (http://www.boingboing.org.uk/). They both support schools with approaches, resources and projects to address mental health issues in school and developing resilience. Their resources are free to download and are designed to support the emotional health and wellbeing of:
• Young people
• Staff in schools and colleges
• Parents
As a teacher, I found their explanation of mental health issues really useful. They say that the term ‘mental health’ comes with a stigma. We often think it is something only ‘experts’ can help with. We don’t often see that all of us can support a person to feel better by doing a range of practical things. These things are all based on academic research but have been brought together in their ‘Academic Resilience Framework’, which helps us support pupils going through adversity. It is not only designed to promote wellbeing, but also help young people succeed and achieve at school/ college despite their adversity. Finally, they also provide resources to support parents, because they say that happy parents make children happier.
The framework includes five key strands:
• Basics
• Belonging
• Learning
• Coping
• Core Self
Each strand includes a range of practical approaches. It is supported by clear explanations, examples, case study videos. The framework is meant to be easy to understand, easy to implement and can lead to ‘quick wins’ in schools.
Resources to support schools can either be found on the Young Minds website or the Academic Resilience website. These resources include:
• Whole school audit tools
• Resources for PSHE and tutor time
• Presentations to help explain ‘resilience resources’
• Supporting emotional wellbeing for staff
• Supporting emotional wellbeing for parents
Finally, Young Minds also has a blog, https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/, that provides lots of support and guidance for education staff, young people, volunteers and other key workers.
It is an invaluable set of resources to address mental health related issues for those that work with young people.
