Children's Mental Health

Mental health is a subject that many of us find difficult to discuss, primarily because of a fear of saying the wrong thing and making matters worse. However, mental ill-health is a prevalent issue, with it being estimated that around 1-in-6 children will experience a form of mental ill-health at some point in their childhood. 

If you think about the place that you work in, this could mean that there are a lot of children and young people who may experience some form of difficulty around mental health, and research suggests this number is increasing. As with adults, the reasons behind a child’s mental ill-health can be varied, and whilst some children and young people do self-harm or contemplate taking their own lives, this is not the case for everyone.

It's important that we do not turn a blind eye and hope it all goes away. Stigma is a significant issue when suffering from mental ill-health. We must lead by example and ensure that when working with individuals or groups of children and young people we educate them about mental ill-health and how to help friends who may be experiencing problems. As per the title of our in-depth safeguarding insight on children and young people’s mental health, knowledge dispels fear (and therefore reduces stigma).

What helps good mental health?

For children to remain mentally well they need:

• good physical health (including good diet and regular exercise);
• to be able to explore and develop interests (through their environment, play and interaction with others);
• to feel part of a family (feeling as though they belong, get along with others, are loved, valued and safe);
• to be supported to learn, be optimistic and feel that they have a say;
• to feel part of a community (e.g., school/nursery, etc.);
• to be supported to cope when things do not go well;
• to be supported to learn how to problem solve.

Starting difficult conversations

If you're worried about a young person, try to get them to talk to you. Often, they will want to talk but will not speak until someone asks how they are.

• As when dealing with disclosures, use open ended questions. For example: “Tell me about…”, “How do you feel about …” and “What happened about …”.
• Repeat back what they say to show that you understand.
• Do not try to solve the problem – that will come over time. Initially focus on their feelings – this can be of more help and show that you care.
• Try to let them make their own decisions – they are more likely to stick to what they decide than to follow what they are told to do by someone else.
• Be careful not to fall into the trap of trying to fix everything or dish out advice – let them lead the conversation and identify what they want to happen.
• Remember you do not need to be an expert to be able to help.
• Remember that everyone is different – an approach that worked with one young person may not work with another.

(adapted from the Samaritans advice page)