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. Mental ill health is however a prevalent issue, with it being estimated that around 1 in 6 children will experience some 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 is therefore important that we do not turn a blind eye and hope it all goes away. Stigma is a significant issue when suffering from mental health ill health and so it is important that we lead by example and that we also 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).