This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, and the theme is ‘growing together.’ At Prospero, we believe that ideally every week should be children’s mental health awareness week. Our teacher and teaching assistants will know that the last two years have been particularly tough on children and young people. Keep reading for links to some of the key organisations that are providing advice, support and resources this year.
A Place2Be counsellor meeting with a child in year 4
Organisations in Support of Children’s Mental Health Week
Place2Be, who many of you will know provide mental health services to schools, have put together a wide range of free resources to support. Their mantra is ‘children should not have to face mental health problems alone’, a sentiment we firmly believe in.
We particularly like their ‘Support Balloon‘ activity where children create a diagram to show their support network, reflecting on how the adults in their life connect together. This offers a really nice visual opportunity for children to recognise that there are people out there that care and can support them. The visual analogy can lead to conversations about how this support balloon can give children a positive lift.
Mentally Healthy Schools has drawn attention to their excellent mental health week toolkits, suitable for primary aged students and secondary. Their resources are based around 4 themes (Anti-racism, LGBTQI+, Girls and young women, Disability and neurodiversity).
IntoFilm provided great ideas for using films to explore emotional wellbeing and mindfulness among young people.
The Children’s Trust has shared a useful round-up of some of the best activities they carried out among their staff.
Statistics on Children’s Mental Health
Place2Be’s findings shine a light on why it’s vital that we work together to help children and young people who may be having a difficult time:
- 50% of people with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14.
- 1 in 10 boys under the age of 19 with a mental health condition get suspended or excluded from school.
Consequently, our duty of care when working with young people means we must be aware of the signs to look out for to get the right support at the right time.
- NSPCC offer guidance on recognising the signs that a child may be struggling with their mental health.
- YoungMinds offer fantastic resources and training for people that work with young people.
Supporting Young People Struggling with their Mental Health
Working with young people who are facing mental health issues is incredibly rewarding, but can be challenging too. If you feel you are finding things difficult as an education professional, check out our related posts:
If you or someone you know is going through a crisis there are organisations that can help:
Childline
- Free for children and young people in the UK, 24 hours a day
Call 0800 1111
Alternatively, you can set up an account to Chat online or Send an email
Shout
- Free for anyone in the UK, 24 hours a day
Text CONNECT to 85258
Thank you for reading our post on children’s mental health week 2022.
If you are interested in working with children or young people get in touch to see what opportunities we may have available for you.
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