There is good and bad news where children’s mental health is concerned. We have a better acknowledgement of the extent of mental illness among young people than ever before. We also have an emerging, albeit cautious, readiness to bring such issues out into the open.
However, the services that schools, families and children rely on are under pressure from rising demand, growing complexity and tight budgets.
It is said that, on average, three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health issue. This is a much bigger problem than commonly acknowledged and a source of concern. It means it is not a “specialist” issue but one that will affect every school on a regular basis.
School leaders need a basic grounding in identification, intervention, sources of support and appropriate actions. Experience suggests that, done well, intervening early can help prevent problems in childhood growing into adulthood. There is much that can be done.
We are campaigning on mental health, after our members overwhelming called for this to be a key priority. Statutory status for PSHE would be a step forward in this regard.
It is important to focus in schools on the promotion of good mental wellbeing, as well as on intervention when young people may be developing a mental health issue. Working with families is critical in both cases.
Schools are only part of the picture though, and depend upon timely and effective support from experts outside the school gates. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) need to be adequately funded, but we know from members that in some areas services do not offer the support children need: often waiting times are too long and thresholds for intervention are set too high.
Data from Young Minds shows that two-thirds of local authorities had reduced their CAMHS budget between 2010 and 2013. The government has promised more funding, which is welcome, but we need to see if it is adequate to the scale of the problem.
Schools need to be recognised for the significant and increasing role they are playing in supporting the mental and emotional health of their pupils. Results from the December 2014 Centre Forum survey on wellbeing and mental health in England’s secondary schools showed that 77 per cent commission mental health services directly in order to bridge the gap between school provision and those provided by external agencies.
Our own Family Support survey in May 2015 showed that more than half of our members are dipping into their mainstream budgets to make up for services that used to be provided by other agencies.
Meanwhile, the Department for Education has stated that “our strong expectation is that over time all schools should make counselling services available to their pupils” (Counselling in Schools: A blueprint for the future, March 2015).
Having counsellors is part of the solution; high-quality training for teachers and school leaders to spot the early signs of mental health problems, and knowing where they should turn for help, is also required. Sometimes children want to turn to a teacher or leader they know and trust, and training needs to reflect this reality.
Schools are well placed to offer support immediately when problems arise, particularly where family support might not be in place, and to teach children the skills to cope with life’s problems, including knowing when to ask for help. But for this to be effective staff must receive high-quality training and clear guidance.
We offer training for members including a new course exploring mental health issues and I would also strongly recommend the work of Place2Be.
Meanwhile, the PSHE Association has launched free lesson plans for schools, with topics including teaching children how to describe emotions, talk about anxiety and worries, and how to develop coping strategies. They also cover eating disorders, self-harm and depression and anxiety.
- Russell Hobby is general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers. Visit www.naht.org.uk