An epidemic of mental health problems in prisons
The independent newspaper has claimed that children in custody are being left with urgent unmet needs due to reduced services in secure training centres.
Their article refers to the fact that children and young people in custody are three times as likely as their peers to have an unmet mental health need, with many having experienced multiple traumas during their young lives such as neglect, abuse and maltreatment.
This is not surprising. There are a number of different risk factors that will shape how likely children and young people are to develop issues with their mental health.
All young people will be living with risk factors; every young person will have their own context of adversity. Parents, carers and people who work with children and young people should try to understand the risks in a young person’s life so that they can think of ways to try to mitigate them by identifying protective factors to build in.
Whilst there will always be risk factors that cannot be prevented, protective factors and ways to build resilience should be considered wherever possible. This will help young people to cope better with the risk factors they face.
Resilience
“A resilient child is one who can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events or episodes.” Tony Newman
In our Mental Wellbeing online training course, we cover strategies to help build resilience in children and young people to help them achieve positive outcomes.
Here’s an excerpt:
Domains of Resilience
The notion of Domains of Resilience* was developed to assess and promote resilience in vulnerable children.
These are six areas of a child’s life where resilience can be promoted. Over time, these interact with each other to reinforce resilience. It is likely that in resilient children one domain of resilience is likely to positively impact another. For example, a child who has
*Brigid Daniel & Sally Wassell – Assessing & Promoting Resilience in Vulnerable Children
Mental Wellbeing is available to buy individually online or is included in EduCare for Education® our comprehensive safeguarding and duty of care e-learning service for the Education sector which combines over 20 training courses with a robust reporting suite to evidence learning to inspectors.
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Read moreSupporting Staff Wellbeing in Schools Online Course
Staff wellbeing is of critical importance to schools, and whether you want to focus on your own wellbeing or are looking out for your colleagues, you will find information, guidance and support in this course. It considers the meaning of wellbeing, its impact on individuals and the workplace, common mental health issues and the causes of work-related stress. The course also explores what positive staff wellbeing means in practice, and how you can help to create it for yourself and your school.
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Read moreSupporting Staff Wellbeing in Schools Online Course
Staff wellbeing is of critical importance to schools, and whether you want to focus on your own wellbeing or are looking out for your colleagues, you will find information, guidance and support in this course. It considers the meaning of wellbeing, its impact on individuals and the workplace, common mental health issues and the causes of work-related stress. The course also explores what positive staff wellbeing means in practice, and how you can help to create it for yourself and your school.
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After completing this course you will:- Understand what mental health is in the context of the mental health continuum.
- Be able to identify some common issues faced by young people with regard to mental health.
- Recognise some of the signs and symptoms that indicate mental health issues in young people.
- Understand key risk factors that make some young people vulnerable to mental health issues.
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