Supporting children's mental health and wellbeing

Children’s mental health is a global concern and children are increasingly being diagnosed with mental health conditions. In England in 2017, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health reported that 10% of children are being diagnosed with a mental health condition.This is a figure that is similar across other countries in the UK. For example, 10% of children in Scotland are similarly affected by mental health conditions. A 2018 report by the Welsh Assembly stated that it is estimated that three children in every average-size classroom will have a mental health problem. In Northern Ireland, it has been stated that more than 20% of young people are suffering from 'significant mental health problems' by the time they reach age 18.There are many other children who show signs that are associated with a mental health condition, such as anxiety and depression, but are not formally diagnosed. There are many factors that influence children’s enjoyment of their lives. Some are within each child, such as their personality and their level of resilience. Other factors that influence children’s mental health include where they live, who they live with and the relationships they have with others. In addition, there are global influences, such as the geographical location and political situation of a country, as well as health-related global events such as a pandemic. While the context of children’s lives undoubtedly contributes to their sense of wellbeing, this course highlights that there is much that can be done within society to improve children’s sense of wellbeing and prevent poor mental health. Listen to Dr Jackie Musgrave, one of the authors of the course, describing more about the course content, which focuses on the mental health and wellbeing of babies and young children (aged 0–8 years), and its importance.Transcript351Enrolling on the course will give you the opportunity to earn an Open University digital badge. Badges are not accredited by The Open University but they're a great way to demonstrate your interest in the subject and commitment to your career, and to provide evidence of continuing professional development.Once you are signed in, you can manage your digital badges online from My OpenLearn. In addition, you can download and print your OpenLearn statement of participation – which also displays your Open University badge.The Open University would really appreciate a few minutes of your time to tell us about yourself and your expectations for the course before you begin, in our start-of-course survey351352. Once you complete the course we would also value your feedback and suggestions for future improvement, in our end-of-course survey35235. Participation will be completely confidential and we will not pass on your details to others.This course is accredited by the CPD Standards Office. It can be used to provide evidence of continuing professional development and on successful completion of the course you will be awarded 24 CPD points. Evidence of your CPD achievement is provided on the free Statement of Participation awarded on completion.Anyone wishing to provide evidence of their enrolment on this course is able to do so by sharing their Activity Record on their OpenLearn Profile, which is available before completion of the course and earning of the Statement of Participation.

• Introduction and guidance
• Introduction and guidance
• What is a badged course?
• How to get a badge
• Acknowledgements
• Session1Session 1: Setting the scene by looking at the past
• Introduction
• 1 Historical perspectives of children’s mental health
• 1.1 Key events in the history of children’s mental health
• 1.2 Case study: the impact of war on children
• 1.3 The Second World War in Europe
• 1.4 Post-Second World War period: key events in children’s mental health
• 2 Contemporary children’s mental health
• 3 Resources that promote a child’s mental health and wellbeing
• 4 Mental health terms
• 5 Personal reflection
• 6 This session’s quiz
• 7 Summary of Session 1
• References
• Acknowledgements
• Session2Session 2: Increasing your knowledge of mental health
• Introduction
• 1 Understanding children’s mental health
• 2 Understanding children’s development
• 3 Knowledge of mental health
• 3.1 Definitions of specific, common mental health conditions or issues affecting young children
• 4 The impact of physical health on mental health
• 5 The impact of mental health issues on children’s education and development
• 5.1 The potential impact on children’s development
• 5.2 The potential impact on children’s behaviour
• 5.3 The potential impact on children’s education
• 5.4 ‘Triggers’ for children’s anxiety in early childhood and school settings
• 6 Personal reflection
• 7 This session’s quiz
• 8 Summary of Session 2
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements
• Session3Session 3: Mental health promotion and education
• Introduction
• 1 Understanding mental health promotion and education
• 1.1 Mental health promotion
• 1.2 Promoting mental health among children
• 1.3 Health education about young children’s mental health
• 2 The ‘ingredients’ of good mental health and wellbeing in young children
• 2.1 A recipe for good mental health
• 2.2 Attachment theory: what is attachment?
• 2.3 Background to attachment theory
• 2.4 The importance of attachment theory
• 2.5 Emotional containment
• 3 The effects of attachment relationships on young children’s mental health and wellbeing
• 3.1 Transitioning from home to other early years settings
• 4 Preventing and minimising the impact of adverse childhood experiences
• 5 Promoting perseverance and resilience
• 5.1 Factors that support the development of resilience in children
• 6 Personal reflection
• 7 This session’s quiz
• 8 Summary of Session 3
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements
• Session4Session 4: A global view of children’s mental health and wellbeing
• Introduction
• 1 Influences and factors that can impact on children’s wellbeing and mental health
• 1.1 Geography
• 1.2 Politics
• 1.3 Economic influences
• 1.4 Social and cultural influences
• 1.5 The status of children
• 2 Different childhoods
• 2.1 Street children
• 2.2 Child soldiers
• 2.3 Child labour
• 2.4 Refugee children
• 3 Separation from family
• 4 Personal reflection
• 5 This session’s quiz
• 6 Summary of Session 4
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements
• Session5Session 5: Wellbeing and mental health in education settings
• Introduction
• 1 Promoting wellbeing in young children’s care and education
• 2 Early years education and care curriculum
• 2.1 Aims of the Early Years Foundation Stage
• The key person approach
• 3 Primary school-aged children’s mental health
• 4 Listening to children
• 4.1 Practical ways of listening to children: circle time
• 5 The importance of play and creativity in promoting children’s wellbeing
• 6 Promoting good mental health in primary education
• 6.1 A whole school approach
• 7 Policies to improve children’s mental health and wellbeing
• 7.1 Government policy
• 7.2 Policies in settings
• Behaviour management
• Safeguarding
• Anti-bullying
• 8 Early interventions: going beyond preventative
• 8.1 Nurture groups in primary schools
• 8.2 Developing resilience
• 9 Personal reflection
• 10 This session’s quiz
• 11 Summary of Session 5
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements
• Session6Session 6: Professional support for children and their mental health
• Introduction
• 1 Professionals involved in children’s mental health
• 2 Getting help from other professionals: making referrals
• 3 Interdisciplinary working
• 3.1 Key principles of interdisciplinary and multi-agency working
• 3.2 Benefits of interdisciplinary and multi-agency working
• 3.3 Challenges of interdisciplinary and multi-agency working
• 3.4 Interdisciplinary and multi-agency working: ingredients for success
• 4 Working with voluntary organisations
• 5 Personal reflection
• 6 This session’s quiz
• 7 Summary of Session 6
• References
• Acknowledgements
• Session7Session 7: Exploring some of the interventions to support children’s mental health
• Introduction
• 1 Counselling and therapy
• 1.1 Adult–child power imbalance
• 2 Cognitive behavioural therapy
• 2.1 Aims of cognitive behavioural therapy with young children
• Implementing CBT in practice
• 3 Play therapy
• 3.1 Play therapy in action
• 4 Art therapy with refugee children
• 5 Medication
• 5.1 The pros and cons of medication
• 6 Trauma-informed schools
• 7 Parenting programmes
• 7.1 Evaluating parenting programmes
• 8 Personal reflection
• 9 This session’s quiz
• 10 Summary of Session 7
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements
• Session8Session 8: The influence of screen time on young children’s mental health and wellbeing
• Introduction
• 1 Screen time and internet use in the early years
• 1.1 The risks of social media for children
• 1.2 The benefits of the internet and social media for children
• 1.3 Working together to manage children’s screen time
• 2 Reviewing the way that the systems around the child support mental health
• 2.1 Within the child
• 2.2 Within the family and parents
• 2.3 Within the wider community
• 2.4 The role of society
• 3 The future
• 4 Resources for parents and professionals
• 5 Personal reflection
• 6 This session’s quiz
• 7 Summary of Session 8
• Where next?
• Tell us what you think
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements