Child Mental Health Week 2015

Place2be has launched the UK’s first child’s mental health week this week, 16-22 February 2015.

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge is supporting the campaign which draws attention to the facts of children’s mental health:

• 3 children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health problem
• Half of those with lifetime mental health issues first experience symptoms by the age of 14
• Depression and anxiety amongst teenagers have increased by 75% in the past 25 years
• Children are less likely to suffer from serious mental health difficulties later in life if they receive support at an early age.

It is worth remembering that mental health difficulties may well amount to a disability. As such, a child with mental health difficulties may have special educational needs and, if so, should be getting additional support to cater for those needs.

The link between mental health and special educational needs is highlighted by Place2be. Nearly half of the children currently involved with Place2be have special educational needs. Further, teachers have reported that in 69% of cases, mental health difficulties have caused interference with learning.

A spokesman for HRH The Duchess of Cambridge has indicated that she is particularly concerned with Early Intervention. This seems to be a timely reminder of the research published last week by the Early Intervention Foundation which I posted about last week.

Children with special educational needs benefit from tailored support as early as possible. Children with additional needs who are supported with a Statement Education, Health, Care Plan have far better prospects than those without. The correlation between special educational needs and permanent exclusion, attainment gap and an enhanced risk of being imprisoned have all been established. Early intervention is crucial. Place2be suggests that the starting point is talking openly with children and providing them with the support they need as soon as possible.

Place2be can be accessed here.