Friday, April 25, 2008
How much do teachers know about the mental health of their students?
Teachers know their students well, but how equipped are they to recognise and respond to mental health issues?
Educating the whole child is accepted good practice in Uk education policy and informs many new initiatives : The Every Child Matters Agenda, The New Secondary Curriculum and the Early Years Profile all place developing healthy, responsible and effective individuals at the centre of the role of education.
But have the carefully researched and crafted curricula and initiatives underestimated the issue of mental health in children and young people? Children with identified mental health problems and conditions have been supported in schools with management of their school experience, counseling and flexibility. But should schools assume all is well with their pupils unless told otherwise? The findings of an inquiry by The Children's Society published this month suggest not. The survey revealed a picture of widespread mental health problems experienced by the children sitting in our classrooms today
1/4 of all respondents aged 14-16 described themselves as having felt depressed.
1/10 all children surveyed were suffering from a clinically recognised mental health disorder.
The survey was part of The Good Childhood Inquiry, a major piece of research looking at the social characteristics of childhood experienced by today's children compared to those experiences recorded by previous generations. The inquiry has published previous interim reports on the strands of friends, family, learning and lifestyle and this latest strand on health will be followed by a final one on Values, due to be published in Spring 2009.
As well as the survey of children and their mental health views and experiences, expert organisations and academics submitted evidence to the inquiry and these too supported the view that mental health problems in children are widespread and increasing whilst provision and services are not meeting the needs of the sufferers.
The Mental Health Foundation submitted evidence that 13% of girls and 10% of boys 11-15 suffered from mental health problems. The National Children's Bureau submitted evidence that 45% of Looked After Children (under 18) were assessed as having a psychiatric disorder. (Meltzer 2003)
This means that a typical teacher with a class of thirty children will have three serious cases of clinical mental health problems and many others experiencing problems. It is increasingly argued schools need to be involved in preventative education and support for all pupils with regards to mental health, social and emotional learning are crucial to this.
Therefore, rather than, or at least as well asa specialist area, all teachers need training in ensuring their practice enhances social and emotional well-being. As well as being trained to deal with specific conditions and issues as teachers we should expect to be engaged in the mental well-beingof all learners as part of our day to day practice. As the report concludes:
"children's mental health should be everybody's business".
The revealing findings of The children's Society's Good Childhood Inquiry on health have been published just as the government has launched a review of Children and Young People's Mental Health Services. There is a DCSF consultation calling on parents, teachers, young people and service-providers to give evidence and opinion regarding mental health and how services should be provided.Click hereto contribute.
To read the Good Childhood Inquiry reports click here.