Why is the mental health of children and young people relevant to my practice?

We often hear the terms ‘mental health’ and ‘emotional wellbeing’ being used, but what do we actually mean by these, and are there things we can do to improve and strengthen them, particularly when supporting children and young people?

Good ‘emotional wellbeing’ is considered the experience of good emotional health and a positive state of wellness within ourselves. It is characterised by feelings of general satisfaction and happiness with life, as well as the ability to cope effectively with stressful experiences. When a child or young person has good emotional health, they are felt to function effectively with day-to-day tasks, engage with enjoyment and enthusiasm in their life, and are able to progress and develop.

The World Health Organisation estimates that, globally one in six people are aged between 10 and 19 years and that one in seven 10 to 19 years olds experiences a mental disorder.

In recent years, there has been an increased recognition of the rising prevalence of children and young people experiencing challenges within mental health. Many of these young people will be supported alongside specialist mental health provision in non-mental health settings, such as within paediatric or acute physical health services, as well as within specialist social care or educational settings. The UK’s NHS Long Term Plan recognised the importance of all practitioners and professionals working together to help better support children and young people, valuing and recognising the relationship between physical health wellness and mental health wellness.

In paediatric or acute physical health services, this led to the identification of five key principles to help strengthen a holistic professional response across multi-agency services to better support children and young people presenting in physical health contexts who were experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties.

_{A larger PDF version of this image can be found at the bottom of this step to download}

1. Foster a culture where we work collaboratively in providing holistic care for our children and young people.
2. A paediatric setting can be the right place for children and young people with mental health needs to receive care.
3. The paediatric workforce should be supported by a multi-disciplinary team, both within a provider and by the wider system.
4. Colleagues from health and social care systems should collaborate across acute and mental health care to avoid long waits in A&E and delayed discharge.
5. High quality and safe care should be personalised for the needs of the child or young person. This would include joint escalation processes across the wider integrated care system, with reasonable adjustment made where required.

You can explore more about the Five Key Principles via NHS England: Supporting children and young people (children and young people) with mental health needs in acute paediatric settings: A framework for systems.