Working with children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties

Overview

The course is a one-day programme which aims to equip social care professionals to have a greater understanding of mental health problems affecting children and young people, and how these impact on their emotional wellbeing and behaviour. Through understanding the context of young people’s lives and mental health difficulties we will consider ways practitioners can work towards providing better support, recognising the personal, familial, and societal risk factors and how they impact on children impacting on children’s behaviour. Participants will be introduced to the core concepts of Dan Hughes’s PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) model of intervention, and how this can be used to enhance communication and support to children and young people experiencing mental distress. The course will provide reflective space for participants to consider the needs and risks of a young person they are working with, and there will be a sharing of local and national resources relevant to the client group including discussion of Camhs referrals and current resource issues.

Who is Working with children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties aimed at?

Social Care Professionals

Course Length

1 day

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course delegates will be able to:-

• To have a greater understanding of the mental health difficulties affecting children and young people and how these impact on their emotional wellbeing and behaviour.
• To feel more confident in talking with children and young people about their mental distress, including feelings connected to self-harm and suicidal ideation.
• To be more aware of how societal disadvantages and discrimination impact on mental health and resource availability. To have discussed the importance of protective factors, in both individuals, families, services and communities.
• To have an understanding of risk factors and how assessment tools (RCADS, SDQ etc) can be useful ways to have conversations about mental health.  
• To understand and  practice using the PACE model as a way to enhance connection and communicate with children and young people experiencing mental distress.  
• To use reflective space to explore with colleagues and the group the challenges of a particular young person that each participant is working with.
• To share together local and national resources which could assist children and young people, and to discuss referral to Camhs and service availability issues relevant to the current context.