Emotional health and well-being can also be referred to as mental health. Everyone has 'mental health'. When we have good mental health, we have strength to over come challenges and difficulties which we all face during our lives. We feel good about ourselves, make and keep friendships, have confidence and self-esteem to be able to make decisions and believe in ourselves. Being emotionally healthy is an important end in itself, but also linked to a range of positive outcomes later on in life.
When we do not have good mental health we lack resilience that is fundamental to our:
- Physical health;
- relationships;
- education;
- training;
- work;
- and achieving potential.
Emotional health and well-being is everyone's business. This includes individuals, families, employers, educators and communities, which all have a contribution to make.
The National Picture
The National Future in Mind (FiM) report was published in 2015. It called for every area to write their own local transformation plan for improving the emotional health and well-being of children and young people. In Calderdale, key partners embraced this new approach and created a multi-agency Emotional Health and Well-being Task force. Its purpose was to write and progress the delivery of a Calderdale Local Transformation Plan for Emotional Health and Well-being. For more about FiM, visit: Future in Mind report.
A recent survey has been carried out across England for NHS Digital by the National Centre for Social Research, the Office for National Statistics and YouthinMind. For the first time, the survey has covered children aged 2 to 19 years. Previous surveys have only focused on those aged 5 to 15 years. Information was collected from 9,117 children and young people. It combines information, depending on their age, from children and young people or their parents/carers and teachers. This survey series data showed an increase over time in the prevalence of mental disorder in 5 to 15 year olds. (This is the age group covered on all surveys in this series). It rose from 9.7% in 1999 and 10.1% in 2004 to 11.2% in 2017. For the full report, visit: Mental health of Children and Young People in England, 2017.
The Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) holds record level data about the care of children, young people and adults. This is for those who are in contact with mental health services.
Public Health England say the current picture for an average classroom of 30 young people aged 15 is:
- Three have a mental health problem.
- Ten parents have separated.
- One has had a parent die.
- Seven have been bullied.
- Six have self-harmed.
The local picture
Multi agency professionals wrote a local plan (2015) in response from recommendations that came from the Future in Mind report. This included:
- Local Authority;
- Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG);
- NHS;
- Public Health;
- Children’s Social Care;
- Education;
- and Youth Justice.
It states how Calderdale will give the best possible emotional health and well-being services for children, young people and their families. It is called the Calderdale Emotional Health and Well-being Local Transformation Plan 2015-2020.
This acknowledges that emotional health and well-being is everybody’s business. We must all work together to improve services for children and young people. It also identifies children and young people’s emotional health and well-being as one of the key priorities around health in Calderdale.
Calderdale’s Public Health Service undertakes an annual survey called the electronic Health Needs Assessment (eHNA). This is an anonymous online survey and is held in a supervised classroom environment. It is a chance for all students in years 5, 6, 7, 10 and 12 to have their say on topics and issues they face in everyday life. The results help shape services to meet the current need. It informs the way health and well-being services for children and young people are commissioned and delivered in Calderdale. Schools are encouraged to use the results to inform the way they provide health and well-being support to their students, in line with OFSTED recommendations.
For the full key findings report from 2018 primary, secondary and Post-16 eHNA results, see: electronic Health Needs Assessment.
Inequalities
Certain groups in society are more vulnerable to experiencing mental health inequities, which includes Children and young people:
- not in education, employment or training;
- who are a refugee or asylum seeker;
- who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ);
- who have learning disabilities;
- who have autism;
- looked after;
- who are involved in the youth justice system;
- who live with a parent/carer with mental health problems and low income households;
- living in households where there is domestic abuse;
- living in households where parents have an addiction;
- and care leavers.
Current provision
We have gained a clear understanding of the local needs, demands and delivery of current provision. This is through our approach to giving the right service in the right place at the right time. Calderdale encourages and empowers:
- children;
- young people;
- parents;
- carers;
- schools;
- and stakeholders to be actively involved in decisions through a variety of engagement events, consultations and discussions.
Calderdale are implementing the THRIVE framework. This is an integrated, person-centred and needs-led approach to delivering mental health services for children, young people and their families. It looks at the need amongst a community with emphasis on prevention and the promotion of emotional health and well-being.
For services in Calderdale aimed at children, young people, family members and professionals who support them, visit Open Minds.
User views
We will engage, consult and shape services from listening and acting on the views and opinions of:
- children;
- young people;
- parents;
- carers;
- and stakeholders.
Our consultation methods include:
- focus groups;
- stakeholder events;
- meetings;
- and online surveys.
We collate the results from each consultation. We then develop the emotional health and well-being priorities from the key themes that are identified.
Here in Calderdale, a number of consultations have been carried out with children, young people, parents, carers, schools and stakeholders.
Unmet need
To determine key challenges in Calderdale, we listened to what we were told by:
- children;
- young people;
- parents;
- carers;
- providers;
- the voluntary sector;
- and wider partners.
We have analysed key themes from our data including electronic Health Needs Assessment, the Future in Mind document and the Child & Maternal Health Observatory data.
For more about unmet need, read page 73, section 5 of the: Local Transformation Plan (2015-2020).
Projected future need
In Calderdale the Local Authority, Clinical Commissioning Group, Public Health and other partners and stakeholders are committed to improving the emotional health and wellbeing of our children and young people.
For more about projected future need, read page 98, section 7 of the: Local Transformation Plan (2015-2020). (Broken link)
See: The school’s electronic Health Needs Assessment (eHNA) survey key findings.
Key considerations linked to the known evidence base (What works?)
The National institute for health and clinical excellence (NICE) has produced a number of guidance documents. These promote social and emotional well-being clinical guidelines for managing mental health disorders in children and young people and for short term and long-term management of self-harm.
NICE guidance also summarise evidence based treatments for conduct disorders and other mental health conditions in childhood. Psychosocial therapies are regarded as the mainstay of treatment for conduct disorder, and are clinically and cost effective.
References and further information
- Calderdale Local Transformation Plan.
- Calderdale electronic Health Needs Assessment.
- Future in Mind.
- Mental health of Children and Young People in England, 2017.
- Mental Health Foundation.
- Calderdale’s Emotional Health and well-being website, Open Minds.
- Press release Improved mental health support for children in care.
- Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper.
Authors
Commissioning Team, Adult and Children's Services, Calderdale Council (July 2019).