6 research outputs found
Wellbeing and Nurture: Physical and Emotional Security in Childhood
While there is increasing concern about developing and reinforcing children’s physical and emotional security, researchers have been busy working out the actual mechanics, even at the cellular level, of how this can be achieved. This report will provide a concise update on what is known about optimising children’s wellbeing and security in childhood and far beyond. In examining the ways in which children grow and develop, we can learn from that because their physical and emotional wellbeing and therefore that of our future society will depend on it. This report represents what we have learned and we hope that it will contribute in a small way to the making of the brave new ‘post-Covid’ world
Mental Health Through Movement
Children’s mental health: ‘has become an issue of real concern, in the media and to both politicians and NHS leaders, over the last five years in particular. It has prompted numerous inquiries, reports, recommendations and pledges by politicians and NHS leaders to improve the situation’: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/22/what-is-happening-withchildrens-mental-health On July 1st 2019, the Local Government Association released statistics to show that: ‘There were 205,720 cases where a child was identified as having a mental health issue in 2017/18, compared with 133,600 in 2014/15- up 54%’: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/councils-seeing-more-560-child-mentalhealth-cases-every-day It is within this context that the All-Party Parliamentary Group on A Fit and Healthy Childhood presents its 14th Report: ‘Positive Mental Health Through Movement’. With 1 in 10 children now having a mental health diagnosis and 1 in 4 an undiagnosed mental health issue, this, our third Report on the issue of child mental health, addresses the link between positive mental health and physical activity and movement experiences at a time when, paradoxically, today’s children and young people are more inactive and play less than ever before. The growing recognition of a link between mental health and movement is fortuitous because from September 2019, health education in English schools will be statutory alongside the expectation that they will offer their pupils at least 30 ‘active minutes’ per day. The APPG on A Fit and Healthy Childhood welcomes the change whilst recognising that those responsible for implementing the new strategy (including practitioners and families) will need guidance as they help children to develop individual strategies to address future adverse events and foster the positive sense of self that will enable them to lead fulfilled, healthy lives. This Report is therefore presented as a practical contribution to an essential debate. It offers new strategies against the persistence of historical and traditional ways of thinking; examines and collates best practice in the devolved Home Countries as well as the wider world and discusses exactly what is required to ensure that future child mental health strategy is holistic. It is respectful of equalities and is aware that the successful outcome of policies is entirely dependent upon the expertise and confidence of those tasked with the responsibility of delivering them. As the 21st century advances, we consider the effects of the digital age and its impact on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing and the crucial role of parents and carers who want the best for their children in a societal climate where, all too often, fears of ‘nanny state’ meddling serve to isolate families who suffer in silence – until a disaster that may have been all too predictable and preventable overtakes them, making a private grief a public concern. The trajectory of progress in mental health policy has been ‘stop start’ rather than linear, with legislative change in 1959 and 1983, an increase in spending from 1997- 2010 and radical changes to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in 2000. The Wessely Independent Review of the Mental Health Act is another such milestone: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/independent-review-of-the-mentalhealth-act The APPG on A Fit and Healthy Childhood anticipates that the Government will fulfil its pledge to parents, children and practitioners by introducing much needed mental health legislation - and that our trio of Reports and the holistic theme of this one will help to inform a strategy that works for 21st century children
The Mental Health of Children and Young People
Children and young people were not a priority in the early stages of the pandemic. Whilst children and young people were considered to be at ‘low health risk’ but this did not account for the seriousness of mental health issues. Evidence of the psychological impact of Covid-19 on children and young people is fast emerging. A concerning number of studies and systemic reviews suggest the overwhelming negative impact on child and adolescent mental health. The Buttle UK survey (June 22 – 15 July 2021) revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic had exacerbated an ‘under the radar’ mental health crisis leaving a generation of children traumatised and unable to benefit from the Government’s educational recovery programmes. ‘We must listen to frontline professionals and prioritise mental health support’: https://buttleuk.org/news/news-list/state-of-child-poverty-202