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Updated:
October 14, 2024
Written By:
Liz Robson
Mental health issues are increasing in frequency among children and young people at a rapid rate. The latest data tells us that around 1 in 6 children are struggling with poor mental health(1). Therefore, we must provide school-based support for children and young people to take care of their mental health, not only to prevent the onset of mental health problems from developing but to increase their chances to achieve and learn(2).
Schools need practical advice and resources to help them develop an effective whole-school approach to mental health. A mental health toolkit for schools provided an essential resource that helps ensure that all students have access to the mental health support they need to flourish.
In this article, we will discuss some of the key components to include in your school mental health toolkit and share a practical wellbeing framework to build a toolkit that not only prevents mental health problems will also promote wellbeing either as a whole school or through direct work with pupils.
The Department of Education is committed to supporting mental health in schools, and they are encouraging all schools to appoint a Senior Mental Health Lead by 2025. To help with this, they are providing a covers. The Senior Mental Health Lead will be responsible for leading and overseeing a strategic approach to mental health and wellbeing in the school.
Developing a mental health toolkit is an essential part of their role, as it will provide them with the resources they need to effectively support student mental health in their school.
A mental health toolkit can be different for each school depending on its own community needs or environment, so the article coveres a range of suggested ideas that school mental health leads can select based on their identified priorities.
By having a dedicated mental health lead and a comprehensive mental health toolkit, schools will be better equipped to support the mental health of their students and prevent the development of mental health problems.
A mental health toolkit for schools can include a variety of resources and materials to help support students' mental health. Some of the items that might be included in a toolkit are:
A mental health toolkit can include many different resources. Some mental health resources might be found in policy and process documents, while others can act as tools for promoting wellbeing.
The lead can also work with staff to create a supportive environment for students who are struggling with their mental health. By providing these resources and support, the school can help ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed academically and emotionally.
A mental health toolkit doesn't have to only include policies and processes. It can also include strategic school-wide approaches to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing, that can be embedded into a wider universal wellbeing curriculum.
When it comes to our mental health, there are a variety of different things that we can do to help improve and maintain it. One great way to do this is by sharing evidence-based mental health tools, which can be made into a school ' wellbeing toolkit'. These activities can help teach and enable children and young people to learn new skills that improve our wellbeing and mental health.
A wellbeing toolkit can also be a resource for teachers and pastoral teams to use when they are looking for ways to support their students' mental health. According to the Early Intervention Foundation (3)
'Teachers frequently report limited confidence in being able to respond to young people’s mental health and behavioural needs.'
By including a variety of mental health resources in a mental health toolkit, teachers and staff can create a shared and consistent approach to supporting their students' mental health.
By sharing resources that promote wellbeing, school staff can provide their students with the tools they need to maintain good mental health. Everyone has different needs when it comes to mental health, and by including a variety of resources in a wellbeing toolkit, schools can make sure that they are meeting the mental health needs of all of their students.
We use an evidence framework when we create a mental health curriculum, programmes or toolkits to ensure that the tools employed are consistent with the development of mental health and wellbeing.
As specialists in positive psychology approaches in schools, we advocate for the SEARCH framework (4) as a method to assist teachers and schools in determining how to provide mental health strategies that have the potential to support mental health.
The SEARCH framework is an evidence-based framework developed by psychologists Waters and Loton in 2019. It provides a helpful way to organise, coordinate, teach and learn about mental health strategies in schools or educational settings.
The SEARCH framework includes six key areas we use for organising tools or strategies for wellbeing
Each of these key areas includes specific mental health tools developed from positive psychology that have been proven to be effective in preventing mental illness and promoting mental wellbeing.
The SEARCH framework can be used as a guide for planning, auditing and embedded tools for mental health.t's an adaptable framework that may be tailored to the specific requirements of each school.
When we work with schools to apply SEARCH, we help them to audit what mental health practices and resources are already available that fit within the framework. This helps mental health leads and schools realise there is already a lot of mental health provision available that they may not have brought together in a more strategic approach or 'umbrella of wellbeing'.
It's important to remember that everyone has unique strengths and qualities that they can bring to the table. A lot of mental health approaches in schools can focus too much on problems and deficits rather than focusing on building on strengths, one of the approaches recommended by the NICE guidelines for school mental health (2). One way to do this is to develop a language and lens of strength awareness, strengths use and then strength development. This will help children and young people build self-awareness and confidence, essential for wellbeing.
One 'tool' that can help develop wellbeing in your school is emotional awareness and expression. This can help children and young people learn how to recognise and understand their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It can also help them learn how to express their emotions healthily. Tools that help students to develop emotional literacy and emotional regulation are essential tools for any mental health toolkit both in primary and secondary schools
Attention is the ability to focus, whether on internal aspects of oneself, such as emotions and physical sensations or on external stimuli. The capacity to be aware of a stimulus while it is happening is referred to as attention.
Mindfulness is an activity that children and young people can do to help their wellbeing. It helps them to learn how to focus on the present moment and be aware of their thoughts and feelings. This can help students learn how to deal with stress and anxiety and make it easier to pay attention. There are many different mindfulness activities that teachers use in schools, such as breathing exercises, mindful movement or mindful learning breaks.
The ability to form and build positive relationships are essential and often underrated tools for mental health. The ability to develop positive peer relationships, feel safe, and secure and that they belong at school are essential strategies for a wellbeing toolkit.
Any tools or strategies you have for teaching children about friendships and healthy relationships, communication, listening, managing boundaries and building trust are an essential part of your mental health toolkit. These are important skills that can be taught through interactions with staff and teachers implicitly through modelling behaviour as well as explicitly in formal 'relationship' lessons.
It is essential that your wellbeing toolkit includes strategies to help children cope and deal with challenging situations that come their way. It's important to remember that everyone has different levels of ability to cope and that some children and young people may need more support than others. One of the strategies to help children cope is to increase their ability to be resilient.
There are many different strategies to help build resilience in young people. Some of the key mental health tools for developing resilience include problem-solving, growth mindset, using helpful coping strategies, communication, and developing optimism and self-worth. For example, problem-solving skills can help children to identify and overcome obstacles and build confidence, while coping strategies can help them to deal with challenges and setbacks healthily.
Helping children and young people set health-related goals and develop healthy habits are useful tools for mental health. Coaching is the most effective intervention to support personalised goal setting either for academic achievement or to develop well-being and resilience.
Exercise is another way for children and young people to boost their wellbeing. Exercise releases endorphins into the brain and helps release stress hormones from the body, reduces anxiety levels, lowers blood pressure, improves moods, and increases self-confidence.
There are many types of exercise that children and young people can participate in, such as running, cycling, swimming, dancing, and martial arts for example 'The daily mile' is a simple and effective wellbeing habit many schools are already using.
Yoga is often part of a mental health toolkit for schools. It involves stretching and poses that are said to promote peace of mind and relaxation. Yoga can be done by individuals or as a class, and many yoga poses are suitable for children and young people.
We encourage you to use the SEARCH framework as a mental health toolkit for your students. We hope that this framework will help you to teach mental health strategies in a way that is engaging and effective.
As a teacher or mental health and you play an important role in supporting the mental health of your students. That's why we're excited to offer our Wellbeing Toolkit training course. This online course will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to effectively support your students' mental health by using a toolkit of positive psychology mental health resources based on SEARCH. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to reflect on how you will use the tools in the Wellbeing Toolkit to make a big difference to the mental health of your school and students.
We're confident that this course will equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to make a positive impact on your students' mental health. Find out more and enrol here.
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