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• Mental health issues

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• Education and learning
• Special needs and inclusion
• SEN and Inclusion Support services

• Types of difficulty and concern

Mental health issues

Promoting Children's Mental Health within Early Years and School Settings  (published by the Department for Education and Skills in 2001) describes mental health as being about maintaining a good level of personal and social functioning.

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For children and young people this means getting on with others, taking part in education and other social activities, developing positive self-esteem and general well-being. Mental health is about coping and adjusting to life demands as we grow.

The National Service Framework (Department of Health, 2004) notes that mental health difficulties in children are often associated with educational difficulties, family disruption, disability, anti-social and offending behaviour.
When concerns first begin to develop, support from a range of children's services is usually provided.  These include school staff, primary health care workers, voluntary organisations, and the City Council's children's support services.

When children and young people experience mental health difficulties, these difficulties are often apparent to staff in schools. Sometimes they’re not aware until parents or carers raise their concerns. The school staff and parents/carers should discuss their concerns, and planned actions. School staff, or parents/carers, may suggest the involvement of one of the City Council’s SEN and Inclusion Support Services. Care should be taken to talk with the children and young people about their views, and about the steps that can be taken to support them.

When concerns first begin to develop the City Council’s SEN and Inclusion Support Services may be able to provide support through:

• The Pre-School Education Support Service - for children aged 0 – 5 years
• The Learning and Behaviour Support Service (Primary) - for children aged 5 – 11years
• The Learning and Behaviour Support Service (Secondary) - for young people aged 11 – 18 years
• The Educational Psychology Service - for children and young people aged 0 – 18 years.