MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
At Active Education Sussex we understand the importance of mental health and wellbeing. Statistics are showing increasingly year on year, more children are suffering with mental health problems. Without intervention and support the problems will become much worse in adolescence and adulthood.
Here at Active Education Sussex we aim to support and nurture every child throughout our PE and Sport services to ensure we are taking Mental Health seriously. We work closely with professionals in their retrospective Child Psychology fields to ensure our staff understand all aspects of Mental Health in children and how we can positively support them with every interaction.
With 75% of adults experiencing mental health issues before the age of 18 – it’s clear that the sooner you can spot the signs in childhood, the better.
Future in Mind – DoH & NHS England 2015
How many children have mental health problems?
The last survey, conducted by the DoH and NHS in 2004, found that 1 in 10 children aged 5-15 had a mental health disorder (either emotional, behavioural, hyperactive, or other). In the newly released 2017 figures, this has risen to 1 in 9. This change was largely driven by an increase in emotional disorders (including anxiety and depression), which for 5-15-year-olds rose from 3.9% in 2004 to 5.8% in 2017. Across the whole group of 5-19-year olds, around 1 in 12 (8.1%) reported an emotional disorder.
Observation and Assessment
The Child, group or class will be observed for a short period, in which critical notes and questions are answered based on the observations made and actions of the child/children. During this period the teacher or behavioural specialist will look for specific indicators and triggers to assess the child across five key areas. These are; BEING, DOING, THINKING, POWER and IDENTITY, SKILLS and STRUCTURE.
Strategies and
Action Plans
Specific strategies & action plans are tailor made to support the individual child or children’s, emotional, social and developmental wellbeing. These are created on a full termly basis to give time for the interventions to take effect. These include specialised target areas based on the data from the observations and assessments.
Implement Interventions
The interventions are specialised to be implemented daily and can support the national curriculum in all areas. Activities are specifically created and developed for each child based upon the findings of the initial assessment criteria.
MEET SHARON
Child Behaviour Specialist
Sharon is a Qualified Thrive Practitioner and with over Two Decades of experience in education, she is dedicated to ensure all Active Education
Sussex Staff are trained and educated in how to assess for mental health, along with interventions and guidance on supporting those with it.
