Children and young people who experience mental health conditions are often not experienced enough to understand their issues.
There are specific safeguards in place to make sure the rights and interests of children and young people are upheld. Environments which support mental well-being should be positive, meaning they need to be welcoming. Positive and supportive relationships are important for the well-being and resilience of children and young people. Children and young people learn social skills from the adults around them. If they have developed negative social skills, this is likely to be as a result of having observed negative behaviour in adults. You should try and involve a child in decision-making and problem solving when dealing with things like stress and anxiety. Instead of trying to shield them from stress, try to be a role model and show them skills to use when they’re having a rough time.
This will encourage a child’s feelings of power and control. Whatever the choices made by the young person, those choices are the ones the young person has made using their own judgement, we need to respect their decisions and be supportive. Be open, non-judgemental and approachable so that the child/young person knows that they can discuss things with you. But be consistent in your response to unwanted challenging behaviour. You understand fully The Care Programme Approach is a package of care for people with serious mental health problems. The plan of care should spell out what will be done to support recovery and wellbeing.
This care plan should be reviewed regularly in multi-disciplinary meetings.
