Tackling children’s mental health issues
Town’s 107 schools join initiative to offer help
EDUCATION: An initiative aimed at tackling the growing number of pupils who suffer from mental health problems is being rolled out to 107 schools in a South Yorkshire town.
Rotherham Council and NHS partners have launched a campaign to raise awareness and challenge the stigma.
AN INITIATIVE aimed at tackling the growing number of pupils who suffer from mental health problems is being rolled out to 107 schools in a South Yorkshire town.
Rotherham Council and NHS partners have launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness and challenging the stigma surrounding the issue that affects three children in every classroom, according to the latest figures.
It comes after neighbouring city Sheffield was selected by the Government and the NHS earlier this year as one of 22 pilot areas to run a £3.2m scheme aimed at transforming emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children.
Entitled Stop Think, take Interest, Listen and live Life (STILL), the Rotherham campaign, which was developed with young people, asks youngsters to take time to think about their mental health and that of their peers.
To mark its launch, pupils across the town wore yellow as part of the #HelloYellow campaign run by Young Minds charity, which champions the wellbeing and mental health of young people across the country. In one school pupils have become mental health “champions” to help encourage young people to talk about how they are feeling.
Coun David Roche, Rotherham Council’s cabinet member for public health, said: “Mental health issues like depression are usually associated with adults, but research clearly shows that young people also suffer with such anxieties and we need to listen to what the research is telling us.
“That is why we want to encourage young people to take care of their mental health and our campaign will promote positive ways to do this by challenging the stigma which surrounds mental health and getting people to talk and seek help when they need it.”
The campaign is being rolled out across all schools from Year Six upwards, with resources like pocket reminder cards to help young people to think about themselves and each other. At Oakwood High School, in Moorgate, mental health champions have been selected as part of the awareness-raising campaign.
Headteacher David Naisbitt said: “We take our pupils’ wellbeing extremely seriously. Mental health issues can stop pupils being able to reach their potential so ignoring it is not an option. That is why we have identified pupils as mental health champions. Their role is to be available for other young people to turn to when they need someone to confide in.
Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team manager, Anders Cox, added: “There may be many reasons why we are seeing a rise in mental health issues in young people including exam stress, worries about body image and bullying. But this could also be down to people being more willing to talk about mental health issues now.”
Mental health issues like depression are usually associated with adults. Coun David Roche, Rotherham Council’s cabinet member for public health.