Page 4 - Guidance for Schools, Colleges, and Youth Services :: Portus
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www.richmond.gov.uk/portus
Introduction
Three quarters of life-long mental health problems Young women with a mental health disorder
in the UK start before the age of 25. Compared to between the ages of 17 and 19 have been identified
previous generations, children and young people as a particular high-risk group with just over half
today are considered to have worse mental health (52.7%) reporting that they had self-harmed or made
outcomes. a suicide attempt.
Growing up can be difficult
Children aged 5 to 16 Children and young people often report that they feel
years identified as having intense pressure due to exams, family circumstances,
friendships and worries about what the future holds.
a probable mental Over time, this can affect their emotional and mental
health disorder. health.
It’s likely that the reason you are reading this is
because a child or young person in your care is
experiencing difficulties with their mental health.
Mental ill health is a leading cause of health-related
disability amongst children and young people and
can have long lasting effects.
The increase was evident in both boys and girls. Resources to Help and Support.
It is important to know that children and young
people can recover from mental distress with the With the right help and support children and young
help of family, friends, and supportive adults. people can recover from mental health problems.
A young person with a diagnosed This resource offers guidance for staff
mental health disorder is also working with children and young
more likely to have self-harmed or people under the age of 18 (under 25
attempted suicide at some point. for those with disabilities or for care
leavers) who self-harm or feel suicidal.
Recent data from 2017 highlights that for young
people between 11 and 16 years with a mental health It is aimed at staff who work with children and young
disorder, 25.5% had self-harmed or attempted suicide people in a wide range of settings such as schools,
at some point compared to 3% for those without colleges and youth or community groups.
a disorder. For those between 17 to 19 years with a
mental health disorder the rate is even higher with This resource sets out key principles and ways
of working but does not prescribe how to act in
almost half (46.8%) reporting that they had made a
suicide attempt or self-harmed at some point. individual situations. It is not intended to override
individual organisational or professional guidelines
where they exist. It can however be used as a
reference point for discussions about approaches to
working with self-harm and suicidal thoughts and
behaviours, or to highlight training needs.
Portus - A Safe Space - Guidance on Self-harm and Suicide Prevention for Schools, Colleges and Youth Services.
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