Children and young people’s mental health is influenced by a range of risk and protective factors within families and households.
Protective factors:
- family harmony and stability
- positive parenting
- affection
- clear, consistent discipline
- support for education
Risk factors:
- family disharmony or break up
- inconsistent discipline style
- parents/carers with mental illness
- parental substance misuse
- emotional abuse
- parental criminality or alcoholism
- death and loss
Consequently, we should implement holistic ‘whole family’ approaches and consider ways to reduce these known risk factors and deliver support that promote the protective factors, such as parenting programmes and tailored support for parents whose children have mental health problems (including support aimed at foster carers and adoptive parents). Services should provide flexible, non-judgemental, holistic support for children and young people, tailored to work around family needs and circumstances.
Both universal and targeted interventions are important for promoting child mental health and wellbeing. Universal interventions can help prevent mental health problems from developing, while targeted interventions can provide support and treatment to children who are at higher risk of developing these problems. By combining both types of interventions, County Durham can establish a comprehensive approach to promoting child mental health and wellbeing.
Sometimes children, young people and parents/carers require support with physical health needs that affect the family such as long-standing health conditions requiring management or physical disabilities requiring adaptations. Physical health problems can significantly increase our risk of developing mental health problems, and vice versa. Nearly one in three people with a long-term physical health condition also has a mental health problem, most often depression or anxiety. Where there are families identified with physical health needs we want them to be well-managed and for families to have sufficient and the right support in place.
Information sources
- Butterwick Hospice
- CEREBA: sleep advice service
- County Durham Safeguarding Adults: good practice guidance for professionals
- Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership: Critical Incident Guidance available on the Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership: mental health and wellbeing page
- Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership: mental health and wellbeing
- Emotional Wellbeing and Effective Learning (EWEL) Team
- Families Information Service: bereavement counselling
- Healthy Start Scheme (get help to buy food and milk)
- Look after your mental health (includes information for adults, young people and children, and emergency support)
- Making Every Contact Count
- St Cuthbert’s Hospice
- UK Trauma Council: what is traumatic bereavement – a guide for schools
- West Sussex Council Local Offer: Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Toolkit