Looked-after children and previously looked-after children are more likely to experience the challenge of social, emotional and mental health issues than their peers.
They may struggle with a range of emotional, social and mental health needs, such as:
This can impact on their behaviour and education.
It is important that designated teachers and school staff have an awareness of children’s needs and how to support them.
You can find more information about local and national resources, documents and services on our mental health and wellbeing support page.
If you are a young person or a child in your care needs mental health support, there are a range of local and national mental health services available to children and young people.
Working with children who need extra support with mental health can be highly rewarding, but it is also exhausting and emotionally tough.
We advise that school mental health policies should support teaching and support staff, as well as pupils.
Schools should supervise staff wellbeing and provide opportunities to support their mental health.
We encourage schools to consider how attachment and trauma affects mental health, learning and relationships in school.
Visit our training sessions page to find out more about training sessions relating to mental health support.
We also offer regular networking and support groups for teaching assistants, as well as designated teachers.