Mental health and emotional well-being support is available to children and young people of secondary age through the Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Service.
There are two levels of support – additional and intensive. Support for younger children should be sought via the Early Help Locality Hub nearest to where the child lives.
Additional Support:
Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Service Available to East Riding Secondary Schools
In East Riding we recognise mental health and emotional well-being of young people as an increasing concern.
Our aim is to help prevent the development of mental health and emotional well-being issues and support children and young people with evidence-based services which build resilience and promote positive outcomes for all.
The Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Service is a secondary school-based early intervention service designed to be accessed quickly by children and young people experiencing mild to moderate low-mood and/or anxiety. As a multi-disciplinary service we recognise the need to have a mix of expertise and experience and to offer a range of support packages, ranging from universal support to clinical assessment and treatment.
We also acknowledge the complexity of issues faced by children, young people and parents in today’s society and the impact these can have on mental health and emotional well-being. Our workers understand the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) often resulting in social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in later childhood and adult life, such as: challenging behaviour, poor self-esteem, self-harm, poor relationships and risk taking behaviour. With this in mind we have developed 3 key practitioner roles within the service:
- Child Well-being Practitioner
- Counsellor
- Child Well-being Worker.
Child Well-being Practitioner (CWP) also referred to as Child Psychological Well-being Practitioner
We have 6 Child Well-being Practitioners (CWPs) within the team. CWPs work primarily from a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach and have completed training through the Governments CYP-IAPT program.
Similar to the Child Well-being Worker’s they support young people with low-moderate anxiety and depression, low mood and low-moderate behavioural difficulties. Their approach differs in being able to offer CBT specific interventions for young people who will most benefit from a low intensity, evidence based, therapeutic approach to manage challenging thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
CWPs are able to intervene early to prevent mental health concerns from developing further by providing a foundation of skill and knowledge which young people can continue to draw upon throughout their life. This helps to maximise the chances of positive outcomes for the young person. Support is delivered within educational establishments enabling young people to remain in education rather than having to disrupt attendance to seek external specialist support.
This aids a reduction in barriers to access support and helps to tackle the stigma associated with seeking help. CWPs hold up to 25 cases at any one time and receive regular clinical and caseload management supervision. As well as holding a case load, CWPs deliver Parent Led CBT to parents and carers of children aged 7-11.
Identifiable Behaviours
Low mood:
- Sadness or low mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure
- Fatigue or low energy
- Disturbed sleep (increased or decreased)
- Lack of concentration
- Low self-confidence
- Changes in appetite (increased or decreased)
- Suicidal thoughts or acts/self-injury
- Guilt or self-blame
Anxiety:
- Avoidance
- Defiance
- Seeking reassurance
- Excessive worry
- Physical symptoms: sweating, heart palpitation, fast or shallow breathing
- Panic attacks or anxiety attacks, feeling dizzy or sick
- Change in school attendance or social interaction.
Child Well-being Practitioner Sessions
We aim to provide a safe space for young people to explore solutions to their problems. Psycho-education is provided in all treatment paths to increase knowledge and understanding of the young person’s presenting mental health concern.
Treatment begins with screening, followed by concise assessment focusing on the young person’s presenting concern. Sessions are structured on a 1:1 basis to provide evidence based targeted therapy. 8-10 weekly appointments, lasting 30-40 minutes. Visits: Flexible support via phone calls or face-to-face in schools and Children’s Centres.
Counselling
Our team of counsellors bring a wealth of experience in supporting young people. All our counsellors are qualified and members of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists). Youth counselling is a type of therapy that allows a young person to talk about what is worrying them and share their thoughts and feelings in a confidential setting.
Counsellors are trained to listen with empathy, by putting themselves in the client’s shoes and working together with the young person to identify solutions to their problems. The counsellors are experienced at working with young people’s issues such as bereavement, trauma, relationship issues, anxiety, self-esteem, sexuality, gender identity, depression, self-harm or suicidal ideation. Counsellors receive both clinical and caseload management supervision.
Areas of Support
- Low self-esteem
- Anxiety/worry
- Relationship issues
- Self-Injury
- Suicide ideation
- Trauma
- Bereavement
- Gender/identity issues.
Counselling Sessions
We aim to provide a safe space for young people to explore solutions to their problems. The counselling service is available to all young people in statutory education (normally at least 11 years of age) at an East Riding school or college, or in, or working towards employment, or an apprenticeship.
Post-16 young people must reside in the East Riding. Ordinarily counsellors offer 6 sessions following a counselling assessment, but may agree to further counselling support in exceptional circumstances, or where there is an ongoing safeguarding concern.
Counselling normally takes place at the young person’s school in a private setting, but can take place at a Children’s Centre local to their home, or at a customer service centre.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council Customer Service Centres
Support is also available over the telephone: (01482) 393939.
Intensive Support
Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Service Available to East Riding Secondary Schools
Child Well-being Worker
Child Well-being Workers support children and young people in schools and colleges (aged 10-19 years) using a range of evidence-based approaches to reduce risk-taking behaviour, build resilience and improve emotional well-being. Child Well-being Workers hold up to 15 cases at any one time and receive regular reflective and caseload management supervision.
As well as holding a caseload workers deliver universal and targeted group work to children and young people in schools and in the community which focus on reducing risk taking behaviour, building emotional resilience and promoting a positive sense of self in order to reduce the risk of developing emotional and mental health issues in later life.
Intervention starts with a conversation to elicit each young person’s wishes and feelings about what would be helpful to them and this is regularly reviewed throughout therapeutic contact. An Early Help Assessment is then completed to gain a holistic view of what daily life is like for the young person. Our goal is to listen and capture each young person’s voice so we can build a positive trusted relationships and provide bespoke support best suited to their individual needs.
Areas of Support
- Difficulties in relationships with peer group and/or with adults
- Friendships and relationships inappropriate for age
- Low self-esteem/poor body image
- Low to moderate level mental health or emotional issues
- Self-injury
- Low to moderate level substance misuse
- Poor school attendance
- Behaviour in school likely to lead to risk of exclusion
- Concerns about sexual development and behaviour
- Emerging anti-social behaviour and attitudes and/or low level offending
- Associating with peers who are involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour
- Child is victim of bullying or bullies others
- Disruptive/challenging behaviour at school, in the community and at home
- Disordered attachments that have a severe impact on behaviour
- Regularly missing or absent
- Concern in relation to sexual exploitation
- Vulnerable homeless young person
- Not always adequate self-care, e.g. poor hygiene
- Gender/identity issues
- Inappropriate use of social media.
- Child Well-being Worker Sessions:
Child Well-being Worker Sessions:
We aim to provide a safe space for young people to explore solutions to their problems using the following approaches:
- Psycho-education to increase awareness of mental health and emotional well-being
- Intervention to develop appropriate and reduce challenging behaviour using RAID techniques
- Screening, assessment and care-planning with young people using substances
- Educate young people to better understand their behaviour and empower them to make changes
- Support young people to understand the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour and break negative cycles
- Teach coping skills and strategies, problem solving and conflict resolution skills
- Support to increase emotional awareness and intelligence
- Work with parents to educate them on how they can best support their child and build positive family relationships.
Initially 6 x 50 minutes to 1 hour, 1:1 or group support on a weekly basis will be offered either through via phone calls or face to face in schools, home, community and Children’s Centres.
How to Refer?
Email the completed referral form to yfs@eastriding.gov.uk
Mental Health and Emotional Well-being Service Referral Form (word 57kb)
Online Support
KOOTH is a free, online mental health and emotional well-being support service (11-25). Children and young people aged between 11 and 25 in the East Riding can now register to use Kooth, a free, anonymous online counselling and emotional well-being service, which can be accessed using a computer, smartphone or tablet device.