Opportunities for local organisations to improve children’s mental wellbeing

A new resource from Public Health England’s (PHE) Mental Health Intelligence Network highlights the importance of local organisations measuring and acting to improve the mental wellbeing of children and young people.

Measuring mental wellbeing in children and young people shows that raising levels of mental wellbeing influences a child’s ability to learn, their resilience to risky behaviours and their physical and mental health in adulthood. Half of all mental health problems emerge before the age of 14 and 1 in 10 children will have a clinically diagnosed mental health problem during their childhood.

PHE’s resource is designed to help local organisations decide how to best gauge the mental wellbeing of children and young people in their areas. It also helps to identify local opportunities to enhance wellbeing, including through community or physical activities, as well as factors that may have a negative impact, such as high crime rates and family breakdown.

You can access the guide here: http://www.yhpho.org.uk/resource/view.aspx?RID=213417