Children's Mental Health Week 2023 - how to maintain good mental health in school

Children's Mental Health Week 2023, 6 - 12 February, is all about making a difference to the lives of children and young people across the UK. The awareness week is organised and promoted by the charity Place2Be. The theme this year is "Let's Connect." 

Today, as part of our week-long celebration of Children’s Mental Health Week, we are pleased to introduce a young guest author. Lucy is a member of the Junior Start Well Board* in Powys, and writes about her life as a high school pupil here in Mid Wales.

Maintaining good mental health may come as a struggle and is a constant balancing act. However, it does not always have to be a difficult and negative experience. 

As a teenager (I’m 15 years old) I can really appreciate how complicated our continuously changing lives are and living in the moment allows me to relate to and understand many problems teenagers are facing currently. Whether that would be post COVID struggles such as social anxiety and work overload, or simply exam stresses to friendship and relationship problems. 

All the listed above are completely understandable and relatable issues for many at the moment, and it would be inconsiderate not to address them. If you find yourself in any one of these situations where you’re not sure how to balance your head with your heart and maintain a sensible level of emotion, don't be afraid to reach out to others for help.

It is not often thought about, but we all have a mental health, and almost 100% of what we do will impact that mental health some way or another. Be it good or bad. This is where the balancing comes into practice. 

Changing lives and changing emotions, will mean a changing headspace. Here is what appears scary. Uncontrollable thoughts and feelings will arise, that will weigh you down like the devil and angel. None of which can be predicted. Way to dramatise, right? But that is how we feel. 

Finding ourselves can be a daunting experience; social image and acceptance are crucial in a young person’s life, however much they tell us that it doesn’t matter. Of course, it’s built into society, and no amount of preaching will fix that problem. On the one hand, having something to work toward, and maintain yourself for, is always an asset in life. On the other hand, don’t be fooled into a negative mindset of focusing on others’ opinions of you.

High school is like juggling balls of fire. You take your eye off the ball, and all hell breaks loose. Of course, in reality it’s not that deep, but try telling me that when friendships are broken, and secrets are spilled the day before I have an important exam. So how do we cope with stresses like this?

The simplest answer: Take a chill-pill. Sit down and just think. Remove any social device from your presence and commit to a full connection with your emotions. Ask yourself, how am I feeling? Why am I feeling this way? Is this a normal feeling? Or a new feeling? What is the best way to get rid of this feeling?

A feeling of overwhelm and confusion is best dealt with in a way which works for you. Be it, writing it down on a piece of paper – and burn it later if you want - (this works best for me), messaging a friend or family member to let out your emotions, and have a little rant, even recording a voice note and then deleting it after. Any way you can use to release your emotions is beneficial for your mental health. Even the smallest of things. Imagine wringing out a dirty wet sponge. All that weight and dirt and grime has built up until you can take no more. The only way is out.

All being said, the best way to aid a situation like this, is to avoid it all together. As I mentioned, High School is an unpredictable place, where we can be dragged into all sorts of issues that are beyond our control. But let’s back up and take a look at what is within our control.

Having a healthy work / life balance is wildly important for anyone, and in school it’s just the same. Attitude going into classes will determine how the teachers view you and your values. And remember; respect goes both ways. The best way to enjoy school is to be honest, open, and caring to all around you. That will make school life easier. In turn this should take stress off exams, as you will start to enjoy your classes. 

As for friendships and relationships, they will fluctuate with time, so don’t let that put you off. We can’t hold on to something that is not meant to be. And to be honest, try and avoid being petty. Life’s too short to hold a grudge.

The main person in control of your emotions is you. So do things that make you happy, have friends that make you happy, and go places that make you happy.

Having experienced many of the things above myself, I hope this advice will act as an understanding of what we go through as teenagers. From one to another.

*Junior Start Well Board is a group of young people aged 11 – 17 years of age who meet every month to talk about the issues affecting young people. The purpose of the group is to listen to the views and the opinions of their peers and provide a voice for young people in Powys, so that they can feedback and contribute to decisions that affect them. Based on these conversations, they ask to meet with the services in Powys who are best placed to listen and respond or look at setting up any new projects in response to need.

If you would like more information on how to join please contact sharon.titley@powys.gov.uk

Find out more about SilverCloud online resources for children, young people and supportive adults.

Reading Well for teens suggests recommended reading and digital resources to help you understand your feelings and boost your confidence.

Photos from unSplash - Nick Fewings

Online therapy service supporting young minds

In October 2022, the SilverCloud online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) service opened its virtual doors to help children, young people and parents across Wales manage their mental wellbeing. The SilverCloud team explains how to access the service in Powys and offers some tips to support the young people in your life.

Home schooling and pandemic lockdowns may seem like a distant memory now that we’ve (largely) returned to “normal“, yet the challenges of the past few years are having a lasting impact on our younger generation.

According to research by NHS Digital, 1 in 6 children and young people had a diagnosable mental health condition in 2021, such as anxiety or low mood. This is up from 1 in 9 in 2017.

Early intervention and support can help young people build the emotional skills that are vital for learning, life and good mental health in future.

SilverCloud has supported over 33,000 people in Wales since launching its self-referral programmes for adults in September 2020. Following a successful pilot in Powys this year, young people throughout Wales, and their parents/carers, can now access a suite of CBT-based online support programmes to help with mild-to-moderate anxiety and low mood.

• Parents and carers can sign up for a free 12-week online therapy programme for help in supporting children and young people aged 4-18 with mild-to-moderate anxiety.
• Teens aged 16-18 throughout Wales can sign up to our self-referral service directly via their mobile, tablet or laptop - without needing adult consent - for support with mild-to-moderate anxiety or low mood.
• Young people aged 11+ in Powys can be referred into SilverCloud by Powys Teaching Health Board Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Powys County Council Education, Youth Service, Youth Intervention Service, Youth Justice and Early Help.

Making the service available to children, young people and their parents/ carers enables thousands more people to get early access to support when they need it.

Psychological Assistant and Clinical Online CBT Coordinator, Jess Ferdinando, explains how SilverCloud can help:

“The past couple of years have been particularly difficult for children and their families. As well as navigating the usual stresses of growing up, young people are still living with the impacts of a global health crisis.

“Supporting children and young people who are struggling with their mental health can be challenging. SilverCloud offers practical, clinically proven help for young people to manage anxiety and low mood as well as help for parents/carers in supporting them.

“Our pilot of the children’s and young person’s service has already had a positive impact in Powys, so I’m thrilled we’ve been able to extend this support to young people and their families throughout Wales.

“All our programmes are packed with useful insights, practical tools and activities to empower young people to manage their problems and apply what they learn in their daily lives.

“It’s supportive, too! We like to call it online therapy with a human touch because every client is assigned a SilverCloud supporter; this is an online CBT coordinator who guides the client through the programme and provides regular personalised feedback.

“One of the great things about SilverCloud is its flexibility; you can access the therapy programmes from any online device and work through them at your own pace, which makes it easier to fit around your life. For the best results, we recommend that people access their SilverCloud programme 3-4 times each week for 15-20 minutes each time.”

Tips for Parents Supporting a Child with Anxiety

“If your child or teen is experiencing anxiety,” continues Jess, “there’s lots you can do as a parent or carer to help them. This includes taking care yourself too! I’ve put together a few tips for parents and carers:

1. Keep your cool. Seeing your child in distress can be upsetting. You could feel a range of emotions including sadness, frustration and even anger over what your child is going through. These are all normal responses to a challenging situation. You’re in a much better position to make sensible parenting decisions when you’re calm, as opposed to reacting emotionally.
2. Remember to take time out for yourself to relax. Have you heard the phrase “you can’t pour from an empty cup”? It means that for us to take care of others, we also need to take care of ourselves. This is especially important if you’re helping a child who is struggling with their mental health. If you can, take some time out to do something you enjoy.
3. Listen to your child. You may instinctively want to take action to fix whatever is causing your child to feel anxious. Sometimes, you don’t need to have the answers or fix it; take time to listen to your child and understand the situation. You child is more likely to confide in you if they feel seen and heard and know you will listen to them without judgement or criticism.
4. Find support for yourself from professionals and other trusted adults. As a parent or carer, it’s natural to want to support your child during difficult times. Remember that you need support too. You don’t have to go it alone; reach out to trusted friends, family members or healthcare professionals if you’re struggling.
5. Work together as a team – you’re stronger together!”

What programmes are available?

SilverCloud programmes are based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), an evidence-based therapy that works by encouraging young people to challenge the way they think and behave to become better equipped to deal with life’s challenges.

There are five specially designed Children & Young People (CYP) programmes available on SilverCloud; three for young people and two for parents:

• Space from Anxiety can help young people understand their anxiety and learn skills to help them cope better.
• Space from Low Mood can help young people to understand and manage symptoms of low mood.
• Space from Anxiety and Low Mood can help young people understand and manage symptoms of anxiety and low mood.
• Supporting an Anxious Child helps parents and carers of children aged 4-11 in understanding and managing their anxiety.
• Supporting an Anxious Teen helps parents and carers of young people aged 12-18 in understanding and managing their anxiety.

How to access help for young people in Powys

People in Powys have two ways to access SilverCloud’s tailored support programmes for children, young people and parents.

1. Self-Referral – available throughout Wales

Anyone aged 16+ can sign up to a SilverCloud programme online via our self-referral service; this means you can sign-up directly without needing to be referred by a GP or healthcare professional.

Choose one of the easy-to-use, interactive online mental health and wellbeing programmes to complete over 12 weeks and receive fortnightly feedback from your online SilverCloud Supporter, one of the mental health professionals whose role is to support users of the service.

All of our adult programmes are open to individuals over 16; we recommend that young people aged 16-18 choose one of our CYP programmes which have been developed with young people in mind. Young people aged 16+ can sign up to a SilverCloud programme independently of a parent.

• Space From Anxiety (CYP) – for young people aged 16-18.
• Space From Low Mood (CYP) – for young people aged 16-18.
• Space From Anxiety and Low Mood (CYP) – for young people aged 16-18.
• Supporting an Anxious Child (parents/carers of children aged 4-11).
• Supporting an Anxious Teen (parents/carers of young people aged 12-18).

2. Referred service (Powys residents only)

In Powys, young people aged 11+ have unique access to our CYP programmes through our referred service. Access to these programmes is only available to young people below the age of 16 following a referral to SilverCloud by one of the following teams:

• PTHB Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS);
• PCC Education, Youth Service, Youth Intervention Service, Youth Justice, Early Help.

Programmes available through our referred service:

• Space From Anxiety (CYP) – for young people aged 11-18.
• Space From Low Mood (CYP) – for young people aged 11-18.
• Space From Anxiety and Low Mood (CYP) – for young people aged 11-18.
• Supporting an Anxious Child (parents/carers of children aged 4-11).
• Supporting an Anxious Teen (parents/carers of young people aged 12-18.

Want to know more about SilverCloud in Wales and online CBT?

If you have any queries, please email Silver.Cloud@Wales.nhs.uk

To sign up, visit: https://nhswales.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SilvercloudW

Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverCloudWales

Reaching into schools – Powys Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

Cyrraedd ysgolion – Gwasanaethau Iechyd Meddwl Plant a’r Glasoed (CAMHS) 

Gail, Steve & Tor of the CAMHS Schools In-reach Team | Gail, Steve a Tor o dîm Gwasanaeth Allgymorth CAMHS Powys

by | gan Gail Morris

Powys CAMHS Schools In-Reach Team Lead 
Arweinydd Tîm Mewngymorth Ysgolion Powys CAMHS 

The Powys CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) School In-Reach Service was developed following Welsh Government direction after several reports highlighted concerns that pupil mental health and wellbeing was deteriorating across Wales. It followed on from the evaluation of a pilot undertaken by the Welsh Government in 2021, where an assigned practitioner offered consultation and training relating to emotional health and wellbeing.

“There was evidence before the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) In-Reach to Schools Pilot programme that mental health difficulties, such as feeling low, had increased in Wales, for example:

• The proportion of 15 year old boys reporting feeling low more than once a week increased from less than 10 per cent in 2009 to 15 per cent in 2014; and
• The proportion of 15 year old girls reporting feeling low more than once a week increased from less than 22 per cent in 2009 to 30 per cent in 2014 (Public Health Wales, 2016).”

Evaluation of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHs) In-Reach to Schools Pilot Programme: Final Report

Datblygwyd Gwasanaeth Mewngymorth i Ysgolion CAMHS Powys (Gwasanaethau Iechyd Meddwl Plant a’r Glasoed) o gyfarwyddyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar ôl i sawl adroddiad amlygu pryderon bod iechyd meddwl a lles disgyblion yn dirywio ledled Cymru. Roedd yn dilyn ymlaen o werthusiad o gynllun peilot a gynhaliwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn 2021, lle cynigiodd ymarferydd penodedig ymgynghoriad a hyfforddiant yn ymwneud ag iechyd a lles emosiynol.

“Roedd tystiolaeth gan gyn rhaglen Beilot Mewngymorth i Ysgolion Gwasanaethau Iechyd Meddwl Plant a’r Glasoed (CAMHS) fod anawsterau iechyd meddwl, megis teimlo’n isel, wedi cynyddu yng Nghymru, er enghraifft:

• Roedd cyfran y bechgyn 15 oed sy'n dweud eu bod yn teimlo'n isel fwy nag unwaith yr wythnos wedi cynyddu o lai na 10 y cant yn 2009 i 15 y cant yn 2014; a
• Roedd cyfran y merched 15 oed a nododd eu bod yn teimlo'n isel fwy nag unwaith yr wythnos wedi cynyddu o lai na 22 y cant yn 2009 i 30 y cant yn 2014 (Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, 2016)."

Gwerthusiad o Raglen Beilot Mewngymorth y Gwasanaethau Iechyd Meddwl Plant a’r Glasoed (CAMHS) i Ysgolion: Adroddiad Terfynol

The pilot was undertaken between 2018 - 2020. During this time involvement relating to staff wellbeing was also offered, but on evaluation it was identified this was best delivered in a corporate response, therefore provided by the employer. Like many new and existing initiatives, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the delivery across all of Wales of the pilot service, and how it was evaluated. Schools in South Powys were involved in the pilot.

The Welsh Government’s final evaluation was completed in 2021 and it was decided that services would be rolled out across all health boards in Wales.

“Evidence suggests that (the pilot) has made important contributions to improving staff skills and confidence; access to specialist advice, liaison and consultation; and to improving staff mental health and well-being, which all support Whole-School Approaches to Mental Health and Well-being (Welsh Government, 2021)”.

Evaluation of the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHs) In-Reach to Schools Pilot Programme: Final Report

Cafodd y peilot ei gynnal rhwng 2018 - 2020. Yn ystod y cyfnod hwn cynigiwyd ymwneud â lles staff hefyd, ond ar werthuso nodwyd mai'r ffordd orau i gyflwyno hynny oedd mewn ymateb corfforaethol, wedi’i ddarparu gan y cyflogwr. Fel llawer o fentrau newydd a rhai cyfredol, effeithiodd pandemig Covid-19 ar y ddarpariaeth ym mhob rhan o Gymru lle darparwyd y gwasanaeth peilot, a hefyd sut y cafodd ei werthuso. Roedd ysgolion yn Ne Powys yn rhan o'r cynllun peilot.

Cwblhawyd gwerthusiad terfynol Llywodraeth Cymru yn 2021 a phenderfynwyd y byddai gwasanaethau'n cael eu cyflwyno ar draws holl fyrddau iechyd Cymru.

" Awgryma'r dystiolaeth fod (y peilot) wedi gwneud cyfraniadau pwysig at wella sgiliau a hyder staff; mynediad at gyngor, cyswllt ac ymgynghori arbenigol; ac i wella iechyd meddwl a lles staff, a fydd yn cefnogi Dulliau Ysgol Gyfan at Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant (Llywodraeth Cymru, 2021)".

Gwerthusiad o Raglen Beilot Mewngymorth y Gwasanaethau Iechyd Meddwl Plant a’r Glasoed (CAMHS) i Ysgolion: Adroddiad Terfynol

Powys CAMHS Schools In-Reach Service | Tîm Mewngymorth Ysgolion Powys CAMHS

Since March 2022 the Powys CAMHS In-Reach Service has been in a period of development, which has included recruitment, staff training, development of a service leaflet, procedures and processes, and raising awareness within internal and external agencies.

The CAMHS Schools-In Reach team at Powys Teaching Health Board | Tîm Gwasanaeth Allgymorth CAMHS Powys

There were 12 recommendations made in the Final Evaluation of the pilot by the Welsh Government 2021. These have been benchmarked with external partners to ascertain and initially position and identify where the focus of priorities should be. This has provided a reassuring position for the initial assessment.

The new service is aligned to other CAMHS services and is designed to be an early identification and intervention service, providing staff in school with the skills to identify and respond timely to issues in a Whole School Approach response. This means that children and young people are supported with their emotional health and wellbeing by someone who knows them.

There is a Task and Finish Group involved in developing a Standard Operational Procedure relating to the nature and scope of the service, involving internal and external key stakeholders. Practitioners have been contacting schools to which they are assigned, and scoping has occurred with schools to understand what their existing knowledge is of the service, and what their identified needs relating to emotional health and wellbeing are in school that can be supported by the Powys CAMHS School In-Reach Service.

Ers mis Mawrth 2022 mae Gwasanaeth Mewngymorth Powys CAMHS wedi bod yn cymryd rhan mewn cyfnod o ddatblygu, sydd wedi cynnwys recriwtio, hyfforddi staff, datblygu taflen wasanaeth, gweithdrefnau a phrosesau, a chodi ymwybyddiaeth o fewn asiantaethau mewnol ac allanol.

Cafodd 12 o argymhellion eu gwneud yng Ngwerthusiad Terfynol y peilot gan Lywodraeth Cymru 2021. Mae'r rhain wedi'u meincnodi gyda phartneriaid allanol i ganfod a hefyd i ddechrau pennu a nodi lle y dylai ffocws y blaenoriaethau fod. Mae hyn wedi rhoi lle calonogol i'r asesiad cychwynnol.

Mae'r gwasanaeth newydd yn cyd-fynd â gwasanaethau CAMHS eraill, a'i fwriad yw bod yn wasanaeth adnabod ac ymyrraeth gynnar, gan roi'r sgiliau i staff yn yr ysgol nodi ac ymateb yn amserol i faterion mewn ymateb Dull Ysgol Gyfan. Mae hyn yn golygu bod plant a phobl ifanc yn cael eu cefnogi gyda'u hiechyd a'u lles emosiynol gan rywun sy'n eu hadnabod.

Mae Grŵp Gorchwyl a Gorffen yn rhan o'r gwaith o ddatblygu Gweithdrefn Weithredol Safonol yn ymwneud â natur a chwmpas y gwasanaeth, sy'n cynnwys rhanddeiliaid allweddol mewnol ac allanol. Mae ymarferwyr wedi bod yn cysylltu ag ysgolion y maent yn cael eu neilltuo iddynt, ac mae ymarferion cwmpasu wedi digwydd gydag ysgolion i ddeall beth yw eu gwybodaeth bresennol am y gwasanaeth, a'r hyn y mae eu hanghenion a nodwyd yn ymwneud ag iechyd a lles emosiynol yn yr ysgol y gellir eu cefnogi gan Wasanaeth Mewngymorth Ysgolion Powys CAMHS.

Support for children and young people | Cymorth i blant a phobl ifanc

If a child or young person is considered in need of support the school makes a referral which is responded to in 5 working days. The consultation should take place within 10 working days. Consultation can be with identity shared, with consent from the parents/young person, or anonymously if not.

All schools have been assigned a practitioner and independent schools in Powys have also been made aware of the service. Staff training relates to Youth Mental Health First Aid, which staff in the team are trained to deliver virtually, and colleagues in Primary Mental Health are trained to deliver face to face. All training can be booked on Eventbrite. 

Furthermore, the team are responding to themes and trends and are developing packages for both school staff and children and young people; these include some existing resources involving resilience and anxiety, and new ones that have been developed including - eating disorders, exam stress, LGBT, self-harm, social media and resilience.

Os ystyrir bod plentyn neu berson ifanc angen cymorth, mae'r ysgol yn gwneud atgyfeiriad a ymatebir iddo mewn 5 niwrnod gwaith. Dylai'r ymgynghoriad gael ei gynnal o fewn 10 niwrnod gwaith. Gall ymgynghoriad gael ei gynnig wrth rannu manylion adnabod gyda chaniatâd y rhieni/person ifanc, neu os na yn ddienw.

Mae ymarferydd wedi’i neilltuo i bob ysgol ac mae ysgolion annibynnol ym Mhowys hefyd wedi cael gwybod am y gwasanaeth. Mae hyfforddiant staff yn ymwneud â Chymorth Cyntaf Iechyd Meddwl Ieuenctid, pa staff yn y tîm sydd wedi'u hyfforddi i'w darparu'n rhithiol, ac mae cydweithwyr mewn Iechyd Meddwl Sylfaenol yn cael eu hyfforddi i ddarparu wyneb yn wyneb. Gellir archebu'r holl hyfforddiant ar Eventbrite. 

Yn ogystal, mae'r tîm yn ymateb i themâu a thueddiadau ac yn datblygu pecynnau ar gyfer staff ysgolion a phlant a phobl ifanc; mae'r rhain yn cynnwys rhai adnoddau cyfredol sy'n ymwneud â gwytnwch a gofid, a rhai newydd sydd wedi eu datblygu gan gynnwys - anhwylderau bwyta, straen arholiadau, LHDT, hunan-niweidio, cyfryngau cymdeithasol a gwytnwch.

Gail and Steve at the Royal Welsh Show 2022 | Gail a Steve yn Sioe Frenhinol Cymru 2022

Partnership working | Gweithio mewn partneriaeth

The team are also represented on subgroups of the Powys Emotional Workstream (which contributes towards supporting good emotional health and wellbeing for Children and Young people across Powys) platforms, including exam stress, bereavement, and peer support, and work regularly with partners from health, education, social care, Youth Services and the voluntary sector.

We support external partners with issues of significance to support children, young people and staff in school. Initiatives such as the wellbeing tent at the Royal Welsh Show support and promote wellbeing with partners.

Cynrychiolir y tîm hefyd ar is-grwpiau Llif Gwaith Emosiynol Powys (sy'n cyfrannu at gefnogi iechyd a lles emosiynol da i Blant a Phobl Ifanc ar draws Powys), gan gynnwys straen arholiadau, profedigaeth, a chefnogaeth gan gyfoedion, ac maent yn gweithio'n rheolaidd gyda phartneriaid o iechyd, addysg, Gofal Cymdeithasol, Gwasanaethau Ieuenctid a'r sector gwirfoddol.

Rydym yn cefnogi partneriaid allanol sydd â phroblemau o arwyddocâd i gefnogi plant, pobl ifanc a staff yn yr ysgol. Mae mentrau fel y babell les yn y Sioe Frenhinol yn cefnogi ac yn hybu lles gyda phartneriaid.

The Powys CAMHS School In-Reach team | Tîm Gwasanaeth Allgymorth CAMHS Powys

The team is currently staffed with a team leader and 3 full-time equivalent posts, whilst an administrator post is currently being advertised and shortly a psychology post. There are plans to develop the team further with additional support roles.

This team has the potential to develop processes in schools to empower and enable staff to identify, in an early intervention approach, children and young people who may be experiencing issues with their emotional health and wellbeing. They are in a privileged position to undertake this. As the staffing complement in the team is built upon, this may give opportunity for the scope of the service to develop so that there is face to face support offered to children and young people, in an early intervention response.

You can read the full Evaluation of the pilot project HERE.

Ar hyn o bryd mae'r tîm yn cael ei staffio gan arweinydd tîm a 3 swydd gyfatebol llawn amser, tra bod swydd gweinyddwr yn cael ei hysbysebu ar hyn o bryd a chyn bo hir swydd seicoleg hefyd. Mae cynlluniau ar y gweill i ddatblygu'r tîm ymhellach gyda rolau cymorth ychwanegol.

Mae gan y tîm hwn y potensial i ddatblygu prosesau mewn ysgolion i rymuso a galluogi staff i adnabod, a defnyddio dull ymyrraeth gynnar, gyda phlant a phobl ifanc a allai fod yn dioddef problemau gyda'u hiechyd a'u lles emosiynol. Maent mewn sefyllfa freintiedig i ymgymryd â hyn. Wrth i'r gwaith o adeiladu tim o staff ddatblygu, allai hyn roi cyfle i sgôp y gwasanaeth ddatblygu fel bod cefnogaeth wyneb yn wyneb yn cael ei gynnig i blant a phobl ifanc, a hynny fel ymateb ymyrraeth gynnar.

Gallwch ddarllen gwerthusiad llawn y prosiect peilot YMA.

Many thanks to Gail for telling us more about this excellent initiative to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in Powys. 

If you want to find out more you can email: Gail.Morris4@wales.nhs.uk

Find out more about the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service provided by 

Powys Teaching Health Board.

Diolch yn fawr i Gail am ddweud mwy wrthym am y fenter ardderchog hon i gefnogi iechyd meddwl a lles plant a phobl ifanc ym Mhowys. 

Os ydych chi eisiau darganfod mwy, gallwch e-bostio: Gail.Morris4@wales.nhs.uk

Darganfod mwy am y Gwasanaeth Iechyd Meddwl Plant a’r Glasoed a ddarperir gan Fwrdd Iechyd Addysgu Powys.

New Eating Disorders' Services for Powys

A Happy New Year to all our readers! 

Just over a year ago one of our Powys citizen reps, Helen Missen, (pictured above) a passionate advocate for improved Eating Disorders' services, wrote about the Eating Disorders’ Service review in Wales which had just taken place.

Roll on twelve months, and so much has developed in Powys as a result of this review (you can read the Executive Summary). At our mental health partnership board meeting just before Christmas we were very pleased to find out more about the new services from our colleagues at Powys Teaching Health Board along with Dr Jacinta Tan (Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist at Aneurin Bevan Health Board) who led the Review Team, Menna Jones (newly appointed National Clinical Lead for Eating Disorders) and Helen.

The underlying principles which people wanted

• Early detection and intervention. Helping people, like teachers and parents, to identify people who might have an eating disorder to have access to support and help.
• Inclusivity. Never turn people away. Anyone in distress who thinks they are, or a loved one who might have an eating disorder, deserves a response.
• To be person-centred. To have prompt expert help for those who might have eating disorders. Giving people what they need and trying as far as possible to deliver it to them where they are. To provide person-centred and holistic care for the person and the whole family.
• Relationship based.
• Recovery focussed
• Trauma informed.

In total there were 22 recommendations made by Jacinta which the government took on board. 

Where we go from here

Eating Disorders’ services were highlighted, as one of five key areas, for additional funding from the Welsh Government’s Mental Health Improvement Fund. There was a specific focus on Early Intervention as an area which the government wanted to prioritise. The first funding stream came through in Summer 2019 and coincided with a large consultation with clinicians across Wales looking at the response to the recommendations as well as some of the barriers that might come up.

In January 2019 it was announced that there would be a dedicated post created to take some of this work forward – a National Eating Disorders’ Lead in NHS Wales. Menna Jones officially started in this full-time role, the first of its kind for Eating Disorders, on 1 January this year, with the placement due to continue until March 2022. Menna’s role will be to work with clinicians, and those using services, to set up an Implementation Plan which sets long-term goals for improving services based on the Review’s recommendations and also facilitating changes to happen.

Some of the key areas include: early intervention, moving to increased delivery of eating disorder services by specialist teams, creation of physical health clinics within Community Mental Health teams, and to join up Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and adult services – looking at transitions but also at what can be learned from each of these services around models used and approaches to work.

The vision of the service review

Jacinta emphasized that the plan will focus on equity of access to specialist and high quality care across Wales, including in rurally isolated areas of large parts of Mid Wales such as Powys. There will also be joined-up working with other teams – patients are complex, they have many needs, they have comorbidities (the presence of one or more conditions at once) and it is important to interface with other services such as Autism services. In promoting specialism Eating Disorders Services will not be pulling away from the rest of the system.

The lived experience view from Helen

"From all mental health conditions eating disorders still have the highest mortality rate of any and that needs to be at the forefront of people’s thinking. I started advocating for families because I just didn’t want them to go through what we went through 11 years ago. I now sit on the Executive Committee for the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Eating Disorders faculty and the European Board for the Academy of Eating Disorders. I really believe in change. I believe we can get it right in Powys. And I know (from my daughter’s experience) that recovery is possible." 

Plans for Powys 

Sam Shore – Head of CAMHS

Currently CAMHS has an eating disorder element to the service already, including specialist practitioner support and our own CAMHS dietician as well as support from psychology. Each CMHT does have a link eating disorder worker who will give advice to anyone open to adult mental health services and support any new referrals into the service.

Practitioners link with GPs for support in the first instance if someone’s physical health is deteriorating.

Following receipt of additional funds, however, we now are going to develop a specialist Eating Disorder Service, which is going to be an age-less service. We want to address issues such as transition and early intervention. We will be working more closely with GPs in Powys, and looking at our referrals into the service.

Following receipt of funding the following new posts have been created and we will be recruiting very soon:

• Team leader.
• Specialist practitioner.
• Dietician.
• Occupational therapist technician.
  
  

We’ve been working closely with Helen too and listened particularly to her tips and hints on moving forward. So we have an idea of what the new service will look like in terms of family intervention and family work. Menna has also offered to support us in the development of the service.

Whilst normally we would have 4 – 5 on our caseload we are actually working with 20 children and young people at the moment (mid December 2020). Covid has had a massive impact on the referrals and they are very complex – there are significant physical health issues, family dynamic issues and cases of anxiety as well as eating disorders.

Joy Garfitt – Assistant Director Mental Health & Learning Disabilities' Services

The model we’re going for is a small dedicated team of specialists who can link to the national Eating Disorder team. Within our five CMHTs and our CAMHS teams we have a small nucleus of specialism, whilst others practice as general mental health practitioners, so we’re creating a staff team which has a general mental health practice element to their role and a special interest element to their role. The special interest might be eating disorders, or perinatal, or trauma-informed services. This means that community psychiatric nurses, and social workers in the field, can also access that specialist support locally in Powys. We can’t provide an eating disorder service in every CMHT as might happen in a big city, so that’s why we’re looking at a different model. 

All in all it was great to hear the enthusiasm and commitment to reshaping Eating Disorder Services, not just in Powys, but across Wales, and we look forward to receiving further updates as the new team settles in and starts work.

Self-harm research project - SHARE UK - can you help?

by guest author Amanda Marchant

I'm Amanda, a PhD student and research assistant at Swansea University. I run the SHARE UK webpage, Facebook and Twitter accounts. I also work on other research projects looking at childhood and adolescent mental health, self-harm and suicide prevention. As a team we want our research to help improve mental health support. 

Reports out in the summer suggest that 1 in 4 fourteen year old girls and 1 in 10 boys have harmed themselves in the past year. Self-harm is very common but research suggests that up to half of young people who self-harm don’t receive help from anyone. 

We want this to change and for this we need your help! SHARE UK is a ground breaking study looking to learn more about self-harm from people who have experienced it themselves. We want to make a real change but we need you to help us learn about what would make a difference to you. This could be better support in hospitals, schools, anti-bullying policies, help online or maybe even some new ideas! 

The study can be completed all online and you can tell us as much or as little as you like. If you have any ideas or comments or if you would like to write for our blog then we’d love to hear from you too at shareuk@swansea.ac.uk

The UK's first self-harm research register – over 200 people strong so far! 

The most important part of any research with self-harm is real people. We can’t make change without you to tell us about your experience. We have created a register that gives everyone the chance to sign up to hear more about future research and studies that they might like to take part in. People can sign up online and we hope that this will give everyone a voice in research.

We have had over 200 people sign up already and this is amazing! Research is an important part of the push for services, government spending and how support is organised. If as many people as possible take part then we can make this push for change even stronger.

What you guys say

We’ve had some amazing feedback and ideas from you guys especially from our feedback survey where you get to write pretty much whatever you like! Here are some of our highlights:

‘There needs to be more work on the barriers to finding help for self-harm. Things could change to help people engage with services.’

‘There needs to be more community based mental health education classes. This could improve social skills, confidence and give people a chance to support one another.’

‘There needs to be more support for new mums.’

‘The topic of self-harm is very important to me and to so many people. Thank you so much for working in this field!’

The good? Not so good? Dark or not? Role of the internet

World Suicide Prevention Day brought about a lot of debate about the press and the internet and the way we talk about suicide, self-harm and mental health. Creators of content online can reach so many people and have an important role in starting conversations and reducing stigma. This doesn’t always happen though and there have been several high profile cases of online bullying, predators and other dangers conjuring images of a dark and precarious online world.

We want to know more about what you think. What’s good and what’s bad? This can help to make guidance for bloggers, internet service providers and anyone who makes content online for how best to talk about suicide, self-harm and mental health in a sensitive way.

By learning more about how people use the NHS we can help to make it better. Every time we use the health service data happens. This can be from a seeing a GP to visiting A&E or staying in hospital. This data has been anonymised and secured to be used for research.

Here at SHARE UK we want to take this even further. We are giving people the option of linking the information from the SHARE UK site to anonymised healthcare data. All the information is separated from personal details so even our researchers cannot identify anyone. The possibilities for research from this anonymised data are huge and it means that we can give extra meaning to the information collected from the NHS. This could help us make a real impact on healthcare.

To learn more we have created a Pinboard style dashboard where you can add anything you have viewed online to our media databank. Anything you upload will only be seen by you and our research team and you can add comments about sites or groups if you want to. We use this databank to look at things like quality, images and potential for harm or for support.   

Want to know more? 

We need your help to make a real difference. Your story can help make sure that in the future no one has to face self-harm alone. 

If you are aged 16 or over and would like to learn more or sign up visit www.share-uk.co.uk or email shareuk@swansea.ac.uk