NHS Health Scotland
 
Outcome Indicators
 
5.2 A whole school approach to social and emotional wellbeing and mental health problems will result in increased knowledge and skills amongst practitioners, carers and children and young people, an ethos that promotes mental wellbeing and greater engagement of parents, carers and children and young people. This in turn will lead to more mentally healthy schools.[1, 2]


Rationale
Informed by reviews of effectiveness evidence, NICE has produced public health guidance on promoting social and emotional wellbeing in primary and secondary education. Action recommendations for primary schools related to three areas: comprehensive programme; universal approaches, comprehensive programme and targeted approaches. Comprehensive programmes should include a curriculum that integrates the development of social and emotional skills within all subject areas, training and development to ensure teachers and practitioners have the knowledge, understanding and skills to deliver this curriculum effectively, support to help parents and carers develop their parenting skills and integrated activities to support the development of social and emotional skills and wellbeing and to prevent bullying and violence in all areas of school life. The NHS Health Scotland Commentary on this guidance supported the action point’s subject, where appropriate, to adaptation to fit Scottish organisational arrangements.[1]

The action recommendations for secondary school related to six areas: strategic framework; key principles and condition; curriculum approaches; working with parents and families; working in partnership with young people and training and continuing professional development. It is suggested in the logic model that this will be achieved in part by increased knowledge, skills and capacity amongst professional working with young children and the implementation of policies which will create an ethos and conditions that support positive behaviours for learning and for successful relationships. The NHS Health Scotland Scottish Perspective on this guidance supported the action point’s subject, where appropriate, to adaptation to fit Scottish organisational arrangements.[2]

Source

  1. NHS Health Scotland. (2008). Health Scotland Commentary on public health guidance 12: Promoting children’s social and emotional wellbeing in primary education. NHS Health Scotland, Edinburgh.

  2. NHS Health Scotland (2010). Scottish Perspective on public health guidance: Promoting young people’s social and emotional wellbeing in secondary education. NHS Health Scotland: Edinburgh.