Intro:
Welcome to the NSPCC Learning podcast, where we share learning and expertise in child protection from inside and outside of the organisation. We aim to create debate, encourage reflection and share good practice on how we can all work together to keep babies, children and young people safe.
Producer:
Welcome to the NSPCC Learning Podcast. This episode, recorded in January 2025, is all about supporting young people with their mental health.
Mental health is an important issue for children and young people. In 2023 to 2024, over half of all Childline counselling sessions related to mental or emotional health and wellbeing.
Whilst mental health issues can sometimes lead to safeguarding and child protection concerns, this doesn't have to be the case. By recognising when a child is struggling with their mental health and intervening to provide appropriate support, professionals working with children can help prevent mental health problems escalating into crisis.
Common warning signs of potential mental health issues include sudden mood and behaviour changes; unexplained physical changes such as weight loss or gain; self-harming; sudden poor academic behaviour or performance; sleeping problems; and changes in social habits such as withdrawal or avoidance of friends and family.
However, some mental health issues may not have visible signs, and some signs may also look like normal child behaviour. But if you're concerned that a child may be struggling, it's important not to wait for them to talk to you before trying to start a conversation.
It might be helpful to consider things from the child's perspective. I asked two members of the NSPCC's Young People's Board for Change, Alice and Douglas, about what they think adults should do to be supportive when talking to a young person about their mental health.
Alice:
I think it's best if they listen, because sometimes they might exacerbate the problem by trying to come up with a solution, especially if they're unqualified. The best thing they can do is just try and do active listening and just try and give words of encouragement.
But I know it depends on the severity of the problem, whether they need to be directly addressed to a therapist or something. But the best thing they can do is just to try and listen.
Douglas:
Definitely agree with what Alice has said. I'd also say definitely make sure to be supportive. Make sure that the child is aware they can always talk to them about anything.
And also point them to any options such as Childline, if they want someone else to talk to; or therapists or anything else, make sure that they're aware of their options and just being supportive, I would say.
Producer:
And what might an adult do that isn't so supportive?
Douglas:
Being dismissive of the issue. Not really listening to what the child is saying about it and just being really... Not being exactly kind about it. Just treating it as "oh grow up, you can go out, get through it fine, it's not a big deal". Saying stuff like that, I would say is not really being supportive.
Alice:
I think the worst thing that an adult can do is invalidate their experience and disregard it. So, hypothetically, if they were struggling with cyberbullying, it might be hard for an adult to relate to that because they didn't have to go through that themselves as a child. So it might be easy to dismiss them and just be like, "just stop going on social media, etcetera."
And, yeah, it's... the worst thing you can do is judge them because they're not going to want to come to you if the problem gets worse.
Producer:
If you speak to a young person and think they need help with their mental health, there's lots of places to turn to. Childline has a range of free resources, including the tool we're going to talk about in today's podcast episode, the mental health first aid kit.
A mental health first aid kit can be used by young people by themselves, or it can be initiated by an adult who wants to support a child. The kit includes a plan on what a young person can do to cope if they are starting to struggle with their mental health.
Gawain Griffiths is a practitioner within the Childline online services team. I spoke to Gawain about what a mental health first aid kit is and why it's useful.
Gawain Griffiths:
In short, the mental health first aid kit is there to support someone when they're in crisis and feeling overwhelmed, like how you'd have a normal first aid kit to help if you'd had an accident or needed support straight away. The principle is that when you're feeling overwhelmed, it's really hard to know what you should be doing, what you can do to cope.
For a lot of young people, they'll have things that they can do that will support them, but when they're in that moment, it's really hard to think of that and to know where to go and what to do. So having a plan in front of you can make that a lot easier. It can give you ways to distract yourself, know who to speak to, and just generally give you an idea of what to do to cope.
Every kit is going to be different for an individual young person, and that's because for every young person their situation is different, what works for them is different, and where they can get support is different. There's lots and lots that can go into it.
For some young people, we find that they like to have things like breathing techniques, different exercises they can do, things around mindfulness. And for other young people it can be about distractions, whether that's things like fidget toys or even just watching videos on YouTube, just having a reminder of the different stuff that's available.
Another part of this kind of plan and this kind of kit is being able to know what support you can get and when. So we have templates on the Childline website which go into detail on what you can include. We often suggest that people include who they can talk to, details of how to contact them — because young people won't always have that number stored or know where to go — and also talk about what they can go to them for and when they can go to them. So, for example, if someone is under CAMHS, they may have a crisis helpline they can call, and knowing what hours they are available to talk to. Or it may be that they've got a teacher that they particularly trust or someone at home that they like to talk to, but knowing when they're available can help set their expectations.
And also, when you're making your plan, it can also help you see gaps. So if you know that when things are getting really hard, you really need to talk to somebody, but actually at the moment you've only really got people who are available from nine to five, or when you're at school, or times like that, it can be good to give you a chance to think about where else you can go. A really good example is just making sure that you write down Childline, so that you know that actually if it's eleven o'clock at night and you've got no one else to talk to, you know that you can contact them and how to do that.
Producer:
And who is the mental health first aid kit suitable for?
Gawain:
The mental health care is appropriate for everyone. And there'll be some young people who it works for and some young people who it doesn't work for. The thing to remember is the mental health care is not an alternative to getting support. It's very much an addition to whatever support you're trying to put in place and is part of then that planning you have around when things are in crisis, and looking at how you can support that young person overall.
What I would say is anytime you are concerned about a young person's mental health or concerned about their wellbeing, it's then important to take that seriously and it's important to look at ways you can get support for them.
The easiest and universal way is then going to a GP. You can have a conversation with them about what's going on, and the young person can go themselves if they feel able to, or they can go with their parent or carer. You can then also look at things like CAMHS. Now CAMHS can be referred from the GP, but then they will take referrals from schools, or from parents or carers, or from the person themselves if they feel able to. So it's all about looking at what support there is in place for that young person.
The mental health first aid kit is very much an assist to all of that as opposed to an alternative. It's more about making sure you're looking at it at a time that's appropriate. So, if somebody is feeling calm and they're looking to get some support, this is a really good tool to use with them, and then they can bring it out when they're in crisis and then talk about it after.
Producer:
That's a really important point to emphasise, isn't it, that the mental health first aid kit is not a standalone resource and should be used to supplement other avenues of support. But if you have concerns about a young person with low level mental health problems, the first aid kit can be a useful tool to prevent those problems from escalating.
So, who is best placed to help young people build their mental health first aid kit?
Gawain:
In terms of who can support someone, it really varies with that young person. It's about who's already there to support them in their life. So if somebody is there who's supporting them professionally, whether that's a therapist through school or CAMHS, or a worker or a teacher, they can be really best-placed because they know that young person, they work with them all the time.
But you don't necessarily need to be working with that young person professionally to be able to support them, [for example] a parent or carer. If you've got that good relationship with them, and the young person trusts you, then you can absolutely sit there and do that with them.
It's also designed in such a way that a young person can do it themselves. And I think when it comes to thinking about who can do it or who's best, it's good to think about it from the other point of view of, actually, who's going to be most able to support that young person to do it.
Now, with the first aid kit, the really important thing is that it's young person-led. What we find is if you've got this kind of plan and this kit that's set out and it's being very much led by another person, that young person has no ownership over it. So when it comes to, when they're in crisis, they're really not going to pay attention to it because it's not about what they want. Whereas if you have someone who's able to work with them, be really patient, and actually talk to them about what works for them and what they think will work and not work, and actually get that down and really work with the young person that way, that will get you into a place where you've got a kit that the young person can really use.
Where it can be important, if you've got professionals working with that young person, whether they've designed it with them or not, it can be really helpful for those professionals to know what's being designed because then they can refer to it with that young person. So if a young person is talking to them and they're in crisis, and they both got this kit that they've designed together or that they're both aware of, they can then refer to it and talk about different techniques and see whether or not they're going to work with them in that situation.
Producer:
You talk there about the importance of the first aid kit being child-led, so the child takes a lead on creating that kit. I'm curious at what point you'd direct the young person to this resource and how you'd go about beginning that conversation.
Gawain:
It depends a lot on the young person, in terms of how you'd approach it. If you've got a really good relationship with a young person and they're very keen to look at different ways, it's a really easy conversation. You can bring up and maybe show them the website, maybe ask them to take some time themselves to then build the kit and then show it to you so you can then talk through what they've added in, and then maybe look at any gaps and what you could do.
For young people who might struggle a bit more, who are maybe feeling a bit more negative — especially young people who are struggling to see ways to cope — you then may need to do a bit more motivation with them. Look and be really positive about what's worked before, however small it is, and then try to add that into the kit, and using that as an opener.
On our [Childline] website we've got loads and loads of resources in terms of ideas of what you can add in, different kinds of things you can do, and you can use those as a kind of hook to say, "okay, what do you think about this kind of thing? What do you think might work and what might not work?"
It's also really good to be clear with a young person that this isn't a pass or fail. This is something where you're making it and you want to see how it goes the next time they need it. It might work. It might not. There might be some bits that work really well, some that don't work at all. And then you can revisit it — and you can be really clear that this is something we can revisit — and keep updating and keep changing as time goes on. So if it's not working or if it's working, we can then update it.
Producer:
Yeah. And mental health first aid kits are designed to be updated, aren't they? So what does that update process look like? When you're checking in with a young person and seeing how things are going, at what point do you suggest updates be made, or is that a decision for them to make?
Gawain:
It's partly a decision for them to make, but I think it's really good to bring it up. And I think if you're working with someone over a long period of time and they're having these crisis moments, and you're talking to them— It's really important just to say now: this is not something to be trying to do when somebody's in crisis. This is something to do outside of those times, because when somebody is in crisis, you just need to be focusing on that moment and what to do with them.
But, say they've been in crisis before and something's happened or you talk to them, this can then form part of that conversation. Say, 'okay, what happened then? What helped or didn't help? How did you find this coping kit?' And if they're feeding back saying 'this bit didn't work, this bit didn't', it's then a very easy opportunity to say, 'okay, we can just update that, we can look at that.' Or if the person feels able to go away themselves and update it and then share it with you later.
So it's all about those kind of normal check-ins and those typical times where you're having those conversations, you can just bring it into the conversation. It doesn't necessarily have to be something where you've set some time aside specifically to do it.
Producer:
So earlier in the podcast, we heard from members of the NSPCC's Young People's Board for Change, and one of the things they spoke about was how important they thought it was for adults to try and improve their understanding of what mental health issues are like, particularly if you didn't go through them yourself.
Where can professionals go to learn more about child mental health?
Gawain:
There's loads of places to go. The first thing I'd say is if you have a young person who's talking to you about their mental health and talking to you about what's happening, the most important thing you can be is curious. So, while there's lots and lots of information online about what things are like, what different conditions are like, what different mental health conditions can affect people and symptoms around that — people will have different experiences. They will be going through different things.
And actually, really being curious and open and accepting to what a young person is saying to you, without adding anything on to it, without trying to minimise or solve it, that will give you a really, really good understanding of what's happening with a young person. It also will show them that you really want to support them, and actually really want to take what they're saying seriously.
For specific mental health conditions, obviously the NHS website is a really good resource to understand different conditions. The NSPCC website has loads of different information about supporting young people and engaging young people.
And as well as that, you can look at the Childline website because we have lots of child-friendly information about different types of mental health conditions, how they can affect you and how to get support. And that can also be something that can be really helpful to look at with a young person, because what we find is seeing what you're going through on screen and seeing what you're going through written in front of you can actually be very validating; because it can show you what you're going through is actually real and it is something that someone else goes through so you're not feeling isolated in it.
Producer:
Gawain, we spoke earlier in the podcast about the different types of professional support available to children experiencing mental health problems. We know that, unfortunately, the waiting lists for CAMHS and other mental health support across the UK are very long.
The mental health first aid kit can be one way of providing a kind of intermediary support whilst you wait for access to those services, but what other advice would you give to professionals on how to best support children who are waiting for that mental health care?
Gawain:
Well, the first thing to say is that waiting to be assessed is going to be really tough. There's no two ways about it. It's actually— if you're stuck on a waiting list and you're waiting for that support, it's a really difficult time. And I think it's okay to acknowledge to the person you're working with that this is difficult and it's not easy.
The next is looking at what local resources are available. So whether that's via the school, via the GP, or even speaking to the CAMHS office themselves, looking at if there is anything that's available for the person to access in that time.
Lastly, it's then about looking at what community support there is for that young person. So having a trusted adult, having people that they can speak to, who they can engage with, is really, really important. And it's really important that a young person isn't feeling isolated and isn't feeling like basically they're waiting for CAMHS and there's nothing they're allowed to do in the meantime.
It's also important to remember that Childline is there as a resource for young people and we have lots and lots of resources on our website, which is childline.org.uk, that give young people ideas on how to cope, to build resilience, to express themselves. We have the counselling service behind it as well: lots of young people will call us on our number, which a lot of people know, which is 0800 1111.
But we also have an online service: young people can speak online via the website, or even just send a message and then one of our counsellors will reply. Then as well as that we have our message boards where lots of young people will talk to each other anonymously and they'll share support and give peer support to each other in a really safe way. So there's lots of resources online as well.
Producer:
Absolutely. And we'll put links to all those resources in the podcast shownotes. Gawain, thank you so much for talking to me today.
To conclude the podcast, I asked Alice and Douglas about what they think could be useful for other young people to include in a mental health first aid kit.
Douglas:
One of the things that could be useful for a mental health first aid kit is hot drinks or something like that, since they can very much have a calming effect on people.
And maybe even blankets or something like that to snuggle into, since people like to — when they're anxious or something like that — to snuggle in warm space.
Alice:
What I think might be helpful to include — and obviously it's different for every individual — but I think one of the most helpful things is stress toys because they have been proven to reduce stress and occupy your mind. And I would probably have a contact list of services that you can go to, especially overnight, so you can contact them if you're really struggling in the middle of the night.
I would also have a pre-created list that's already pre-approved by a mental health professional with calming strategies to help de-escalate maybe severe anxiety and help focus your mind on other things.
Producer:
Yeah, absolutely. Some really good suggestions there. And thinking about calming strategies, I'm really curious if there are any examples of calming strategies that either of you have come across or have learnt about?
Douglas:
Well, I know a couple of calming strategies, such as, if you get anxious or something like that, take slow, deep breaths to catch your breath. That one's a good one. Or to go for a walk, walk about back and forth. They're the only calming strategies that I can remember.
Alice:
Definitely breathing exercises: so, you know, in through your nose, out through your mouth. One thing I heard that is quite useful is I've heard that some people draw their heart rate. So they'll constantly doodle it over and over again, and the more they do that and focus in on it, their heart rate will become more manageable and it will calm them down quite a bit.
Producer:
A massive thanks to Alice and Douglas there for providing a young person's perspective on the mental health first aid kit.
If you'd like to learn more about the kit or maybe build one with a child you're working with, you can find an accessible guide on the Childline website. You'll find links to this page as well as loads of other mental health resources in the podcast shownotes. Thanks for listening.
Outro:
Thanks for listening to this NSPCC Learning podcast. At the time of recording, this episode’s content was up to date but the world of safeguarding and child protection is ever changing – so, if you're looking for the most current safeguarding and child protection training, information or resources, please visit our website for professionals at nspcc.org.uk/learning.
