Teachers left to pick up pieces from cuts to youth mental health services

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behavioural problems, CAMHs, Children, counselling, counsellors, early intervention, emotional difficulties, mental health issues, mental health services, school, stress, support, teachers, training, well-being, young people

Teachers left to pick up pieces from cuts to youth mental health services

As the headteacher of large primary school in the west of England, Joan Cunningham is accustomed to the demanding aspects of managing an intake from a mainly disadvantaged area. However, for the past couple of years, she says, one issue has escalated so dramatically that it is nearly at crisis point. “There is so much more pressure on schools and teachers to deal with children’s mental health and behavioural problems,” she says. “We provide as much support as we can but, with fewer resources available and a massive increase in need … the pressure has been incredible.”

Cuts to mental health and other services for young people mean teachers are increasingly having to fill the gap, even though schools do not always have the resources or training to provide the extra support pupils with mental or emotional issues may need.

“It was already hard to access the right services before cuts but its getting worse,” Cunningham says. “Teachers … are not mental health professionals, and now there is a vacuum in the services we have [traditionally] relied on. Social services departments are under more pressure due to cuts, Sure Starts … have vanished, [and] in many cases the voluntary organisations we used to be able to turn to are disappearing. Sign-posting families to where they can get help is much harder because of all of this.” At a time when families are under greater financial strain and “even very young children” are under pressure to achieve academically, she concludes, the need for support is “growing very fast”.

Child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) have been particularly hard hit. These specialist services assess and treat children and young people with mental, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Typically, when schools cannot offer the support of their own counsellor, or when a child has especially serious difficulties, they will seek out their local Camhs for help.

In many cases, local authorities commission and fund these services, and the impact of council budget cuts on Camhs in some areas has been severe. According to research by the charity Young Minds, two-thirds of councils in England have reduced their Camhs budget since 2010. And when the charity asked NHS trusts and councils about other mental health spending targeted at children and young people, such as youth counselling or specific services for schools, more than half had cut budgets – some by as much as 30%.

The cuts mean local authorities’ Camhs spending is increasingly redirected towards more serious cases of mental ill-health, at the expense of early intervention services. “Draining money from early intervention services is short-sighted and just stores up problems for the future,” says Sarah Brennan, chief executive of Young Minds. “The result is Camhs feels it is being asked to respond to an enormous number of issues and schools feel Camhs has left them high and dry.”

Chris Harrison, national executive member and former president of the NAHT, says part of the problem until recently has been that targets in education have allowed children’s wellbeing to slip down the agenda. “The issue of mental health [in schools] has been coming to the fore over the past four or five years; there’s a real groundswell of interest, but it isn’t yet a priority in schools. We need to accept that preparation for life is about more than academic results.”

Research by the Teacher Support Network, a charity focusing on teachers’ wellbeing, shows around half of teachers feel pupil behaviour is worsening. Its survey of over 800 teachers also found almost two-thirds were stressed as a result.

The cuts to Camhs mean schools are struggling to provide professional support on site. Some have set aside cash from the Pupil Premium to pay for a regular counsellor. Andy Bell, deputy chief executive at the Centre for Mental Health, says that an “ad-hoc” system of support relies too heavily on the initiative of individual heads or teachers, and is undermined by unsatisfactory and arbitrary access to funds. “We see raising awareness of this issue as a major priority,” he says. “When we conducted research on child behavioural problems we found that three-quarters of parents asked teachers for help … However, some schools are better equipped than others. Many have virtually nothing by way of [professional] support, while others have full-time counsellors.”

Inadequate and underfunded services mean undue stress is being put on teaching staff, who may feel they are not trained or qualified to tackle many of the emotional or mental health problems that come up.

And with anecdotal evidence suggesting the number of young people experiencing mental health problems is rising, the crisis in Camhs is set to get worse. In 2004, the last year that government statistics were centrally collected on the prevalence of mental ill-health among children and young people, 1.3 million children were deemed to have a diagnosable mental illness. The economic downturn, coupled with government austerity and exam stress, means this figure is now probably much higher. And with NHS England estimating that only a quarter of children and young people with a problem are ever seen by mental health services, the figures are just the tip of the iceberg.

Politicians are becoming more aware of the scale of the problem. The health select committee has begun a parliamentary inquiry into Camhs, which campaigners hope will push mental health in schools higher up the agenda when it is published this year. “What we need is a consistent, national system that is accountable. What we need is for Camhs to be transformed.” says Bell.

Harrison says more needs to be done to ensure heads and schools have access to effective support services. “Schools and heads are battered at the moment. We want the government to look at the evidence. It’s common sense. There is overwhelming evidence that students learn better and are more effective in environments where they are supported and their teachers are supported.”

For now, charities and campaign groups are having to help schools themselves. Young Minds offers guidance on its website for teachers and is about to pilot a helpline for school staff, while the anti-stigma campaign Time to Change is running a project promoting pupil wellbeing and offering practical guidance for teaching staff. “Pupils are under much more stress these days and so are staff, yet teachers don’t have training in mental health – or spare time,” says Moira Clewes, lead teacher on health at Sandwich technology school, Kent, one of the schools piloting the project. “We are breaking down misconceptions around mental illness. Students are opening up. Teachers are grateful for advice. You’d be amazed at the impact this is having.”

A Department for Education spokesperson points to a range of initiatives, including the MindEd website, launched in March, designed to help people working with children, including teachers, “to recognise when a child needs help and how to make sure they get it”. The Department of Health says it has a “priority” focus on children’s mental health and, among other things, has put additional cash in to “talking therapies”, adding that it is liaising with the DfE to improve links between schools and Camhs.

For Cunningham, while any help is welcome, she is adamant that “nothing short of a clear, coherent and properly funded approach nationally will work for schools and for children”.

• Some names have been changed

Massive rise in disruptive behaviour, warn teachers

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aggression, behavioural problems, boundaries, Children, emotional problems, family breakdown, low self-esteem, mental health issues, physical abuse, school, social media, stress, teachers, young people

Massive rise in disruptive behaviour, warn teachers

Teachers have warned that disruptive behaviour in classrooms has escalated sharply in recent years, as funding cuts to local services have left schools struggling to cope.

A survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) found that the vast majority of staff had recorded a rise in the number of childrenwith emotional, behavioural or mental health problems.

The union collated numerous examples of challenging behaviour, ranging from violent assault to defamatory campaigns on social media.

Suggested reasons for the deteriorating behaviour include a lack of boundaries at home, attention-seeking, an absence of positive role models at home, low self-esteem and family breakdown.

The ATL, which has 160,000 members across the UK, said aggressive cuts to the traditional safety net of local services have left schools dealing with complex behavioural and mental health problems on their own.

Earlier this month it emerged that two-thirds of local authorities have cut their budgets for children and young people’s mental health services since the coalition government came to power in 2010. A freedom of information request by the YoungMinds charity found that 34 out of 51 local authorities which responded said their budgets for children’s and young people’s mental health services had been cut, one by 76%.

Alison Ryan, the union’s educational policy adviser, said: “Services are struggling for survival or operating with a skeleton staff, so there’s now a huge pressure on schools to almost go it alone. Schools are absolutely on the front line of dealing with these children and young people and trying to provide a service that means they don’t fall through the cracks.”

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL, said: “The huge funding cuts to local services mean schools often have to deal with children’s problems without any help.”

The survey of 844 staff found that 62% felt there were more children with emotional, behavioural and mental health problems than two years ago, with 56% saying there were more than five years ago. Nearly 90% of support staff, teachers, lecturers, school heads and college leaders revealed that they had dealt with a challenging or disruptive student during this school year. One primary school teacher in Cheshire said: “I have been kicked in the head, spat at, called disgusting names, told to eff off, had the classroom trashed regularly and items thrown. We accept children who are excluded from other schools so they come to us with extreme behaviour issues.”

A teacher in a West Midlands secondary school said: “One colleague had a Twitter account set up in front of him on a mobile called Paedo ****** [their name], which invited others to comment on him and his sexual orientation.”

Another teacher in a secondary school in Dudley added: “I’ve been sworn at, argued with, shouted at, had books thrown at me, threatened with physical abuse and had things stolen and broken.”

Bousted added: “Regrettably, teachers and support staff are suffering the backlash from deteriorating standards of behaviour. They are frequently on the receiving end of children’s frustration and unhappiness and have to deal with the fallout from parents failing to set boundaries and family breakdowns.”

On the positive side, most of the disruptive behaviour facing staff was categorised as fairly low level, with 79% of staff complaining that students talked in class, did not pay attention and messed around.

Some 68% added that students were disrespectful and ignored their instructions, 55% said they had dealt with verbally aggressive students, and a fifth with a physically aggressive student. Among secondary and sixth-form students, smoking was considered a significant problem.

On most occasions challenging behaviour was deemed an irritation which disrupted class work, according to 74% of staff, but 42% revealed that they suffered stress and almost a quarter said they had lost confidence at work. Forty of those questioned said they had been physically hurt by a student.

Teachers To Be Given ‘Sexting’ Curb Guide

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Bullying, CEOP, guidance, images, internet, mobile phones, online safety, peer pressure, resources, school, sexting, support, teachers, Teens, young people

Teachers To Be Given ‘Sexting’ Curb Guide

Teachers are to be issued with a guide on how to deal with ‘sexting’ – the sharing of explicit photos or videos through mobile phones and the internet.

Amid a rise in pupils sending sexually explicit pictures, the advice pack, which is launched on Wednesday, offers tips on how to support a child whose image has been shared and whether the devices used should be searched.

A study by the NSPCC last year reported up to 40% of young people had been involved in ‘sexting’, and found teenage girls in particular were facing pressure from classmates to provide sexually explicit pictures of themselves.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, welcomed the guidance.

He said: “The problem of ‘sexting’ – and the exposure of children to pornographic images through mobile devices – poses real and serious challenges for parents, head teachers and school staff.

“It exemplifies the way technology blurs the boundaries between school life and the wider world.”

The brochure – titled Sexting in schools: advice and support around self-generated images – will complement other resources already available to teachers, including ‘So You Got Naked Online’, produced last year by the South West Grid for Learning Trust.

Peter Davies, chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, which helped develop the new document, said: “There are very real risks with this activity by young people, from bullying to the sharing of these images among sex offenders.”

The CEOP had seen an increase in young people sharing sexual images and videos of themselves with their peer group, he said.

Last October, the Internet Watch Foundation found that 88% of self-generated, sexually explicit online content of young people had been taken from its original location and uploaded onto other websites.

Statistics from the children’s charity Beatbullying suggested 38% of young people have received a sexually explicit text or email, while 25% have received a sexual image they found offensive.

Research by the charity also suggested over half of teachers (54%) knew pupils were creating and sharing explicit material of themselves.

The newly-published guidance was developed by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a child protection charity, Securus Software, which provides online safety systems to over 3,200 schools, and Medway Council, whose existing advice for Kent schools was incorporated into the recommendations.

The Department of Education and the National Association of Headteachers also supported the development of the resource.

The pack will include advice to teachers about how to respond if a child tells them about ‘sexting’ they have been involved in, as well as how to handle explicit images, manage student reaction and prevent further incidents.

Case studies in the document highlight the devastating impact the sharing of explicit images can have on children’s lives and the challenges faced by schools in dealing with it.

The growing problem of cyber-bullying

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abuse, Children, Cyberbullying, parents, school, social media, suicide, Teens

The growing problem of cyber-bullying

Although it’s been around for as long as I can remember, I appreciate that for most adults cyber-bullying is quite a new phenomenon. And I don’t quite think they’ve yet grasped how to treat it. Unlike other forms of bullying, its effects often aren’t seen until it gets completely out of hand, and sometimes when it is too late.

According to the cyber bullying charity the Cybersmile Foundation, every 20 minutes a child between 10 to 19 years of age attempts to commit suicide in England and Wales. While one in three children in the UK suffers from cyber-bullying.

However, apart from the occasional scandalous news story such as the recent suicide of Canadian teenager Amanda Todd, most of it is never brought to light. So what’s really going on?

In my experience, most cases of cyber-bullying incidents aren’t, thankfully, as bad as Amanda Todd’s story. They usually comprise of arguments on Facebook that turn into popularity contests. Someone will spark off the conflict with a claim or rude post on the other person’s wall or photo and it will lead to a string of abusive and sarcastic messages. The rules of the battle are to remain nonchalant throughout and the winner is decided by whose comments received the most “likes”.

It then becomes almost a spectacle with everyone watching the fight unfold and messaging each other on who they think is faring the best. The bravest friends stick up for their comrade with their own comments and those less willing to get involved will simply join the mass of likes. This goes on until the receiver or the poster of the original message has enough sense to delete it and the fight continues in private.

Unfortunately, not all cases are so harmless and some can lead to serious emotional damage. A friend of a friend was a recent target when girls in her year created a Blackberry messenger group about her. It was comprised of over 20 people messaging each other about how they should kill the “slag”, supposedly because she was going out with an older boy. They then added her to the conversation and she wasn’t seen at school for two weeks. A close friend of mine was also a recent victim of abusive texts after false accusations arose around her having cheated with somebody’s boyfriend. “I felt so isolated and exposed,” she told me, “There was nowhere I could turn where they couldn’t get to me”.

There are also instances of malicious public statuses, embarrassing pictures being sent round and abusive questions on sites such as Formspring, a medium on which anonymous questions can be posted to specific people. Teens hiding behind their anonymous identity can post extremely hurtful things, which they would never say in real-life, but which they feel are acceptable in cyber space. Those who don’t answer are often accused of being cowardly and as a result receive even more “hate”.

Over 80 per cent of children fear that cyber-bullying is getting worse. Due to the growth of social media, every move you make on sites such as Facebook and Twitter is watched and regulated. Just a slight slip such as an “uncool status” or adding somebody as a friend, who you supposedly don’t know well enough, leaves the perfect opportunity for bullies to strike.

Victims of cyber bullying are always told they should seek help from school but they can often be just as confused as the perpetrators themselves. Although it is the wrong thing to do, many teenagers believe that their only chance of survival in the social media jungle of bullying is to fight back with equally as harsh and hurtful comments. This just leads to more tension and leaves schools and authorities with no easy way of putting an end to it without being accused of showing favouritism to a particular side.

I spoke to the founder of the Cybersmile Foundation, Scott Freeman on what he recommends when he receives distressed phone calls from victims and parents. Many parents are extremely worried about whether their child is being cyber-bullied and often are not sure how to protect their children if they don’t even know if it’s going on.

They are told to look out for certain signs such as their child acting paranoid and protective about other people looking at their computer and not wanting to go to school. A big reason why children may not want to alert their parents to the problem is the fear that their privileges, such as having a Facebook account and surfing the web may be taken away. Parents must show that they are on their child’s side and want to help them not punish them.

Children who call the helpline are suggested to talk to either to their parents or a member of staff at school about it straight away. If given permission to do so Cybersmile will contact their parents to run them through what can be done. If the child feels uncomfortable with that they should talk to a close friend, the most important thing is not to suffer alone. Cybersmile also offers counselling for anyone who is really having trouble. Most children live in fear of being cyber-bullied and this shouldn’t go on.

The charity also raises awareness of the problem, they fear is growing, by giving talks in schools and universities. They are designed to shock students into thinking about what they do online and who they may be affecting. Cyber-bullying workshops are also on offer for parents and children in order to bridge the gap between both generations and work on ways to combat the problem.

Cybersmile is working on changing the harassment law which they feel is outdated because it does not include online bullying. They believe that the internet should be viewed as a public space in which people who are acting abusive should be punished by law. A petition calling for government action has already received over 1,000 signatures, in the hopes of helping to erase cyber bullying. The foundation is producing anti-cyber-bullying wristbands which will be available from the 5th November. The money raised will be used towards supporting their 24 helpline which can be contacted on 0845 6887277.

For more information about the Cybersmile Foundation visit www.cybersmile.org