INTRO: Welcome to the NSPCC Learning Podcast, where

INTRO: we share learning and expertise in child protection

INTRO: from inside and outside of the organisation.

INTRO: We aim to create debate, encourage reflection and

INTRO: share good practice on how we can all work together

INTRO: to keep babies, children and young people safe.

PRODUCER: Welcome to the NSPCC Learning Podcast.

PRODUCER: This episode, recorded in January 2025,

PRODUCER: is all about supporting young people with their

PRODUCER: mental health. Mental health is an important

PRODUCER: issue for children and young people.

PRODUCER: In 2023 to 2024, over half

PRODUCER: of all Childline counselling sessions related to

PRODUCER: mental or emotional health and wellbeing.

PRODUCER: Whilst mental health issues can sometimes lead to

PRODUCER: safeguarding and child protection concerns, this

PRODUCER: doesn't have to be the case.

PRODUCER: By recognising when a child is struggling with

PRODUCER: their mental health and intervening to provide

PRODUCER: appropriate support, professionals working with

PRODUCER: children can help prevent mental health problems

PRODUCER: escalating into crisis.

PRODUCER: Common warning signs of potential mental health

PRODUCER: issues include sudden mood and behaviour changes;

PRODUCER: unexplained physical changes such as weight loss

PRODUCER: or gain; self-harming; sudden poor

PRODUCER: academic behaviour or performance; sleeping

PRODUCER: problems; and changes in social habits such

PRODUCER: as withdrawal or avoidance of friends and family.

PRODUCER: However, some mental health issues may not have

PRODUCER: visible signs, and some signs may also look like

PRODUCER: normal child behaviour.

PRODUCER: But if you're concerned that a child may be

PRODUCER: struggling, it's important not to wait for them

PRODUCER: to talk to you before trying to start a

PRODUCER: conversation.

PRODUCER: It might be helpful to consider things from the

PRODUCER: child's perspective.

PRODUCER: I asked two members of the NSPCC's Young People's

PRODUCER: Board for Change, Alice and Douglas, about what

PRODUCER: they think adults should do to be supportive when

PRODUCER: talking to a young person about their mental

PRODUCER: health.

ALICE: I think it's best if they listen, because

ALICE: sometimes they might exacerbate the problem by

ALICE: trying to come up with a solution, especially if

ALICE: they're unqualified.

ALICE: The best thing they can do is just try and do active

ALICE: listening and just try and give words of

ALICE: encouragement. But I know

ALICE: it depends on the severity

ALICE: of the problem, whether they need to be

ALICE: directly addressed to a therapist or something.

ALICE: But the best thing they can do is just to try and

ALICE: listen.

DOUGLAS: Definitely agree with what Alice has said.

DOUGLAS: I'd also say definitely make sure

DOUGLAS: to be supportive.

DOUGLAS: Make sure that the child is aware they can always

DOUGLAS: talk to them about anything.

DOUGLAS: And also point them to any options such as

DOUGLAS: Childline, if they want someone else to talk to;

DOUGLAS: or therapists

DOUGLAS: or anything else, make sure that they're aware of

DOUGLAS: their options and just being supportive,

DOUGLAS: I would say.

PRODUCER: And what might an adult do that isn't so

PRODUCER: supportive?

DOUGLAS: Being dismissive of the issue.

DOUGLAS: Not really listening to what the child is saying

DOUGLAS: about it and just being really...

DOUGLAS: Not being exactly kind

DOUGLAS: about it. Just treating it as "oh grow up,

DOUGLAS: you can go out, get through it fine, it's not a

DOUGLAS: big deal". Saying stuff like that, I

DOUGLAS: would say is not really being supportive.

ALICE: I think the worst thing that an adult can do is

ALICE: invalidate their experience and disregard

ALICE: it. So, hypothetically, if they were struggling

ALICE: with cyberbullying, it might be hard for

ALICE: an adult to relate to that because they didn't have

ALICE: to go through that themselves as a child.

ALICE: So it might be easy to dismiss them and just be

ALICE: like, "just stop going on social media,

ALICE: etcetera." And, yeah, it's...

ALICE: the worst thing you can do is judge them

ALICE: because they're not going to want to come

ALICE: to you if the problem gets

ALICE: worse.

PRODUCER: If you speak to a young person and think they

PRODUCER: need help with their mental health, there's lots

PRODUCER: of places to turn to.

PRODUCER: Childline has a range of free resources,

PRODUCER: including the tool we're going to talk about in

PRODUCER: today's podcast episode, the mental health first

PRODUCER: aid kit.

PRODUCER: A mental health first aid kit can be used by

PRODUCER: young people by themselves, or it can be

PRODUCER: initiated by an adult who wants to support a

PRODUCER: child. The kit includes a plan on what a young

PRODUCER: person can do to cope if they are starting to

PRODUCER: struggle with their mental health.

PRODUCER: Gawain Griffiths is a practitioner within the

PRODUCER: Childline online services team.

PRODUCER: I spoke to Gawain about what a mental health

PRODUCER: first aid kit is and why it's useful.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: In short, the mental health first aid kit is

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: there to support someone when they're in

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: crisis and feeling overwhelmed, like how

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you'd have a normal first aid kit to help

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: if you'd had an accident or needed

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: support straight away.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: The principle is that when you're feeling

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: overwhelmed, it's really hard to know

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: what you should be doing, what you can do

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to cope. For a lot of young people,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they'll have things that they can do that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: will support them, but when they're in

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that moment, it's really hard to think of

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that and to know where to go and what to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: do. So having a plan in front of you can

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: make that a lot easier.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It can give you ways to distract

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: yourself, know who to speak to, and just

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: generally give you an idea of what to do

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to cope. Every kit is going to be

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: different for an individual young person,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and that's because for every young person

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: their situation is different, what works

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: for them is different, and where they can

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: get support is different.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: There's lots and lots that can go into

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: it. For some young people, we find that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they like to have things like breathing

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: techniques, different exercises they can

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: do, things around mindfulness.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: And for other young people it can be

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: about distractions, whether that's things

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: like fidget toys or even just watching

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: videos on YouTube, just having a reminder

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: of the different stuff that's available.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: Another part of this kind of plan and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: this kind of kit is being able to know

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: what support you can get and when.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: So we have templates on the Childline

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: website which go into detail on what you

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: can include. We often suggest that people

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: include who they can talk to, details of

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: how to contact them — because young

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: people won't always have that number

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: stored or know where to go — and also

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: talk about what they can go to them for

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and when they can go to them.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: So, for example, if someone is under

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: CAMHS, they may have a crisis helpline

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they can call, and knowing what hours

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they are available to talk to. Or it may

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: be that they've got a teacher that they

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: particularly trust or someone at home

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that they like to talk to, but knowing

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: when they're available can help set their

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: expectations. And also, when you're

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: making your plan, it can also help you

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: see gaps. So if you know that when things

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: are getting really hard, you really need

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to talk to somebody, but actually at the

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: moment you've only really got people who

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: are available from nine to five, or when

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you're at school, or times like that, it

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: can be good to give you a chance to think

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: about where else you can go.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: A really good example is just making sure

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that you write down Childline, so that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you know that actually if it's eleven o'clock

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: at night and you've got no one else to talk

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to, you know that you can contact them

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and how to do that.

PRODUCER: And who is the mental health first aid kit

PRODUCER: suitable for?

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: The mental health care is appropriate for

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: everyone. And there'll be some young

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: people who it works for and some young people

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: who it doesn't work for. The thing to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: remember is the mental health care is not

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: an alternative to getting support.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It's very much in addition to whatever

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: support you're trying to put in place and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: is part of then that planning you have

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: around when things are in crisis, and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: looking at how you can support that young

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: person overall. What I would say is

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: anytime you are concerned about a young person's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: mental health or concerned about their

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: wellbeing, it's then important to take

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that seriously and it's important to look

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: at ways you can get support for them.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: The easiest and universal way is

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: then going to a GP.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: You can have a conversation with them

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: about what's going on, and the young

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: person can go themselves if they feel

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: able to, or they can go with their parent

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: or carer. You can then also look at

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: things like CAMHS.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: Now CAMHS can be referred from the GP,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: but then they will take referrals from

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: schools, or from parents or carers, or

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: from the person themselves if they feel

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: able to. So it's all about looking at

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: what support there is in place for that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: young person. The mental health first aid

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: kit is very much an assist to all of that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: as opposed to an alternative.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It's more about making sure you're looking

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: at it at a time that's appropriate.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: So, if somebody is feeling calm and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they're looking to get some support, this

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: is a really good tool to use with them,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and then they can bring it out when

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they're in crisis and then talk about it

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: after.

PRODUCER: That's a really important point to emphasise,

PRODUCER: isn't it, that the mental health first aid kit is

PRODUCER: not a standalone resource and should be used to

PRODUCER: supplement other avenues of support.

PRODUCER: But if you have concerns about a young person

PRODUCER: with low level mental health problems, the first

PRODUCER: aid kit can be a useful tool to prevent those

PRODUCER: problems from escalating.

PRODUCER: So, who is best placed to help young people build

PRODUCER: their mental health first aid kit?

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: In terms of who can support someone, it

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: really varies with that young person.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It's about who's already there to support

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: them in their life. So if somebody is

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: there who's supporting them

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: professionally, whether that's a therapist

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: through school or CAMHS, or a worker or a

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: teacher, they can be really best-placed

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: because they know that young person, they

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: work with them all the time.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: But you don't necessarily need to be

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: working with that young person professionally

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to be able to support them, [for example] a parent

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: or carer. If you've got that good relationship

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: with them, and the young person trusts

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you, then you can absolutely sit there

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and do that with them. It's also designed

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: in such a way that a young person can do

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: it themselves. And I think when it comes

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to thinking about who can do it or who's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: best, it's good to think about it from

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: the other point of view of, actually, who's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: going to be most able to support that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: young person to do it. Now, with the

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: first aid kit, the really important thing

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: is that it's young person-led.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: What we find is if you've got this kind

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: of plan and this kit that's set out and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: it's being very much led by another

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: person, that young person has no

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: ownership over it.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: So when it comes to, when they're in

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: crisis, they're really not going to pay

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: attention to it because it's not about what

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they want.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: Whereas if you have someone who's able to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: work with them, be really patient, and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: actually talk to them about what works

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: for them and what they think will work

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and not work, and actually get that down

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and really work with the young person

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that way, that will get you into a place

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: where you've got a kit that the young person can

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: really use. Where it can be important, if

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you've got professionals working with

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that young person, whether they've

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: designed it with them or not, it can be

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: really helpful for those professionals to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: know what's being designed because then

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they can refer to it with that young

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: person. So if a young person is talking

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to them and they're in crisis, and they

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: both got this kit that they've designed

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: together or that they're both aware of,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they can then refer to it and talk about

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: different techniques and see whether or not they're

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: going to work with them in that situation.

PRODUCER: You talk there about the importance of the first

PRODUCER: aid kit being child-led, so the child takes a

PRODUCER: lead on creating that kit.

PRODUCER: I'm curious at what point you'd direct the young

PRODUCER: person to this resource and how you'd go about

PRODUCER: beginning that conversation.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It depends a lot on the young person,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: in terms of how you'd approach it. If you've

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: got a really good relationship with a

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: young person and they're very keen to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: look at different ways, it's a really

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: easy conversation. You can bring up and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: maybe show them the website, maybe ask

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: them to take some time themselves to then

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: build the kit and then show it to you so

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you can then talk through what they've added in,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and then maybe look at any gaps and what

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you could do.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: For young people who might struggle a bit

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: more, who are maybe feeling a bit more

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: negative — especially young people who

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: are struggling to see ways to cope — you

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: then may need to do a bit more motivation

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: with them. Look and be really positive

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: about what's worked before, however small

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: it is, and then try to add that into the

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: kit, and using that as an opener. On our

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: [Childline] website we've got loads and loads

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: of resources in terms of ideas of what

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you can add in, different kinds of things

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you can do, and you can use those as a

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: kind of hook to say, "okay, what do you

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: think about this kind of thing? What do you think

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: might work and what might not work?" It's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: also really good to be clear with a young

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: person that this isn't a pass or fail.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: This is something where you're making it

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and you want to see how it goes the next

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: time they need it. It might work.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It might not. There might be some bits that work

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: really well, some that don't work at all. And

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: then you can revisit it — and you can be

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: really clear that this is something we can

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: revisit — and keep updating and keep

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: changing as time goes on.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: So if it's not working or if it's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: working, we can then update it.

PRODUCER: Yeah. And mental health first aid kits are

PRODUCER: designed to be updated, aren't they?

PRODUCER: So what does that update process look like?

PRODUCER: When you're checking in with a young person and

PRODUCER: seeing how things are going, at what point do you

PRODUCER: suggest updates be made, or is that a decision

PRODUCER: for them to make?

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It's partly a decision for them to make,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: but I think it's really good to bring it

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: up. And I think if you're working with

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: someone over a long period of time and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they're having these crisis moments, and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you're talking to them— It's really

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: important just to say now: this is not

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: something to be trying to do when

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: somebody's in crisis.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: This is something to do outside of those

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: times, because when somebody is in

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: crisis, you just need to be focusing on

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that moment and what to do with them.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: But, say they've been in crisis before

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and something's happened or you talk to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: them, this can then form part of that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: conversation. Say, 'okay, what happened

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: then? What helped or didn't help?

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: How did you find this coping kit?' And if

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they're feeding back saying 'this bit

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: didn't work, this bit didn't', it's then

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: a very easy opportunity to say, 'okay, we

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: can just update that, we can look at

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that.' Or if the person feels able to go

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: away themselves and update it and then

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: share it with you later.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: So it's all about those kind of normal

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: check-ins and those typical times where

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: you're having those conversations, you

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: can just bring it into the conversation.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It doesn't necessarily have to be something

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: where you've set some time aside

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: specifically to do it.

PRODUCER: So earlier in the podcast, we heard from members

PRODUCER: of the NSPCC's Young People's Board for Change,

PRODUCER: and one of the things they spoke about was how

PRODUCER: important they thought it was for adults to try

PRODUCER: and improve their understanding of what mental

PRODUCER: health issues are like, particularly if you

PRODUCER: didn't go through them yourself.

PRODUCER: Where can professionals go to learn more about

PRODUCER: child mental health?

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: There's loads of places to go.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: The first thing I'd say is if you have a

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: young person who's talking to you about

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: their mental health and talking to you about what's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: happening, the most important thing you

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: can be is curious.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: So, while there's lots and lots of

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: information online about what things are like,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: what different conditions are like, what

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: different mental health conditions can

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: affect people and symptoms around that — people

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: will have different experiences.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: They will be going through different things. And

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: actually, really being curious and open

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: and accepting to what a young person is

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: saying to you, without adding anything on

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to it, without trying to minimise or

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: solve it, that will give you a really,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: really good understanding of what's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: happening with a young person. It also

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: will show them that you really want to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: support them, and actually really want to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: take what they're saying seriously.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: For specific mental health conditions,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: obviously the NHS website is a really

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: good resource to understand different

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: conditions. The NSPCC website has loads

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: of different information about supporting

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: young people and engaging young people.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: And as well as that, you can look at the

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: Childline website because we have lots of

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: child-friendly information about

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: different types of mental health conditions,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: how they can affect you and how to get

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: support. And that can also be something

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that can be really helpful to look at

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: with a young person, because what we find

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: is seeing what you're going through on

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: screen and seeing what you're going through

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: written in front of you can actually be

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: very validating; because it can show you

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: what you're going through is actually

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: real and it is something that someone

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: else goes through so you're not feeling

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: isolated in it.

PRODUCER: Gawain, we spoke earlier in the podcast about the

PRODUCER: different types of professional support available

PRODUCER: to children experiencing mental health problems.

PRODUCER: We know that, unfortunately, the

PRODUCER: waiting lists for CAMHS and other mental health

PRODUCER: support across the UK are very long.

PRODUCER: The mental health first aid kit can be one way of

PRODUCER: providing a kind of intermediary support whilst

PRODUCER: you wait for access to those services, but what

PRODUCER: other advice would you give to professionals on

PRODUCER: how to best support children who are waiting for

PRODUCER: that mental health care?

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: Well, the first thing to say is that waiting

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to be assessed is going to be really tough.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: There's no two ways about it. It's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: actually— if you're stuck on a waiting

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: list and you're waiting for that support, it's

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: a really difficult time.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: And I think it's okay to acknowledge to

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: the person you're working with that this

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: is difficult and it's not easy.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: The next is looking at what local

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: resources are available. So whether

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: that's via the school, via the GP, or

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: even speaking to the CAMHS office

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: themselves, looking at if there is

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: anything that's available for the person

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: to access in that time.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: Lastly, it's then about looking at what

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: community support there is for that young

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: person. So having a trusted adult, having

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: people that they can speak to, who they

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: can engage with, is really, really

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: important. And it's really important that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: a young person isn't feeling isolated and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: isn't feeling like basically they're

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: waiting for CAMHS and there's nothing they're

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: allowed to do in the meantime.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: It's also important to remember that

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: Childline is there as a resource for

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: young people and we have lots and lots of

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: resources on our website, which is

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: childline.org.uk, that give young people

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: ideas on how to cope, to build

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: resilience, to express themselves.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: We have the counselling service behind it

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: as well: lots of young people will call

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: us on our number, which a lot of people

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: know, which is 0800 1111.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: But we also have an online service: young

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: people can speak online via the website,

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: or even just send a message and then one

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: of our counsellors will reply.

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: Then as well as that we have our message

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: boards where lots of young people will

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: talk to each other anonymously and

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: they'll share support and give peer

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: support to each other in a really safe

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: way. So there's lots of resources online

GAWAIN GRIFFITHS: as well.

PRODUCER: Absolutely. And we'll put links to all those

PRODUCER: resources in the podcast shownotes.

PRODUCER: Gawain, thank you so much for talking to me

PRODUCER: today. To conclude the podcast, I asked Alice

PRODUCER: and Douglas about what they think could be useful

PRODUCER: for other young people to include in a mental

PRODUCER: health first aid kit.

DOUGLAS: One of the things that could be useful

DOUGLAS: for a mental health first aid kit is hot

DOUGLAS: drinks or something like that, since they can very

DOUGLAS: much have a calming effect on people.

DOUGLAS: And maybe

DOUGLAS: even blankets or something like that to

DOUGLAS: snuggle into, since people like to — when they're

DOUGLAS: anxious or something like that — to

DOUGLAS: snuggle in warm space.

ALICE: What I think might be helpful to include — and

ALICE: obviously it's different for every individual — but

ALICE: I think one of the most helpful things is stress

ALICE: toys because they have been proven to reduce

ALICE: stress and occupy your mind.

ALICE: And I would probably have a

ALICE: contact list of services that you can go

ALICE: to, especially overnight, so you can contact them if

ALICE: you're really struggling in the middle of the night.

ALICE: I would also have a pre-created list

ALICE: that's already pre-approved by a mental health

ALICE: professional with calming strategies

ALICE: to help de-escalate

ALICE: maybe severe anxiety and help focus

ALICE: your mind on other things.

PRODUCER: Yeah, absolutely. Some really good suggestions

PRODUCER: there. And thinking about calming strategies,

PRODUCER: I'm really curious if there are any examples of

PRODUCER: calming strategies that either of you have come

PRODUCER: across or have learnt about?

DOUGLAS: Well, I know a couple of calming strategies, such

DOUGLAS: as, if you get anxious or something like that,

DOUGLAS: take slow, deep breaths to

DOUGLAS: catch your breath. That one's a good one.

DOUGLAS: Or to go for a walk,

DOUGLAS: walk about back and forth.

DOUGLAS: They're the only calming strategies that

DOUGLAS: I can remember.

ALICE: Definitely breathing exercises: so,

ALICE: you know, in through your nose, out through your

ALICE: mouth.

ALICE: One thing I heard that is quite useful is I've heard

ALICE: that some people draw their heart rate.

ALICE: So they'll constantly doodle it over and over again,

ALICE: and the more they do that and focus in on it, their

ALICE: heart rate will become more manageable and it will

ALICE: calm them down quite a bit.

PRODUCER: A massive thanks to Alice and Douglas there for

PRODUCER: providing a young person's perspective on the

PRODUCER: mental health first aid kit.

PRODUCER: If you'd like to learn more about the kit or

PRODUCER: maybe build one with a child you're working with,

PRODUCER: you can find an accessible guide on the Childline

PRODUCER: website.

PRODUCER: You'll find links to this page as well as loads

PRODUCER: of other mental health resources in the podcast

PRODUCER: shownotes. Thanks for listening.

OUTRO: Thanks for listening to this NSPCC Learning Podcast.

OUTRO: At the time of recording, this episode's content was

OUTRO: up to date, but the world of safeguarding and child

OUTRO: protection is ever-changing.

OUTRO: So if you're looking for the most current

OUTRO: safeguarding and child protection, training,

OUTRO: information or resources, please visit

OUTRO: our website for professionals at

OUTRO: nspcc.org.uk/learning.