Torbay Safeguarding Children Partnership

With good mental health, children and young people do better in every way. Good mental health allows children and young people to develop resilience and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults. They are happier in their families, are able to learn better, do well at school, and enjoy friendships and new experiences.

Childhood and teenage years are when mental health is developed and patterns are set for the future. So a child with good mental health is much more likely to have good mental health as an adult, to be able to take on adult responsibilities and fulfil their potential.

However, it is reported that one in six children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2021, a huge increase from one in nine in 2017. That’s five children in every classroom.

There are certain ‘risk factors’ that make some children and young people more likely to experience problems than other children, some of these factors include:

• having a long-term physical illness
• having a parent who has had mental health problems, problems with alcohol or has been in trouble with the law
• experiencing the death of someone close to them
• having parents who separate or divorce
• having been severely bullied or physically or sexually abused
• living in poverty or being homeless
• experiencing discrimination, perhaps because of their race, sexuality or religion
• acting as a carer for a relative, taking on adult responsibilities
• having long-standing educational difficulties

If you have a serious concern about a child you should follow the CAMHS referral process.

For more information, help and advice visit the Mental Health Foundation or MindEd.