Well? Issue 10: Spring/Summer 2007

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26 Well? Relationships The Place2Be By offering emotional and therapeutic support to children The Place2Be is making a big difference to the mental well-being of young children across the UK. By intervening early, The Place2Be seeks to help remove barriers to learning and prevent more serious mental health and behavioural problems developing during adolescence. The charity works with 113 primary schools reaching a population of 37,000 children across the UK. The model is simple and cost-effective, but powerful and efficient. It involves the whole school in a range of services which can be accessed in a direct and non-stigmatising way by children, parents and teachers. Because the clinically-trained staff and volunteer counsellors are embedded within the school (last year there were 376 volunteers nationwide) they are able to provide a ‘frontline’ support service which is adaptable and easy to access – a particular advantage for working with ‘hard to reach’ groups. In Scotland, The Place2Be is currently providing services in ten Edinburgh schools, mainly in areas of the highest social need. The service works with around 100 children each term on a one-to-one basis on issues including self-esteem, family neglect or abuse, bereavement and loss, or a parent’s drug and alcohol misuse. A lunchtime self-referral service, The Place2Talk, is also very popular and sees around 775 children a term, which highlights the willingness of children to self-refer and proactively use the service. Issues range from children falling out with friends and having trouble with school work, through to more serious issues of neglect or abuse. The Scottish Executive was one of the current funding partners which enabled the original piloting of the service in Edinburgh. Work is also funded through contributions from the schools themselves, Lothian Health, the City of Edinburgh Council (Children and Families division) and a number of grant-making trusts, as well as support from a growing consortium of partners. Following their successes in Edinburgh they are keen to extend their reach to support many more children and families in Scotland, particularly in Glasgow. www.theplace2be.org.uk
CaseStudy Angela* was referred to The Place2Be after she started school last year. A report from her previous nursery highlighted that a dramatic change had occurred in her personality – she had become noticeably withdrawn having initially been a very open, confident child. Angela’s mother had recently died from cancer. She and Angela had lived with her grandmother but after her mother's death she went to live with her father. Following a custody battle her father was given full parental rights and contact time with her grandma was reduced. Throughout this difficult and uncertain transition Angela was being interrogated by a number of adults (parent, grandmother, solicitors) causing her a great deal of confusion. Both Angela’s father and grandmother seemed unaware of her difficulties which were only recognised by the school. As Angela developed a safe and open relationship with her counsellor changes began to be seen outwith her sessions and her former, more confident, personality re-emerged. She also began interacting more with her friends. Meetings were held with Angela's father, grandmother and teacher and they noted improvements in Angela’s behaviour. Although at times she was more disobedient with her father, this was seen as progress as she was now expressing her feelings more openly to her father. Angela’s father and grandmother both felt positive about The Place2Be service and felt they had been treated equally and non-judgmentally. Having been involved throughout the whole process, The Place2Be had encouraged them to think more about Angela’s well-being and the impact their relationship was having on her. *names have been changed. Well? Relationships 27 Why do we need The Place2Be? > It is estimated that 80% of children who show behavioural problems at age five will go on to develop more anti-social behaviour; 80% of these children are in mainstream classes, so their behaviour affects many others. > Emotionally disturbed children frequently fail to realise their potential and are at a higher risk of developing drug and alcohol dependence, mental health difficulties and anti-social personality disorders which, if left unaddressed, can have serious negative consequences notjustfortheindividualchild and their family, but for the community as a whole. > Among young offenders, 90% have experienced mental health problems in childhood which are apparent by the age of seven, and nearly three-quarters have been excluded or truanted regularly. These figures illustrate a crucial need to address mental health problems as early as possible.
Page 1 and 2: Issue Issue 10: Spring/Summer 2007
Page 3 and 4: welcome to well? By popular demand
Page 5 and 6: Here are some comments from members
Page 7 and 8: Entitled Inspire, Include, Improve,
Page 9 and 10: programme tackled some contemporary
Page 11 and 12: A person who is resilient is likely
Page 13 and 14: Promoting Resilience in Schools A p
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Page 17 and 18: ASBOs or PoSBOs…? Instead of rece
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Page 23 and 24: It’s not easy being a Parent The
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Well? Issue 10: Spring/Summer 2007

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