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A Universal Approach for Mental Wellbeing
We at nasen believe that – just like access to education – good social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) is an important right of every child and young person in our schools and colleges, as well as every member of the education workforce.
Our work around SEMH is an important element of our vision of an equitable educational experience for all children and young people – not only because good mental health is vital in its own right, but also because learners with SEND and / or learning differences may be more likely to experience anxiety around having to ‘fit into’ an education system that is poorly designed to meet specific conditions or additional needs.
We've collated this suite of resources to support you in reflecting on practice in your setting, and to help start conversations with children and young people. With everything from bite-sized online CPD units to a half day Youth Mental Health Aware course, we hope you find the right resource for your setting.
And because we know that at least 1 in 6 workers experience common mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, we're keen to get adults talking, too. Our Universal SEND Services webinar - How to ensure balance between the role of SENCO and personal wellbeing - has a strong focus on SENCO wellbeing. You can watch it today at no cost.
As ever, the nasen team will continue to practice our Mental Health at Work Commitment – a set of actions that any organisation can follow to create a mentally healthy workplace culture by proactively promoting wellbeing, addressing the causes of work-related mental health problems, and supporting staff who are experiencing mental health problems.
Some key statistics
Online Units relating to SEMH
We’ve worked with a range of leading specialists from the sector, condensing many years of experience and understanding into these bite-sized modules.
Each one takes just 20 minutes to complete, and provides practitioners – whatever their role or level of experience – with clear guidance on adaptations to help meet the needs of all learners.
There’s no need to complete units in order, and partially completed units can be saved and picked up again as required without the fear of ‘losing’ work.
Units relating to SEMH:
- Unit 1: Creating an emotionally safe environment
- Unit 2: Creating a socially safe environment
- Unit 8: Understanding behaviour as communication
- Unit 9: Promoting mental wellbeing in your setting
- Unit 10: Understanding and promoting resilience
- Unit 11: Understanding anxiety and creating a supportive learning environment
Specialist spotlight sessions with a focus on SEMH
We know that understanding is not the same as doing, so we encourage people to use the units as a first step, and to go out and test the approaches they learn about in their practice and to use them as a prompt to reflect on what is working well, and what could be better.
For anyone wanting to contextualise their learning further, these Specialist Spotlight discussion sessions are a great space in which to build on learning, to share experiences and seek advice.
Specialist Spotlight: Understanding behaviour as communication (Secondary / FE)
Featuring Sarah Johnson: Sarah Johnson has worked in education for the last nineteen years. As a qualified teacher, Sarah has enjoyed roles in mainstream schools, Pupil Referral Units, Alternative Provision and psychiatric in-patient services.
A selection of our resources
Many of these resources have been shared as part of previous mental health awareness campaigns, but the themes explored within them are just as relevant today as when they were first published.
I Spy
- General
- 14 Dec 2021
Ways of meeting children’s social, emotional and mental health needs.
Webinar: Childhood Trauma - Supporting Healing and Recovery in Schools After Lockdown
- Webcasts
- 27 Aug 2020
This webinar session will introduce principles that can be used by teachers and school leaders to identify the signs that pupils have experienced trauma during lockdown.
Webinar: School Leaders - The importance of our own wellbeing to lead inclusive schools
- Webcasts
- 14 Jul 2020
A webinar designed specifically for Headteachers and Senior Leaders giving an overview of the professional obligation leaders maintain for their own wellbeing in order to effectively lead inclusive schools.
