“Our vision is of a Scotland, free from stigma and inequality, where everyone fulfils their right to achieve the best mental health and wellbeing possible”.  (Scottish Government Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy 2023)

The Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategy takes an early intervention and preventative approach in both age and stage. The strategy states the importance of early intervention in mental health from pre-birth through to young adulthood.   

Curriculum for Excellence already places health and wellbeing at the heart of the curriculum. Equally important is a whole school approach underpinned by Getting it Right For Every Child (GIRFEC).   

There are many definitions of mental health. In NHS Health Scotland mental health is used to refer to both mental health problems and mental wellbeing, which applies on a continuum from emotional wellbeing like happiness and sadness, to mental illness like schizophrenia and recognise that recovery is possible with the right support and resources. 

The World Health Organisation defines mental health as “a state of well-being that enables people to cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. With respect to children, an emphasis is placed on the developmental aspects, for instance, having a positive sense of identity, the ability to manage thoughts, emotions, as well as to build social relationships, and the aptitude to learn and to acquire an education, ultimately enabling their full active participation in society”.

The emotional wellbeing of children and young people is just as important as their physical health. Good mental health allows children and young people to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and helps them to grow into well-rounded, healthy adults. 

More than 400,000 children and young people are waiting for mental health support after being referred to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services in 2022-23. (RCPCH, 2023) 

This is concerning as research conducted by SAMH (2017) highlights that half of mental health problems in adulthood begin before the age of 14 and by the time they’re 16, roughly 3 children in every class will have experienced a mental health problem and thousands will struggle to get the help they need.   

Only a quarter of young people know where to go to find help for their mental health (SAMH, 2017) and 55% of children and young people in the UK say they face barriers in seeking mental health support (Place2Be, 2024) 

Find out more about the Place2Be report, which was published in early 2024, here

Evidence suggests there is a link between experiences of poor mental health and inequality.

Examples of inequalities in mental health include:

• Those living in the most deprived areas experience the poorest mental health.
• Scottish suicide rates are four times higher in areas of the greatest deprivation than in areas of the least deprivation. Rates of suicide increase as the level of deprivation increases.

Mental wellbeing has been identified as one of six shared public health priorities for Scotland. Public Health Scotland state that improving children and young people’s mental health should be seen within the wider context of tackling societal inequalities. There are certain risk factors that make a child or young person more vulnerable to experiencing difficulties with their mental health. These are outlined in the image below.

Other risk factors include:

• Adverse childhood experiences.
• Being from a Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority background.
• Experiencing domestic and sexual abuse.
• Experiencing homelessness.
• Having a chronic health problem.
• Having a learning disability.
• Having a parent with mental health difficulties.
• Having refugee status.

Mental health services for children and young people are under a lot of pressure. However, there are some interim supports available within communities to support children, young people and their families. Go to ‘Useful Contacts’ to find out more. 

Schools play a unique and key role in supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing, which is underpinned by Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) This approach supports children and young people so that they can grow up feeling loved, safe and respected and can realise their full potential. 1 Positive mental health and wellbeing can be supported using the GIRFEC wellbeing indicators, (Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included) along with the Responsibility of All Experiences and Outcomes. Find out more here: 

Certain elements of the education system, such as transitioning to high schools or exams, can sometimes contribute to poor mental health and wellbeing. Issues within schools, such as bullying, can also have a detrimental effect on pupil’s mental health. On the other hand, there are aspects of the school environment that can have a beneficial effect on the mental health and wellbeing of pupils, such as the routine and stability provided by school.

Health and Wellbeing Census Scotland 2021- 2022 

The data shows that positive mental health and wellbeing decreases with stage, and there are differences by sex and deprivation. For pupils up to S4 positive perceptions of life satisfaction, confidence and loneliness decrease but there are small improvements (or no further decreases) for those in S5 and S6. The percentage of pupils who say their body and the way they look affects how they feel about themselves increases as children and young people get older. The survey also asked pupils about time spent online.

• Pupils in P5 – P7 are more likely to spend three or more hours on electronic devices on weekdays and at weekends 
• Pupils in S1 – S6 are more likely to spend 6 hours or more on electronic devices on weekdays and at weekends.  
• Pupils in the most deprived areas in S2 – S6 were more likely to have problematic social media.  
• Girls were also more likely to have problematic social media use than boys.  

Teachers and other school staff have a fundamental role to play in promoting and protecting the wellbeing and resilience of children and young people. There are several resources and training opportunities available that can support schools to protect and support the mental health and wellbeing of their pupils. 

School Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy  

When it comes to promoting positive mental health, a whole school approach should ideally be adopted, which is centred around prevention and early intervention for everyone in the school community. There is support and funding available to develop a Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy for your school. Please speak to your local health improvement team or your school's Educational Psychologist for further information. View useful contacts here .

Here are some documents to help you develop your mental health and wellbeing policy:

Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy Training Needs Analysis

Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy Action Plan 

Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy Self Evaluation Tool

Learn more about the developing a mental health and wellbeing policy for your establishment by watching the video below. 

The following video outlines information on planning tools available to support your establishment around mental health and wellbeing.

The short video below outlines priorities for education in relation to mental health and wellbeing.

The following resources have been developed and/or quality assured by the Glasgow City HSCP Health Improvement Team. 

On Edge: Self Harm Awareness Resource Pack

Stage: Upper Primary onwards

Description: The On Edge: Self Harm Awareness Resource Pack is for teachers and professionals working with young people. This has been developed in partnership with mental health and education professionals and funded by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It includes teaching support materials and further information in the form of sign-posting to external resources and advice services, references, and linked where relevant to the Curriculum for Excellence and other national guidance.

Link to resource : On Edge: Self Harm Resource Pack

Be Screen Smart

Stage: Early Years to Secondary

Description: The Be Screen Smart resource aims to raise awareness of the benefits of reduced screen time. 

Link to resource: Be Screen Smart Resource 

The Compassionate and Connected Classroom

Stage: Mid to Upper Primary

Description: The Compassionate and Connected Classroom is a classroom resource that aims to raise awareness of the potential impact of adversity and trauma in shaping outcomes for children and young people and provide support that can help mitigate the impact of these experiences.

Link to resource: The Compassionate and Connected Classroom 

The Glasgow City Health Improvement Team have collated a range of mental health and wellbeing resources that will support you when working with children and young people. These include capacity building opportunities, resources to use with young people and groups, useful tips, guidance and planning tools. You can view the resources here . 

The Glasgow City HSCP Health Improvement Team have pulled together a list of key strategy and policy links regarding children and young people. These documents should be used to inform planning and delivery within your classroom and school community.

These documents are a useful resource to build a knowledge base around current priorities and work around mental health and wellbeing in Glasgow and across Scotland. Please note that clicking on these documents will take you to external websites.

Children and Young People’s Mental Health Task Force Recommendations  

Children and Young People Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy and Legislative Map

Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Framework

Creating Hope Together: Suicide Prevention Strategy (2022 - 2032) 

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Mental Health Improvement Framework (2012) - Mental Health Improvement and Early Intervention for Children and Young People 

Scotland's Self Harm Strategy and Action Plan (2023 - 2027)

Scottish Government Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The Scottish Governments Mental Health Strategy (2017-2027) - a 10 year vision