Promoting Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health in Schools

Abstract

Schools play a central role in promoting children’s and young people’s positive mental health and provide a key setting and learning environment for developing core competencies across the social, emotional and behavioural domains. In this chapter, we examine the rationale for promoting children’s and young people’s mental health and well-being in the school setting and the international evidence base on the implementation of school-based programmes is considered. In addition, one of the key approaches to promoting mental health in schools, the adoption of a whole-school approach, is presented. The key components of the whole-school approach are examined, providing examples of evidence-based, whole-school social and emotional learning and bullying prevention interventions. Case studies of whole-school interventions are presented, which illustrate the challenges of implementing and evaluating a whole-school approach, and key factors are identified that are crucial in supporting the adoption of a whole-school approach to mental health promotion.