Wellbeing & Mental Health Network

1. Wellbeing & Mental Health Network Tuesday 11th June 2019, 10.00am – 12.30pm London Youth, 47-49 Pitfield Street, London N1 6DA

2. Welcome Marco Alidoro, Membership Development Officer

3. About London Youth London Youth is a membership network of 450+ community youth organisations across London. We are a charity on a mission to improve the lives of young Londoners. We deliver a broad range of services to our members, including funded opportunities, Quality Mark accreditation, resources and relationships, training, specialist networks, and a policy and research voice. We deliver our own sports, arts, employability, and youth leadership programmes. Last year, we worked with 27,000 young people on our programmes and through our residential centres, Hindleap Warren and Woodrow High House. Find out more: https://londonyouth.org/

4. About the Wellbeing & Mental Health Network The Wellbeing and Mental Health Network aims to help youth professionals better support the wellbeing and mental health needs of the young people they work with. The network brings together our members and other interested youth mental health specialists to address the challenges they face in this area. It is also a forum to provide practical support to recipients of the London Youth Development Grant. Find out more: https://londonyouth.org/what-we-do/our-networks/

5. Agenda

6. Policy Update Samuel Howell, Policy Officer

7. Working for our members • Engaging with No. 10 Downing Street around the Serious Youth Violence Summit • Engaging with the Labour Party over a statutory youth service • Engaging with the London VRU • Joining London Councils in calling for reinvestment in the Spending Review 2019 • In the media: Evening Standard, Children & Young People Now, and FE News • In reports: Esmée Fairbairn Foundation: Insights on Core Funding, APPG on Youth Affairs: Youth Inquiry, and Siân Berry AM: London’s Lost Youth Services Report 2019

8. Updates • The Guardian: Tell us: how have you been affected by the loss of youth centres? • DCMS Youth Charter • DCMS consulting Online Harms White Paper • Closes 1st July • Young Londoners Fund • Second round of £15 million • Closes on12th July • The Youth Endowment Fund • £200 million, over 10 years • Closes on 23rd July

9. Reports & Resources • All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Youth Affairs: Youth Work Inquiry • All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Knife Crime: Youth Service Cuts and Rising Knife Crime • The Department for Education (DfE) and the Race Disparity Unit: Timpson Review of School Exclusion • Girlguiding: Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2018 • Impetus PEF: Establishing the Employment Gap • Centrepoint: From Obligation to Opportunity

10. Policy Advisory Group • Putting our members at the heart of the policy and media work. The expertise of our membership of 450+ youth organisations is our biggest strength. • Choose how and on what issues you want to engage, with no automatic commitment of time. • Sign up here: https://londonyouth.org/policy-advisory-group

11. Keep in touch • @LondonYouth • @London_Youth • /LondonYouth • London Youth • Londonyouth.org/newsletter Samuel Howell, Policy Officer samuel.howell@londonyouth.org 07736 619591

12. Young Minds Workshop: Anxiety and Resilience Claire Gold, Training Consultant, Young Minds

13. Anxiety and Resilience • Claire Gold

14. What we will cover • Understanding mental health, including definitions and what might affect our mental health • Anxiety - definitions, problems, spectrum • How to respond and support young people who are experiencing anxiety • Resilience - asset focussed, practical ideas

15. Mental Health continuum Not coping Coping well Thriving Moderately mentally healthy Complete mental health Flourishing Mental Illness Languishing

16. A bio-psycho-social model NATURE (what we are born with) EVENTS (what happens to us) NURTURE (what we grow up with)

17. Activity How anxious does each of the following make us? Move across the room along the spectrum

18. Discussion • Where did you notice the anxiety and what does anxiety feel like for you? • Consider how soon the anxiety subsided after the event. • What areas of your life could be affected? • What tools do you have to manage anxiety in these situations?

19. Anxiety Anxiety describes feelings of unease, worries and fear Anxiety incorporates emotions and physical sensations Anxiety can be situational, long term or related to an illness Mind.org.uk

20. What do we think of this? Anxiety is “the mental state that results from a difficult challenge for which the subject has insufficient coping skills” MihalyCsikszentmihalyi

21. Fear and Anxiety • Anxiety is uneasiness over the anticipation of less specific or predictable threats than those associated with fear. It lasts longer than fear and can also be adaptive • Fear is a feeling of disquiet that begins rapidly in the presence of danger and dissipates quickly once the threat is removed. It is generally adaptive.

22. Anxiety Spectrum • Everybody experiences levels of anxiety when faced with stressful situations • Anxiety can cross the threshold into a disorder when it causes significant distress and impairment of function • Disorder is usually characterised by severity, persistence and often the presence of multiple psycho-social risk factors

23. Anxiety Disorder • When fear and anxiety are greater than expected or last beyond what is manageable, affecting well being and function, then an anxiety disorder may be present. • The exact level of anxiety that characterises a disorder is entirely dependent on the individual experiencing the anxiety.

24. Impact of trauma In the face of interpersonal trauma, all the systems of the social brain become shaped for offensive and defensive purposes. A child growing up surrounded by trauma and unpredictability will only be able to develop neural systems and functional capabilities that reflect this disorganisation. Source: National CAMHS Support Service, Everybody’s Business

25. Effects of trauma on brain development and function These functions may be diminished or lost: • Language and the ability to process feelings through language • Sense of meaning and connection • Empathy • Impulse control • Mood regulation • Short term memory • Capacity for joy

26. Risk and protective factors

27. What are risk factors? Conditions, events or circumstances that are known to be associated with emotional or behavioural disorders and may increase the likelihood of such difficulties Risk is cumulative Risk is not causal but can predispose children to mental health problems

28. Resilience • Normal development under difficult circumstances. Relative good result despite experiences with situations that have been shown to carry substantial risk for the development of psychopathology (Rutter) • The human capacity to face, overcome and ultimately be strengthened and even transformed by life’s adversities and challenges .. a complex relationship of psychological inner strengths and environmental social supports (Masten) • Ordinary magic .. In the minds, brains and bodies of children, in their families and relationships and in their communities (Masten)

29. Pick an apple…. What things do you do to support your own emotional wellbeing? Write these down on your apple Put your apple on the tree Learn from someone else’s apple Finding resilience in me

30. Resilience in the child • secure attachment experience • an outgoing temperament as an infant • good communication skills, sociability • planner, belief in control • humour • problem solving skills, positive attitude • experience of success and achievement • religious faith • capacity to reflect

31. Resilience in families • At least one good parent-child relationship • Affection • Clear, firm consistent discipline • Support for education • Supportive long term relationship/absence of severe discord

32. Resilience in communities • Wide supportive network • Good housing • High standard of living • High morale school with positive policies for behaviour, attitudes and anti-bullying • Schools with strong academic and non-academic opportunities • Range of sport/leisure activities • Anti-discriminatory practice

34. Resilience activity Belonging – Find somewhere for the child to belong • Why is feeling safe important? • What does it allow us to do? • What/who makes us feel safe?

35. One thing… • to take away to try • to share with colleagues

36. YoungMinds • Tel: 020 7089 5050 • Parents Helpline: 0808 802 5544 • Website: http://www.youngminds.org.uk • Publications: 020 7089 5062 • Training & Development: training@youngminds.org.uk

37. Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Marco Alidoro, Membership Development Officer

38. What is it? 24/7, 365 day service available to support with work, personal, family issues, daily living and life events. This is available to all London Youth staff and now all of our members. You’ll be able to receive: • Professional consultations • Short-term counselling • Information / Resources • Referrals to local services There is no limit to the number of issues you can gain support on

39. Next Steps We hope that you find the EAP service to be a valuable resource. In order to get access to the service, contact the Membership Development team at membership@londonyouth.org to request the necessary credentials. https://londonyouth.org/membership/employee-assistance-programme-eap/

40. Conclusion

41. Next meeting • The next Wellbeing & Mental Health Network: • Thursday 5th September, 10.00am – 12.30pm • London Youth, 47-49 Pitfield Street, London N1 6DA • Contact: marco.alidoro@londonyouth.org • Sign up here: www.londonyouth.org/news-and-updates/events/

42. Upcoming networks (Jun-Aug 2019)

43. Keep in touch • @LondonYouth • @London_Youth • /LondonYouth • London Youth • Londonyouth.org/newsletter Marco Alidoro, Membership Development Officer marco.alidoro@londonyouth.org 020 7549 2964