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MENTAL HEALTH MONTH
Dear
Today is World Mental Health Day, a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against the social stigma we all face. Many of us know the stats.
* One in five (20%) Australians experience a mental illness in any year
* 54% of people with mental illness do not access any treatment
* Every day, at least six Australians die from suicide, while a further thirty people will attempt to take their own life
But when we hear or read these stats, most of us think of adults. Few would associate the term “mental illness” with young children and many would fear the reality. Few would know that one in seven children aged four to seven years old will have a mental health issue over the course of a year – ranging from toddlers with attachment difficulties to children with depression, anxiety and trauma.
Because children don’t have mental health problems, right?
Wrong. It staggers me that I am still having conversations with people who ask, “Why do we need early intervention? Don’t we just wait until they're older and see if there is a problem?”. The foundations of life are set in childhood so why do we avoid the obvious, often until it’s too late?
Neuropsychiatric conditions are the leading cause of disability in children across the world. Left untreated, we now know these conditions severely influence children’s development, their educational attainments and their potential to live fulfilling and productive lives.
When I first established KidsXpress on this month in 2005, I did it to address the lack of services available to support young children impacted by trauma and we have learnt over those years how that can lead to profound mental health difficulties. Fourteen years later and there are now more professional services supporting children in this way, but with data from the Department of Health showing that only one in six children access such services, more needs to be done and it needs to be done now.
With half of all lifetime mental illnesses emerging in childhood, we need to work together in promoting children’s psychosocial wellbeing, increasing access to vital early-intervention services such as KidsXpress and enhancing mental wellness and resilience.
Our children deserve to live safe, happy, wondrous lives. Their mental health has to be a priority in childhood to achieve this later in life.
Keep reading to see how children’s mental health and wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do at KidsXpress.
Many thanks,
The memory of music
Referred by his school counsellor when he was in Year 4, Joel completed the KidsXpress program and went on to finish his schooling in Sydney’s eastern suburbs where he lived with his mum. As the years passed and Joel grew into the dynamic and vibrant 21-year old that he is today, the memory of KidsXpress gradually faded from his mind. What he didn't know at the time, was that the seed for his future career direction had just been planted.
What are ACEs?
Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, is the term used to describe all types of types of family difficulties related to financial struggles, family health problems and losses, parenting impairment due to mental health conditions or alcohol and other drug misuse, marital discord and family conflicts. ACEs contribute to problems in adulthood and have been linked to risky health behaviors, chronic health conditions, low life potential, and early death. As the number of ACEs increase, so does the risk for these outcomes. Click on the 'watch animation' button to view a short video that provides a simple, easy-to-understand explanation of how ACEs -without a supportive adult - can seriously impact children.
A group experience of love and support
With an ICSEA ranking of 824 (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) – well below the national average – Wood’s Public School* in Sydney’s Mt Druitt region is punching above its weight in providing quality education and learning experiences for some of our city’s most vulnerable children.
Over the past year or so, several Stage 3 male students (Years 5 and 6) were identified as being at an elevated risk of disengaging. Their attendance was erratic, they had several negative interactions with peers and significant behavioural issues including aggression and violence. Their teachers were also reporting a lack of interest in school and low literacy and numeracy levels.
Six of these students were referred to our Expressive Therapy Outreach Program earlier this year. All six students were of Pacific Islander background – a culture that is perpetually over-represented in every negative indicator associated with schooling such as discipline events, suspensions and performance...
* Name of school has been changed to protect student's identity
CAPS Safe Children Conference 2019 - An interview with CEO, Tracey McLeod Howe
KidsXpress is a proud supporter of the The Safe Children Conference 2019, which is being held in Sydney on October 22nd. Hosted by Child Abuse Prevention Service (CAPS), the conference will examine the intersectionality of child abuse and explore how all areas of society can work together to achieve real change.
In this interview, CAPS CEO Tracey McLeod Howe talks about how the Conference plans to raise awareness about child abuse and what it hopes to achieve.
