Using health and well-being data to support improvements in mental health in schools 

Welcome to the SHINE January 2022 Update

Dear All,

Happy New Year! We hope that 2022 is going well so far. We are pleased to bring you the SHINE January newsletter, which includes some repeated items from the December issue just in case you missed them at that busy time: 

• SHINE webinar: A catch up with the SHINE Development Officers 
• Important notice! SHINE MH survey offline on Tues 1st Feb
• SHINE interactive dashboard - invitation to trial the app
• HBSC Survey 2022 recruitment
• Schools' SHINE digital folders - operational update
• SHINE affiliate research projects
• Wider research, events and resources for schools

We are pleased to offer 2 opportunities to access a twilight session on MS Teams to showcase the work of our 3 SHINE Development Officers, who have been working with SHINE part time since August 2021. The teachers are now in the final stages of their development and are keen to present their work and findings to fellow network members. Kelly, Lynn and Fiona would like to offer an informal event in which teachers can discuss experiences and share knowledge around the use of the SHINE mental health survey data in schools.

Fiona has been investigating how best to collect and implement HWB data in a primary school setting. She has developed lesson plans to support pupils in their understanding of HWB data, why it is collected and what are the factors which influence health and wellbeing. Fiona is currently trialling her lesson plans "Rise and Shine!" and "Come rain, come Shine!" in 5 schools with a view to sharing these across the network in due course.

Lynn has been focusing on how best to embed the SHINE model and collect HWB data in a large urban secondary school. She has been busy finding solutions to  challenges encountered and is keen to share successes and compare notes with colleagues in a variety of settings. Lynn is also exploring the journey to confidently share HWB data with parent groups  and would like to lead a discussion on this in the session.

Kelly has established a comprehensive HWB working group in her secondary school and has been making links with the Local Authority to support this model. Kelly's investigations into the role of the SHINE Lead as a facilitator across the school community support a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing. This model involves staff, pupils, parents and Local Authority leads working together in collaboration.

Important notice!  SHINE MH survey offline: Tues 1st Feb 

We would like to make schools aware that the SHINE Mental Health data collection portal will not be available to schools on Tuesday 1st February. It will be offline and not accessible to schools whilst maintenance is carried out. Please ensure that this is taken into account when planning to collect data using the SHINE mental health survey.

Dr Andy Baxter showcased the SHINE interactive dashboard at the recent SHINE National Network Event, as a new resource to support young people's understanding of and engagement with health and wellbeing research. This resource could be used in a PSE or Health and Wellbeing class to look at some of the factors linked to health and wellbeing. More details about the shiny app can be found in the second half of this video. 

We are inviting primary and secondary schools to pilot the use of the interactive dashboard. We hope to get feedback from users before releasing it more widely to the network. If you would be interested in piloting the interactive dashboard, please get in touch at Dawn.Haughton@glasgow.ac.uk  

Recruitment for the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study is well underway. The survey will involve one P7 class and one S2 class & one S4 class in each sample school. The online survey will take place between February and March 2022 (with possible extension into the summer term) so there is still time to reply if your school has received an invitation. SHINE member schools who take part will be provided with a school-level health and wellbeing data report (subject to minimum numbers) to support health and wellbeing planning and activities within the school.

The HBSC Scotland survey is part of a large WHO Collaborative international study and has been conducted every four years since 1990. This survey round will have a special focus on mental health and wellbeing, and new questions on COVID-19 exposure & impact.

Schools' SHINE digital folders - useful documents folder

SHINE affiliate research projects updates

Wider research, events and resources for schools

• Webinar ‘Culturally Engaged and Sensitive Approaches to Mental Health Education: With young people, for young people’ 27th January, 2022 10.30 am
• Webinar " Anxiety; cues, clues and support for young people in school - ask the expert" 27th January, 2022 15.45pm
• Effects of mental health stigma and literacy on adolescent help-seeking - invitation to participate in research
• "My Mental Health and How My Peers Treat Me" project - - invitation to participate in research
• Scottish Government Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board newsletter.

Invitation to Webinar : Culturally Engaged and Sensitive Approaches to Mental Health Education: With young people, for young people’,

You are invited to join the webinar ‘Culturally Engaged and Sensitive Approaches to Mental Health Education: With young people, for young people’, on 27 January, 2022, from 10.30. to 12.00 hrs, focusing on enhancing primary to secondary school transition and mental health experiences of young people from ethnically diverse groups in the UK. Participation in the event is free. 

Researchers, practitioners, and young people from The Glasgow School of Art, De Montfort University, Centre for Mental Health, and Leaders Unlocked have mapped current experiences of school transitions and mental health of young people from ethnically diverse groups through a TRIUMPH-funded research project titled ‘CESAME: Culturally Engaged and Sensitive Approaches to Mental Health Education’. The team worked with the young people to co-design ideas for culturally diverse and inclusive school transitions and mental health in the future. 

In the session, we will:

• share visual stories mapping current experiences of young people and co-designed concepts for transforming future experiences
• host an expert panel discussion with policymakers and practitioners from across the UK to consider implications of our findings for future practice and policy in order to improve mental health outcomes for young people from ethnically diverse groups across the primary-secondary school transition
• provide you with the opportunity to contribute your voice to this important topic through a Q&A session during the panel discussion. 

To join us, please register using this link:

Invitation to Webinar " Anxiety; cues, clues and support for young people in school - ask the expert" 27th January, 2022 15.45pm

This session is exclusively for teachers, and the third in our ‘Ask the Expert series’. We are delighted to welcome Professor Cathy Creswell and Helen Manley to discuss ‘Anxiety – Cues, Clues & Support for Young People in School’. Cathy & Helen will also be answering your questions in a session facilitated by leading education professional Professor Barry Carpenter.

Cathy is a highly respected Professor of Clinical Psychology at University of Oxford, her research focuses on the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders in children and young people. She will be joined by Helen, who spent 11 years as a Primary school teacher before embarking on a DPhil in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford, she is currently conducting research into the role of primary school teachers in supporting and managing anxiety in children.

Effects of mental health stigma and literacy on adolescent help-seeking - invitation to participate

Dr Claire Goodfellow is investigating the Effects of mental health stigma and literacy on adolescent help-seeking. At the recent SHINE National Network Conference, Claire presented her research findings, which show that despite young people reporting relatively low stigma beliefs themselves, perceived stigma from key groups can impact on help-seeking intention. Additionally, some forms of mental health knowledge (or literacy), may be associated with reduced willingness to seek help. which has Implications for school-based mental health promotion. Further reading can be found here:

• Research brief

• First research paper from the PhD research available as a non-peer reviewed preprint

Claire is happy for any SHINE members working in rural schools to get in touch if they would like to be involved with her research going forwards. You can get in touch at: Claire.Goodfellow@glasgow.ac.uk

  "My Mental Health and How My Peers Treat Me" project - invitation to participate

 (University of Strathclyde Research funded by the Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences and The Mental Health Foundation)

This research project aims to give young people an opportunity to talk about their personal experiences of mental health problems and how their peers treat them. Current literature highlights the damaging effect of mental health stigma which impacts young people's help-seeking, peer relationships, educational outcomes, development and wellbeing. The current project will ensure youth voice is included in research tackling mental health stigma in schools. The research involves offering 12–15-year-olds the opportunity to partake in interviews (via phone call) where they will be presented with vignettes and questions about their experiences of mental health and potential stigmatising experiences. Research shows that young people benefit from having a safe space where they can discuss their mental health and these interviews aim to provide that. The project has been co-designed with peer researchers (young people who have lived experience of mental health problems, ensuring the recruitment process and interview schedule is appropriate and accessible for participants. Following the interviews, data will be analysed in collaboration with peer researchers and meaningful anti-stigma resources will be co-designed and delivered to schools. 

If interested in learning more, contact Rachel Taylor - rachel.morrison.100@strath.ac.uk

Scottish Government Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board newsletter.

Please see the link to the second edition of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board newsletter. This edition includes spotlight sessions on the Neurodevelopment Service Specification and School Counselling along with progress updates on the work of the Board and other useful information. 

Dawn Haughton
Schools Health and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network (SHINE) Manager

E-mail:  Dawn.Haughton@glasgow.ac.uk
Web:      www.gla.ac.uk/shine
Twitter: @ScotlandSHINE