• family illness or the death of a close relative;
• divorce and family break-up;
• issues related to sexuality;
• adoption;
• the process of asylum;
• disability;
• parental mental health;
• losing their home,
• loss of a job and the consequences of crime.

Like physical ill health, mental ill health may impact on the lives of individuals and those who play an important role in their lives. In addition, the impact of mental ill health on significant people in a person’s life may sometimes be unseen by supporting some public services.

Factors, such as discrimination, prejudice and stigma may also impact on perceptions and understanding of mental ill health and its consequences. However, early intervention and recognition of indicators of mental ill health can be useful in promoting mental health and wellbeing. Half of all mental health problems emerge before the age of 14 and three quarters by age 25. Inequality underlies many risk factors for mental health problems, and needs to be addressed through the wider determinants of health which are outlined in ‘Understanding place’ and ‘Understanding people’, Public Health England (2017).

Some Mental Ill Heath Indicators (Pearson, BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care Unit 12: Understand Mental Ill Health)

• Emotional, e.g. low mood, feeling sad or down, excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt, extreme mood changes of highs and lows, inability to cope with daily problems or stress, trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people.
  Thinking, e.g. confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate, suicidal thinking.
• Behaviour, e.g. excessive anger, hostility or violence, Withdrawal from friends and activities, detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia or hallucinations.
• Physical, e.g., significant tiredness, alcohol or drug abuse, major changes in eating habits, low energy or problems sleeping, headache, stomach pain or other unexplained aches and pains.

In addition, the following groups are identified at being of high risk of mental ill Health (Public Health England, 2017

• black and minority ethnic groups (BAME)
• people living with physical disabilities
• people living with learning disabilities
• Prison population and offenders
• LGBT people
• Carers
• people with sensory impairment
• homeless people
• refugees, asylum seekers and stateless person

Thus, in addition to mental ill health indicators, specific groups of people ‘are at a higher risk of mental health problems because of greater exposure and vulnerability to unfavourable social, economic, and environmental circumstances’, Mental Health Foundation, facts about Mental Health (2016:56).

However, there are those who think that we all have the ability within us to improve aspects of our well-being. ‘No matter what challenges we face, everyone has the ability to take steps to look after and improve their mental health and wellbeing’ (NHS 2017).

Click here: Working With Mental ILL Health to download the EMPT Working With Mental ILL Health Sample Slides.

Click the following links for other useful information:

http://www.emptlondon.com/introduction-attachment-theory

http://www.emptlondon.com/giving-advice-information-young-people-substance-misuse-risk-taking

http://www.emptlondon.com/helping-children-cope-death

Offending_BehaviourWORKBOOK_DIGI_EMPT_Web_version.PDF

Oliver from rehap4addiction has provided the following information: My name is Oliver and I operate a national drug and alcohol addiction advice helpline called “Rehab 4 Addiction”. I started this free helpline back in 2011. You can find my website here: http://www.rehab4addiction.co.uk 
Rehab 4 Addiction offers a free hotline dedicated to assisting those suffering from drug, alcohol and mental health issues. Rehab 4 Addiction was established in 2011 by people who overcame addiction themselves. You can contact Rehab 4 Addiction on 0800 140 4690.

https://youtu.be/1Gai2jjCsN

A resource for stopping drinking and improving mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

On Sat, Jul 13, 2019 at 12:29 PM “Lisa Williams” < lisa@happyhappyvegan.net> wrote:
Hey there,
Lisa here from Happy Happy Vegan, hope this email finds you well.
I’m reaching out today to let you know that I’ve compiled a huge global resource of mental health and suicide hotlines (70+ countries thus far) and to ask if you’d consider collaborating?
This is a subject extremely dear to my heart and my hope is that it’ll be as useful to others as the help I’ve received in the past was to me. Obviously, though, it needs to be visible for that to happen…which is where you come in. Would you consider adding a link to the page somewhere on your site?
I know this is a big ask, and I appreciate that it may not be something you’d entertain, but I figured that I may as well ask before talking myself out of emailing you!
Anyway, enough chat for now, I’ll let you be the judge of whether or not this is something you’d like to help out with: https://happyhappyvegan.com/suicide-hotlines-list/
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, I look forward to hearing from you soon,
Lisa

https://withinhealth.com/learn/nutrition-counseling

How To Have A Healthy Heart

Barbara Vagas from know your DNA  believes EMPT readers would benefit from the article that follows:

In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Medically, this is known as coronary artery disease (CAD). It happens when one or more of the blood vessels supplying oxygen into the heart is blocked.

Anyone can develop heart conditions regardless of gender and age. But women over 45 and men over 55 have a higher risk for heart disease.¹

Other risk factors of cardiovascular disease include:

• High cholesterol levels
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Being overweight or obese
• Not getting enough physical activity
• Not eating a healthy diet

Your family history also affects how likely you are to get heart conditions. The good news is that you can do many things to prevent heart disease.

You can avoid having heart disease or heart conditions by making healthy lifestyle choices. Here are 10 tips on taking better care of your heart.

• 1. Avoid overeating
• 2. Try to maintain a healthy body weight
• 3. Limit your salt or sodium intake
• 4. Eat more fruits and vegetables
• 5. Add whole grains to your diet
• 6. Avoid unhealthy fats
• 7. Get regular exercise
• 8. Decrease your alcohol consumption
• 9. Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke
• 10. Learn to manage stress

In addition, the following research indicates some benefits related to involved fathers:     www.emptlondon.com

• The father’s education level is important (Yeung, 2004) and is of course linked to his income: better educated fathers tend to earn more. One study found that it wasn’t simply the father’s income but his permanent income that was most significant. Fathers’ education level tends to contribute substantially to permanent income (Chevalier et al, 2013). Also see the EMPT® promoting positive outcomes for children workbook (2014) Promoting positive outcomes workbook.doc Updated 2017.
• Fathers with more education are able to provide more resources and learning opportunities for their children, and are also more likely to engage in positive interactions, such as reading, with them (Tamis-LeMonda et al, 2013).
• Fathers’ sensitivity in interacting with their children is enormously important and sensitive fathers are not only found among better educated or wealthier fathers: the is enormous variation across social class. Sensitivity/supportiveness by fathers in interactions with their children, their engagement in literacy activities together, fathers’ use of wide vocabularies and strategies such as expanding on what children say, referring to objects and events, eliciting actions, directing attention, prompting play etc. have substantial positive impacts on child outcomes (Tamis-LeMonda et al, 2012).
• The experience of becoming a father can provide a catalyst for making the transition to a more responsible masculine identity. Young men’s masculine identities are strongly defined by locality. Young men ‘at risk’ tend to be embedded in local cultures of hypermasculinity, often with problematic consequences. Many aspire to a ‘safer’and more responsible masculinity, with their aspirations again being largely shaped by local expectations (http://www.open.ac.uk/health-and-social-care/research/beyond-male-role-models/report ).

Some other useful male care worker resources:

https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/advice-information/being-foster-carer/men-who-care

Working with challenging behaviour EMPT_SEP_TRAINING_DIGITAL (1)

http://docs.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/fulltext/71496.pdf

https://carers.org/male-carers

CoramBAFF practice note 49 highlights the role of male carers in meeting the needs of fostered and adopted children. It includes discussion about gender in the family placement environment, the developmental needs of children, the experiences and perspectives of male carers, and the impact of allegations and abuse. Issues for agencies to consider and pointers for good practice are identified.

https://goodmenproject.com/families/a-single-man%E2%80%99s-adoption-story/

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2016

The Fostering Network research involved in total 2,530 foster carers from across the UK completed the survey online: 1,942 of these fostered in England, 359 in Scotland, 122 in Wales and 107 in Northern Ireland. These numbers represent four per cent, eight per cent, three per cent, and five per cent of the total foster carer populations respectively.

 Aspects of the Fostering Network reports findings are:

•  32 per cent of foster carers felt that children’s social workers do not treat them as an equal member of the team around the child
• 31 per cent of foster carers reported that they were rarely or never given all of the information about a fostered child prior to placement
• 46 per cent of foster carers said their fostered children were unlikely to receive information about independent visitors
• Almost a third of foster carers had been referred children from outside their defined approval range
• 52 per cent of those who had taken children from outside their approval range had felt pressured into it
• Three-quarters of those who had taken a child from outside their approval range said they received no additional training and support from their fostering service
• Just under half of all foster carers (49 per cent) did not have an agreed training plan for the next 12 months and the same proportion of carers felt there were training courses they would have liked to attend but did not.

  Ofsted (2015) published an earlier report about foster care that amongst other findings showed:

• There were fewer fostering households overall, but more family and friends households: there were 36,890 fostering households, a decrease of 1% from the same date in 2014. In the same period, the number of family and friends households increased by 6% to 4,145
• More children were recorded as missing from placements and going missing more often: there were 5,055 children recorded as missing in 2014-15, an increase of 19% from the previous year. The number of times that children were recorded as going missing increased by 29%

 Whilst Ofsted (2012) highlighted the following:

• 67,340 foster carers were approved on 31 March 2012. Of these, a large majority of carers were White (84%). The next largest number was Black (8%), followed by Asian (4%), Chinese and ‘Other’ (2%) and Mixed (1%). This was very similar to the ethnicity profile of foster carers for 2010-11
• There were a total of 40,842 fostering households on 31 March 2012. This is an increase of around 7% from the previous year. Of these, 67% were registered with local authorities and 33% were registered with IFS
• Overall, there were 7,427 new fostering households approved during the year. This is an increase of 9% from the same period in 2010-11. Local authorities approved 63% (4,648) of new households and 37% (2,779) were approved by IFS. This compares with 60% of new households approved in 2010-11 by local authority and 40% by IFS

There are some similar findings in both the Fostering Network’s stateofthenationsfostercare2016 and their 2014 state of the nation’s foster care report findings. In the Fostering Network 2014 report foster carers also felt  foster carers should be respected and treated as a skilled co-professional, and to be recognised as part of the team working with the child; often, in fact, they are the person who knows the child best.

The Fostering Network 2014 report showed that foster carers felt that not only should their experience and expertise be valued and listened to about day-to-day care, but also in long-term planning for children. This report also highlighted that foster carers wanted to be recognised and treated as professionals by teachers, health care workers, police and others involved in children’s lives. These working in partnership issues are consistent – The Fostering Network National conference way back in 2002 (Working Across Boundaries) raised similar issues concerning working together.

Click here for State of the Nation Report 2021_DIGITAL_FINAL_0.pdf (thefosteringnetwork.org.uk)

• promote the care plan needs of Children in Care
• contribute to children’s risk assessments
• inform you around what you could do in a crisis.
  

To understand substance misuse aim to improve your knowledge around the range of different substances and the range of different indications of substance misuse related behaviours. Also improve your knowledge around:

• Substance misuse jargon
• Strategies around engaging/involving children and young people in the assessment of their needs, including assessing an their understanding of services available
• Assessing the risk to individuals and to others, and the importance of reviewing substance misuse risk assessments
• Sources of information about, and the range of, substance misuse services available locally

For those who work with children and young people, its also useful for you to be aware of the:

• importance of gathering full and accurate information, and how to do so
• any legal requirements
• the organisation’s policies and procedures in dealing with risk of danger to individuals
• how to report accurately
• the importance of stating any gaps in information or assumptions made

Listen as well as talk

Talking to teenagers can be sometimes be challenging. When you’re discussing drugs and substance misuse, don’t preach or give a speech and don’t make assumptions about what they know or do. Let the child or young person tell you their experiences. It’s often easier not to talk face-to-face, but to have a conversation side-by-side, such as when you’re driving in the car, washing up together, watching television or preparing food.

The following learning material provide useful information around the harm reduction substance misuse method:

Readers can also get information from other credible sources such as the drugs website: FRANK

Rehab 4 Alcoholism is a free and impartial helpline for people troubled with drug and alcohol issues. Rehab 4 Alcoholism aims to save lives by stopping addiction before it becomes too late. Tel: 0800 111 4108 Web: https://www.rehab4alcoholism.com  

Oliver from rehap4addiction has provided the following information: My name is Oliver and I operate a national drug and alcohol addiction advice helpline called “Rehab 4 Addiction”. I started this free helpline back in 2011. You can find my website here: http://www.rehab4addiction.co.uk

Rehab 4 Addiction offers a free hotline dedicated to assisting those suffering from drug, alcohol and mental health issues. Rehab 4 Addiction was established in 2011 by people who overcame addiction themselves. You can contact Rehab 4 Addiction on 0800 140 4690.

Boris MacKey | Community Outreach Manager for Rehab 4 Addiction has forwarded the following link for A resource for stopping drinking and improving mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.drugsenseuk.co.uk/danos.pdf

Parental substance misuse | NSPCC Learning

https://happyhappyvegan.com/suicide-hotlines-list/

What are the UK drug laws?

• Child contact refers to all relationship links between a child and their families of origin and friends, regardless of the form and frequency of these links. This may include overnight stays, telephone calls, exchange of letters or photographs or indirect links through third parties.
• These will range from frequent face to face contact to occasional exchanges of information. In some cases, contact will be supervised. Whatever the type of contact a child or young person receives – it can help them maintain important emotional and psychological bonds with significant people.
• The majority of children’s interests will best be served by efforts to maintain or develop relationship links with their birth families. Face to face meetings will generally be the most common and satisfactory way of maintaining such relationships.
• Even when there is no obvious contact, social workers and carers need to address the need to keep a child connected with their family background and to help them develop a sense of identity.
• Research related to child contact shows that the earliest weeks of a Child In Care episode are crucial to the success of a placement, the relationship between the parents, carers and social workers, the level of future contact and the prognosis for an early return home.
• Corporate parents therefore should ensure that contact arrangements are in place before or at the point a child moves to a foster placement and that arrangements for contact are recorded on the Placement Agreement/Plan.
• See our promoting-contact-course-pptx-sample-extracts-pdf-signed

Some useful practice guidance:

1. For children separated from one or both birth parents through divorce or care proceedings, continuing contact with family members is usually important to their emotional and psychological development and well-being, Alan Slade, Coram (2002:7), A Guide to Best Practice in Supervised Child Contact. The EMPT® Managing Director, Astell Evans contributed to this guide and is acknowledged on page 5 of this book.
2. Foster carers ‘are able to form and maintain contact and positive working relationships with parents and other significant adults for the child or young person’, Ofsted Framework for Independent Fostering Agencies (2014: 16).
3. Children have, where appropriate, constructive contact with their parents, grandparents, siblings, half-siblings, wider family, friends and other people who play a significant role in their lives (NMS 9). Ofsted Framework for Independent Fostering Agencies (2014: 20).
4. Foster carers play a crucial role in supporting children’s relationships. They need to offer a consistent, reliable base from which children can connect with their families safely. Their approach to the tasks involved in contact has implications for the welfare of their fostered children at the time and in the longer term, Fostering Network (2016).
5. If the child has been abused, contact can allow abuse to continue if there is unsupervised direct contact or ineffective scrutiny of letters and cards.  Foster carers are generally positive about contact but some report problems associated with it. In some cases these are serious, SCIE (2004).

Giving advice and information, to young people, about substance misuse risk taking

The Who Cares Trust highlight, related to promoting safe and stable placements, ‘The Government’s Care Matters agenda identifies stable relationships as one of the key factors in ensuring good outcomes for children in care. But there is an unacceptable amount of movement in care for a lot of children, who often don’t get the chance to form stable relationships with carers or social workers’.

The Care Inquiry (2013: 3.18), in terms of promoting safe and stable placements, claims that ‘High-quality relationships matter more than anything else for children in or on the edge of care, and for the adults in their lives’.

Thus, when considering promoting safe and stable placements, breakdowns to family placements can sometimes badly affect children and contribute to their emotional disturbance. Placement breakdown is defined as the placement not lasting as long as planned. Much of the key findings from studies over the past ten years have shown:

• Frequent moves can badly affect children.
• Breakdowns, or unplanned moves, are much less likely in younger children in comparison, ‘teenage’ placements. Some factors appear to cause frequent placment moves- they include:
• a change of social worker
• Over-optimistic expectations
• Placement breakdown, particularly for teenagers
• The child’s level of emotional disturbance and motivation to remain in the placement also appears to be a key factor.

Research also indicates that foster carers often feel like giving up altogether during difficult times. Therefore, assessment around foster carer/s ability to provide durability and commitment to promoting safe and stable placements should continually ensure that carers’ and residential care support worker’s own attachment, sensitivity and motivation are suited towards promoting stable placements for children.
In terms of placement stability, the Department of Education information shows:

• 89% of all looked after children had up to two placements in the year ending 31 March 2012.
• 10 year olds were most likely to have a single placement
• Promoting stable placements for children in care
• Support should be part of all care plans to ensure the best outcomes for children and to prevent carer strain and placement breakdown (Boddy, 2013).

Overall, actively promoting practice that promotes triangulated assessment of foster carers, including reviews, contributes to service management evidence about the quality of foster care provided. On top of this, building very strong policies and procedures based on the legislative research as well as practice standards whilst working in line with the relevant Ofsted inspection framework, will contribute to quality fostering service and residential child care provisions.

Thus, policies, legislation, national standards, Ofsted framework for services and organisation procedures are, of course, of immense importance and serve as a means of promoting stable placements. They promote robust practice and consistent implementation of these policies, standards and procedures contribute to keeping children and young people safe. Leadership and management within fostering and residential services therefore plays a key role when promoting stable placements for looked after children. Thus, Ofsted 2015: states that Leaders and managers actively and regularly monitor the quality of care provided and use learning from practice and feedback to improve the experiences and care of children and young people.

14. Placement stability and permanence

Reflective functioning

One way of trainers/teachers manifesting the characteristics of reflective thinking is through models of training and/or teaching delivery.  For health and social care training it is important to give social care workers working in settings such as foster care and other residential child care, the opportunity to reflect upon the  internal experience of the children they are caring for .

This includes promoting the basic principles of how children and young people from all ages form attachments and promoting the understanding around how these attachments affect their development, and the impact of interrupted development, trauma, separation and loss.

The training, support and development standards (5.1 a-c, 5.2 a, 5.3 a-c, 5.4 a-c) covers some basic foster care practising standards around promoting attachments and stages of development.  Adoption & fostering quarterly journal by BAAF (Volume 9, 2 July 2015: 145-158 explores reflective functioning in foster carers using the Parent Development Interview.