Sinead Jackson recently completed one of our online qualifications and gained her Level 2 Certification in Children & Young People’s Mental Health. Sinead started this course in May, and with the support from our team, completed it in just over two months time.
Children & Young People’s Mental Health
Mental health problems affect around 1 in 8 children and young people. These issues include depression, anxiety and conduct disorder and can often be a direct response to occurrences in their lives. Emotional wellbeing is just as important as a child’s mental health, therefore it is important for those working with children and young people to have a good understanding of the concepts, risk factors and impact of mental health.
The B2W Group covers a range of topics to ensure that our learners are able to provide the best support for young people that may be struggling, including mental health concerns and the impact of mental health concerns.
Since March, The B2W Group has upskilled hundreds of employed individuals in key regions of the UK, helping them to stay up-to-date and enhance their skill set.
Sinead Jackson
Sinead Jackson, who is a Head of Year at Manchester Communication Academy, came to The B2W Group to complete this course as it enabled her to gain invaluable knowledge that would benefit her role and the students attending the academy.
Having already been working 8 years in the drama department, Sinead started her new role as Head of Year two years ago. Initially, Sinead found that some areas of her role would benefit from increased training, including providing support for those struggling with mental health issues.
After completing the course, we spoke to Sinead to ask her about her experience with The B2W Group.
Providing Support for Young People
The main reason for wanting to take part in this course was to be able to give our learners the support that they needed. Originally I felt like I knew a lot about mental health, but there was so much more that I could explore and research about which would help benefit the students of Manchester Communication Academy.
What new knowledge did you learn?
The biggest thing for me was understanding what mental health actually is. We use the term quite frequently, especially when dealing with young people, but we don’t necessarily know the different types of mental health issues and the risk factors involved. It’s so much more than what you might initially think.
During the course, I learned a lot about the risk factors and how that can cause problems in later life. The course also covered the different support networks that are available. The most known support network made available to young people is camhs, but after completing the course I’m aware of the different options available that I can recommend to anyone in need of support. It also detailed the different treatments and coping mechanisms and how they can be implemented by myself.
I also completed a lot of independent research, such as expanding my learning of legislation and how mental health has changed and evolved over the last 30 years.
How have you applied your new knowledge in your workplace?
Going forward, I have adapted the way in which I speak to students that may be struggling with mental health. I want to empathise to them that it’s ok not to be ok, and that we take it as seriously as we would with a physical illness.
It has also helped me to connect more with our safeguarding team, ensuring that we provide an up-to-date list of support groups and organisations and has opened up a range of options that I can provide to students in need.
With year 11s having now left school, I will be taking over a young group who are making the transition from year 10 to year 11. With this being a stressful time with exams and choosing the next steps in their lives, there will be mental health concerns within the year group. I want to implement changes earlier on to help our students cope more with the transition.
I also want to take it further and implement changes across each school year, particularly those that will be experiencing secondary school for the first time. Providing coping mechanisms and support will help to promote their resilience and confidence early on.
What was the most enjoyable thing about the course?
I enjoyed researching the topics and using the online materials that were provided to aid with the course. I was able to read and understand things better as the course went into depth for each of the topics.
Having researched into different areas of children and young people’s mental health such as the Children Act and the Human Rights Act, I feel as though now I can refer back to my work when I need to. It has also allowed me to develop a really good understanding of the topics.
What are your next steps?
I am currently wanting to look more into educational psychology and considering furthering my learning by completing a level 3 qualification.
Would you recommend The B2W Group?
I definitely would. The qualification was quite challenging for me, but that can only be a good thing. With a topic as serious as children and young people’s mental health it has to be of a certain standard and have high expectations.
I really enjoyed the layout of the course and how you can login at your own leisure. I am also grateful for the support given by the tutors at The B2W Group. If I had any questions or needed support they were very helpful. My tutor provided feedback speedily and efficiently and I was able to make adjustments if I needed to.
Level 2 Children & Young People’s Mental Health
This fully funded qualification provides learners with an in-depth understanding of children and young people’s mental health. Course topics include:
- Understand Children and Young People’s Mental Health in Context
- Understand Factors Which May Affect Children and Young People’s Mental Health
- Understand Children and Young People’s Mental Health Concerns
- Understand the Impact of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Concerns
If you’d like to apply for the course, you can find out more here.
