A blog post from Sunshine Support Advocate and Legal Adviser, Jessica Ward… 

One of the toughest challenges that any parent can face is having to help their child through mental health difficulties. We all want our children to feel happy, safe and secure but challenges with their mental health can rob them of all of that and put them into a daily cycle of struggle, sadness and trauma. The journey through mental health crisis is fraught with emotional and social complexities and the impact of poor mental health not only impacts the child themselves but the wider family too.  

If you have concerns about your child’s mental health or you want to improve your knowledge in order to be ready for any challenges they may face in the future then don’t miss our webinar focussed on children’s mental health which is taking place on 23 January 2025. We’ll be joined by Bridge the Gap, a specialist service for children’s wellbeing, who will teaching us all about children’s mental health, how to boost self esteem and giving us some practical tips we can put into place right away.  

Book your tickets now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1014373577677  

The impact on families 

We know that the biggest impact of any type of mental health challenge is on the person themselves, in this case the child. But it would be remiss not to talk about the impact that witnessing these challenges has upon the wider family.  

Parents typically feel guilt, helplessness and frustration as they watch their child struggle significantly, perhaps without answers as to what is happening and why. Siblings can end up feeling neglected as all the attention turns to the other child or they might be confused, not knowing how to help.  

If mental health support is put in place, this can be a very long process with a high demand put on parents and carers to facilitate all the appointments which sometimes fall over many different disciplines.  

Mental health challenges in SEND/ALN children 

Mental health challenges can be more common amongst children with SEND/ALN. We hear from many families through their journey to support their children and provide for their additional needs and we typically see people coming to us who are struggling with:  

A personal viewpoint  

One parent told us that supporting their child through mental health crisis was one of the toughest things they have ever done.  

‘Watching my child suffer so deeply with anxiety and depression at just 8 years old was absolutely heart-breaking. He had recently had his autism and ADHD diagnosis but was still in a mainstream school setting which was wholly unsuitable for his needs.  

‘For us, the most difficult time came during the Covid lockdown which also meant we had very little professional experience available at the time. In order to keep him safe, I had to ensure we had locks on the windows so he couldn’t open them, make sure knives were all out of reach at all times and have eyes on him constantly if his mood became particularly low.  

‘We are very lucky that he is now out of acute mental health crisis thanks to securing provision at a specialist school but it’s been years since this all happened and the trauma of it all still has a huge impact. I’ll never forget what it was like.’ 

What can we do?  

Conversations around children’s mental health have made strides in recent years, but topics like self-harm and eating disorders remain shrouded in misunderstanding and shame. Parents often feel isolated when their child faces these challenges, fearing judgment or blame. Breaking this taboo requires open dialogue, education and a collective effort to normalise seeking help. 

We also need to ensure that we are starting early and teaching our children about what good mental health looks like and ways in which we can boost it. Raising their self-esteem is also crucial and we’ll be covering both those topics in our webinar with Bridge the Gap on 23rd January.  

Finally, it’s really important to recognise the impact on parents and siblings too and make sure that you are all getting the help and support that you need too.  

*****  

Jessica Ward is a Sunshine Support Advocate and Legal Adviser. She’s been with Sunshine since August 2023 and prior to that has worked in a number of law firms, and has a number of years’ experience in SEND Law. Her specialisms are Pre-Action Protocol Letters, SEND Appeals and supporting parents of children who cannot attend school. If you would benefit from Jessica’s support or any of our other highly experienced Advocates then get in touch today: https://sunshine-support.org/advice-and-support/#advocatehelp