Children's mental health
About the pathway
Welcome to the Children’s mental health learning pathway. This pathway is designed for all practitioners who want to better understand the factors that influence child mental health.
Mental health is key to children’s relationships, resilience, learning and development. The majority of infants and children will experience positive mental health most of the time, especially if their parents, family and community are responsive to their needs. But not every family has the resources or support they need, and even those who do will at times need some extra help.
As a practitioner, you are in a unique position to provide support to parents and help plan for children’s social and emotional development at the earliest possible stage. This suite of courses explores the key factors that influence and support infant and child mental health, and the important role mental health plays in children’s physical health, relationships, resilience, development and learning.
Learning outcomes
As you progress through this learning pathway you will build your understanding and skills across a range of key areas, including:
- the factors that contribute to children’s positive mental health and the building blocks of social and emotional wellbeing for different ages and stages in a child’s life
- recognising that children’s mental health and wellbeing occur along a dynamic continuum, from positive mental health to diagnosed mental health conditions
- the impacts of trauma and adversity on infant and child mental health
- the benefits and challenges of engaging children as partners in your practice
- building genuine partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities.
- the central role of the parent-child relationship, and how the parent’s circumstances, parent behaviour, and the child’s inner emotional world are interconnected
- describing how mental health difficulties can present in children
- ensuring you consider children’s social and emotional wellbeing when working with adults who are parents
- using a prevention and early intervention framework to support children’s mental health; and
- placing the child at the centre of all decisions and interactions; and