ECH 218

HELEN LITTLE

Lecture Overview Defining wellbeing

Evaluations of children’s wellbeing

Psychological wellbeing

Resilience

Positive Psychology

Core principles

Teaching for Wellbeing

CHILD framework

GRIP framework

KidsMatter

Social-emotional Learning

Wellbeing “the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy”

Related to the global health of a person

World Health Organisation – “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948)

“Sound wellbeing results from the satisfaction of basic needs -the need for tenderness and affection; security and clarity; social recognition; to feel competent; physical needs and for meaning in life (adapted from Laevers 1994). It includes happiness and satisfaction, effective social functioning and the dispositions of optimism, openness, curiosity and resilience.” (EYLF, p. 46)

Domains of Wellbeing

Five domains of child wellbeing:

Physical

Psychological

Cognitive

Social

Economic

UNICEF - 2007 report of child wellbeing in rich countries across 6 dimensions

Material wellbeing; health & safety; educational wellbeing; family & peer relationships; behaviours & risks; subjective wellbeing

Netherlands leads (ranked in top 10 for all 6 dimensions); European countries dominate the top half; UK and USA in bottom third for 5/6 dimensions

Australia sits close to the mean on all dimensions (but data not available for some measures)

Evaluations of children’s

Wellbeing

Evaluations of Australian children’s wellbeing ARACY 2008 report on the Wellbeing of Young Australians

(aged 0-24 years). Comparison of total Aust. Population, Indigneous Aust. Population and international comparators using same 6 dimensions as UNICEF report. Australia does not compare favourably internationally on 4 out of the 6

dimensions (material wellbeing ; health & safety; peer & family relationships; behaviours & risks)

Compares favourably for educational wellbeing and subjective wellbeing.

Wellbeing of Indigenous children particular low in comparison to both total Australian population and international comparators.

ARACY 2013 report Australia ranked in top third of OECD countries for approx. ¼ of indicator (12

out of 46) e.g. some educational and employment outcomes; environmental conditions at home

Ranked in middle third for almost ½ the indicators (20 out of 46) e.g many health indicators; some material basics; love and safety

Bottom third for approx. ¼ of indicators (14 out of 46) e.g. incidence of diabetes and asthma; young people in education; 3-5 year olds in preschool

“What is important for children and young people to

have a good life?”

Psychological Wellbeing “ the subjective capacity and state of mind that supports us

to feel good about how we are and confident to deal with present and future circumstances. It is influenced by our emotional development and how resilient and resourceful we feel ourselves to be” (Roberts, 2006, p.6)

14% of young people aged 4 – 17 years reported to have a mental health problem

2007 – 26% of 16-24 year olds had experienced a mental health disorder in the previous 12 months

2004-2005, 7% of children under 15 years reported to have some form of mental or behavioural problem as a long term health condition (ABS, 2007)

Rates rise from very low for under 5 years to 10% for children aged 10-14 years.

Resilience

Resilience - a set of personal characteristics associated with healthy development

Emotional competence – positive self concept; internal locus of control; being autonomous; sense of humour.

Social competence – being able to form stable relationships

Futures oriented – optimism; problem solving; sense of purpose; critical thinking; flexible & adaptive; proactive

Why is social and emotional competence and wellbeing important? Research evidence suggests strong growth in social and emotional

competence underlies all later growth and development including:

Positive relationships

Representations of self, emotional knowledge & regulatory abilities are learnt through early positive relationships

Children’s relationships with teachers & peers are important for school success

Positive mental health

Effective social skills are attributed to overall happiness, quality of life, good treatment and respect from others, high self-esteem

Academic learning

Longitudinal evidence supports link between children’s social and emotional competence and school success

Integration with other developmental domains

Emotional competence and wellbeing affects other domains of development e.g. language & communication skills

What should I look for?Child characteristics/behaviours

Early primary and middle childhood years

Difficulty interacting with peers e.g. shyness or awkwardness

Being anxious sad or withdrawn much of the time

Avoiding new situations or missing lots of school

Being overly compliant and obedient, seeming fearful

Being frequently irritable, defiant or argumentative

Displaying aggressive behaviour

Not avoiding risk or harmful situations

Difficulty anticipating consequences of behaviour www.responseability.org

Positive Psychology

Underlying assumptions

Departs from the traditional ‘problem-focused’ or deficit model

Preventative approach

Enhancing strengths and virtues of children

Healthier relationships

Resilience building

Principles of Positive Psychology Positive subjective experience

Positive individual traits

Positive communities and institutions

Wellbeing and Education EYLF – Learning outcomes

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity

Outcome 2: Children are connected and contribute to their world

Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners

“Without a strong sense of wellbeing it is difficult to have a sense of belonging, to trust others and feel confident in being, and to engage optimistically in experiences that contribute to becoming: (EYLF, p. 30).

Australian Curriculum – H&PE

Personal, social and community health strand – communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing Mental health and wellbeing

Integrated with appropriate structures, policies and programs within the school

Health Promoting Schools concept

Includes: Physical environment

Psychosocial environment

Organizational structure

Teaching for Wellbeing Children’s social-emotional wellbeing is an integral part of

effective, high-quality teaching practice

Wellbeing linked to higher academic achievement., improved behaviour and positive outcomes later in life E.g. Children who completed an early years social and emotional learning

program in the United States have been shown to have more positive outcomes than their peers, when followed up 35 years later

Programs designed to promote social and emotional learning improve children’s personal skills and to reduce the incidence of challenging and disruptive behaviours

Also linked to improved mental health outcomes

Teaching for Wellbeing Educational policies and practice may reflect an

instrumental or holistic view of wellbeing.

Instrumental – considering wellbeing in terms of what children should know about and what skills they should have

Knowing how to keep safe

Knowing how to eat healthy

Knowing how to keep clean

Holistic – considering wellbeing in terms of how children live their lives

Feeling part of a community

Feeling valued

Having a voice

Positive Psychology in action Geelong Grammar school

The aims of Positive Education are: To increase the experience of positive emotions in our students; To encourage students to engage their signature strengths for personal and

community goals; To engage students to live meaningful lives to find purpose and make a difference to

our communities at large.

The implicit programme comprises seven over-arching topics that are explored from ELC to Year 12:

emotion gratitude strengths creativity self-efficacy resilience mindfulness

The explicit Positive Psychology Programme taught in Year 7 and Year 10, teaches students skills to help them to tackle life’s challenges:

Response Ability CHILD framework – summarises how teachers can

contribute to mental health and wellbeing of children

Create caring supportive environments that promote learning and wellbeing

Help children to develop social skills and learn to manage their emotions

Identify children and families in need of additional support

Link children and families with information and support services

Develop broader organisational, school and community strategies that promote wellbeing

GRIP Framework Gather information – e.g. changes in play, relationships or

academic performance. Are changes likely to cause significant difficulties for the child?

Are they temporary or persisting over time? (observations)

Respond – talk with child and/or parent. Express you concerns sensitively; use active listening to reflect back on

what they tell you; offer to help find support or information

Involve – other people who can support and guide you (e.gCentre Director, Principal, other professionals if appropriate

Promote – safe and supportive environments.

How can you centre/school better support children and families?

Be a role model – demonstrate tolerance, compassion and positive communication

Support policies and programs that foster wellbeing

KidsMatter

Developed in collaboration with the Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Ageing, beyondblue, the Australian Psychological Society, Early Childhood Australia and Principals Australia

“aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children, reduce mental health problems amongst children, and achieve greater support for children experiencing mental health difficulties, and their families.” Separate programs for Early Childhood services and

Primary Schools

KidsMatter programs Australian Early Childhood

Mental Health Initiative

Creating a sense of community

Developing children’s social and emotional skills

Working with parents and carers

Helping children experiencing mental health difficulties

Australian Primary Schools Mental Health Initiative

A positive school community

Social and emotional learning for students

Parenting support and education

Early intervention for students experiencing mental health difficulties

http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au

Social-Emotional Learning Acquisition of particular skills or personal strengths that contribute to

resilience and wellbeing.

CASEL framework of social and emotional competencies: Self-awareness – Knowing what we are feeling in the moment; having a realistic

assessment of our own abilities and a well-grounded sense of self-confidence.

Social Awareness – Understanding what others are feeling; being able to take their perspective; appreciating and interacting positively with diverse groups.

Self-management – Handling our emotions so they facilitate rather than interfere with the tasks at hand; being conscientious and delaying gratification to pursue goals, persevering in the face of setbacks and frustrations.

Relationships Skills – Handling emotions in relationships effectively; establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships based on cooperation, resistance to inappropriate social pressure, negotiating solutions to conflict and seeking help when needed.

Responsible Decision Making – Making decisions based on an accurate consideration of all relevant factors and the likely consequences of alternative responses, respecting others and taking responsibility for decisions.

ReferencesAustralian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY). (2008). The

wellbeing of young Australians. Available from www.aracy.org.au

Graetz, B., Littlefield, L., Trinder, M., Dobia, B., Souter, M., Champion, C. et al., (2008). KidsMatter: A population health model to support student mental health and well-being in primary schools. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 10(4), 13-20.

Hunter Institute of Mental Health (2010). Response Ability initiative. www.responseability.org

Seligman, M., Ernst, R., Gillham, J., Reivich, K., & Linkins, M. (2009). Positive education: positive psychology and classroom interventions. Oxford Review of Education, 35(3), 293-311.

Slee, P., Lawson, M., Russell, A., Askell-Williams, H., Dix, K., Owens, L. et al. (2009). KidsMatter evaluation final report. Centre for Analysis of Educational Futures, Flinders University.

Waters, J. (2009). Well-being. In T. Waller (Ed.), An introduction to early childhood: A multidisciplinary approach (2nd ed.). London: Sage.