This year’s theme for Children’s Mental Health Week is ‘My voice matters’, so how can schools help children and young people to express themselves and feel empowered?
It’s wonderful that a light is being shone onto children’s mental health this week, and a great opportunity to advocate for giving children a voice. It’s been a difficult few years for our kids, especially going back to the Covid-19 pandemic. When schools were closed, and decisions were made about children’s wellbeing, their voices were not being heard and decisions were made about them without any kind of representation – which I think is shameful.
We need people to advocate for children, to give them a voice if decisions are being made about them, and for them.
I see the educational psychologist as key to that, especially in a school setting. In ethical practice we should always be aware of the voice of the child in everything we do as psychologists and in everything we teach them, and that needs to filter towards policy. As chair of the DECP I see one of my roles as doing that - advocating, pushing for the best outcomes for children, and allowing their voices to be heard.
