Studying at university and obtaining a degree is not only an appealing prospect, but now considered a necessity in the current economic climate in the UK. Concurrent financial, social, and academic challenges can converge and present a threat to student wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges whilst adding novel…

Social and emotional development in early childhood has been shown to predict long-term outcomes, including school readiness and academic achievement. Early years practitioners need robust assessment tools to adequately identify early signs of social, emotional, behavioural and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. The current study aimed to develop…

This article reports the findings from a systematic review of qualitative research evidence exploring the views of children and young people identified as having Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and their experiences of the SEMH label. A systematic search identified seven papers that were reviewed using the Critical Appraisal…

Parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in the UK (n = 241) were asked to describe the impact of COVID-19 on their own mental health and that of their child. An inductive content analysis of the data was undertaken. Both parents and children appear to be experiencing loss, worry and changes in mood and behaviour as a…

The Boxall Profile is one of the most frequently used tools to measure the social, emotional, behavioural and/or mental health difficulties (SEMH) of children and young people in schools across the UK. However, limited evidence exists regarding the norms and psychometric properties of the tool. The current study used data from 487 primary…

This paper presents the results of a small-scale research project to identify the impact of working in a nurture group setting on two teaching assistants in an English primary school. This research uses a narrative inquiry approach to provide rich data from the stories through which the practitioners interpret, and make sense of, significant…

Tutors of a child and adolescent psychotherapeutic counselling programme undertook a thematic analysis of five student assignments, from the same student cohort, designed to investigate their motives for undertaking the course. The assignments were thematically analysed utilising ideas derived from consensual qualitative research and narrative…

Questions of how best to support both children's emotional well-being and behaviour in schools are pervasive. The efficacy of an intervention planning tool to support internalising and externalising emotional needs and promote early intervention was explored in a small-scale case study. Adults were trained in two primary schools to carry out the…

Background: Evidence from Western countries indicates marked increases in diagnosis and treatment of childhood psychiatric disorders in recent years. These could reflect changes in prevalence of mental health problems, changes in their impact or increased clinical recognition and help-seeking. Epidemiological cross-cohort comparisons are required…

There is increasing concern over the number of university students and university staff who require psychological support; however, little is known about the impact of this on higher education (HE) staff. University employees (n = 91) from two UK universities completed an anonymous survey which explored their experience of providing support for…

Background: While research indicates elevated behavioural and emotional problems in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and decreased well-being in their parents, studies do not typically separate out the contribution of ASD from that of associated intellectual disabilities (ID). We investigated child behavioural and emotional problems,…

The paper describes a clinical research study of therapeutic observation of an infant in foster care. Infants and children under five represent more than half of all children entering care in the UK. The emotional needs of this population tend to be overlooked. This study aimed to find out about the experience of an infant or young child in care,…

We examined child behavior problems and maternal mental health in a British population-representative sample of 5 year-old children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), controlling for the presence of an intellectual disability (ID). Behavior problems were significantly higher in children with ASD with/out ID compared to typically developing…

Within the UK, around 10% of children have mental health problems, but this is likely to be higher among certain specific populations. Children and young people attending provisions for social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) are a particularly vulnerable group whose mental health needs are under-researched. The authors, Latha…

This study's aim was to search for the appropriate functional form of the effect of proximal cumulative contextual risk (PCCR), measured with number of adverse life events experienced in the last 6 months, on adolescent psychopathology and prosocial behavior, measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The study sample was 171 year…