Trainee Educational Psychologists also carried out research as part of their thesis (2019-2020)
A mixed methods review exploring how to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during times of uncertainty, linking the findings to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Thesis 1
A literature review of previous studies was carried out to look at how to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during times of uncertainty, linking the findings to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The review suggested a number of factors from studies that had successfully supported children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during times of uncertainty that could be considered when designing interventions, albeit adapted to the context of the uncertain time or event and the needs of the child or young person requiring the support, including:
- The importance of involving parents and caregivers;
- Using psychoeducation, building resilience and developing coping strategies;
- Matching the intervention to the need of the child or young person;
- Making the intervention culturally relevant;
- Tips and advice rooted in evidence for parents and caregivers;
- Including the child’s voice;
- Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach.
Thesis 2.
‘Can you hear me?’ An exploratory study investigating the representation and impact of children’s views in multi-agency meetings
The study explored parental and professional perceptions of the representation of children’s views in multi-agency meetings in Scottish schools. The findings highlighted the importance of professional beliefs around child capacity and their understanding of what constitutes a competent view. In turn, they influence the extent to which professionals find representations of children’s views worthwhile. Implications for practice include raising professional awareness of evolving ontologies around the representation of children’s views in multi-agency meetings in line with policy and legislation.
