Editorial
| Published date | 14 April 2010 |
| Date | 14 April 2010 |
| Pages | 2-3 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5042/jpmh.2010.0157 |
| Author | Woody Caan |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
2journal of public mental health
vol 9 • issue 1
© Pier Professional Ltd, 2010
10.5042/jpmh.2010.0157
proble ms that are sometimes hidden, in terms of
parental mental illness, resilience and safeguarding
for any youn g ind ividu als a t ris k – withi n th e
‘com bined need s of child ren, paren ts an d ca rers’.
Every y ear I try to teach health care profess ionals
about the effects on devel opment of foetal alcohol
exp osure , bu t th is y ear I wa s del ighte d to see
that social ca re staff are learni ng about prenatal
alcoho l and the se rious risks of later be havioural
and learn ing difficulties (Griffiths, 2010 ). Caring
for an y baby is certainly h ard work, a nd the new
Nation al Academy for Parentin g Practitio ners is
based on the reco gnition that ‘good pare nting can
help by maximis ing children’s potential an d promoting
resilie nce’ (S cott, 2010). W orkforce deve lopment
to better support parents (with children at all ages)
is a prio rity for this Aca demy. Listening to young
people is an esse ntial skill in child p ublic healt h
and it is informative that adolescents are advising us
that ‘building up self-esteem from a young age is vital for
developing a healthy approach to life’ (Girlguiding UK,
2009). Sadly, in our very unequa l society there are
still places like Yarl’s Wood de tention centre, that
are unfit for the ‘emotional and psychological needs’ of
children (Pemberton, 2010).
The largest component of the UK public health
workforce are the specialist community public health
nurses. A survey showed that these pra ctitioners
come a cross a ver y wide ran ge of peopl e who are
distressed or socially excluded (Cowley et al, 2007).
Howeve r, many p ublic hea lth nurses do not feel
encouraged or empowered to engag e with all these
complex family and community problems. However,
with appropriate training and support, public health
nurses are a unique community resource for tackling
inequ alities a nd facili tating ea rly menta l health
inter vention, for e xample within school h ealth
(Caan, 2010). The School and Public Health Nurses
Assoc iation an d the Na tional Fo rum for School
Health Educators are at the forefront of developing
that school nursing workforce.
Hea lth pro moti on spec iali sts are ano ther
valu able c ompone nt of the wo rkforc e for well-
being. In his report on the contribution of h ealth
promotion skills to reducing inequalities, Shircore
(200 9) give s the e xample of succ essful s chools-
based programmes to promote better mental health,
We h ave rea ched t he prom ised
New Hor izons (Depart ment of
Health, 2009). This programme
began on 1 January 2010. The
wider public health community
has welcomed its focus on improving the mental
well-being of the population and its emphasis on
the preve ntion of me ntal i llness (and on e arly
intervention for ‘high-risk groups’ th roughout the
life course). Boldly, the Department of Health has
taken on board the findings from a Foresight Mental
Capital and Wellbeing report:
‘A small increase in levels of wellbeing can produce
a large decrease in mental health problems acro ss
people of all ages.’ (Department for Innovation,
Universities and Skills, 2008)
On a re cent visit t o the Nationa l Mental Hea lth
Dev elop ment Uni t, it becam e c lear tha t t he
ambitio ns of New Ho rizons can o nly be met w ith
widesp read workf orce devel opment. A review of
the workforce is underway (Department of Health,
2009) bu t meanwhile, I would stress the need for
upskilling all existing professionals, and new styles
of teamworking, before we see more ‘flourishing’
populations. A fine example of seeing that bigger
picture comes in the new Manifesto by the Faculty
of Public He alth and the Royal Soci ety for Public
Health (2010), in the commitment to build on the
‘legacy’ of the 2012 Olympics ‘to provi de improved
sports faciliti es and green spaces in whic h children can
play and exercise’.
Th e li fe c ou rse dim en sio n of the new
pro gram me c an b e s een in t he way that New
Horizons links with the recent child and adolescent
mental health se rvices review (National CAMHS
Review Group, 2008), to rethink opportunities for
early intervention. In this issue, Rachel Jenkins and
colleagues profile CAMHS provision, including the
urgent workforce re quirement to improve training
standards across all these mental health practitioners
in relation to child development and psychological
well-being. The adults within a developing child’s
home environment are an essential connection for
their well-b eing, and the Social Ca re Institute for
Excellence (2009) has b egun to address childhood
EDITORIAL
Woody Caan
Editor
Email: Woody.caan@anglia.ac.uk
Editorial
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