Building a case for whole-child, whole-school wellbeing in challenging contexts

There is a sometimes a mismatch between the public outcry and sympathy for the adversities children and young people experience, concerns about deteriorating mental health, and what happens in schools when children present with challenging behaviours. This review and discussion paper builds a case for actively promoting protective factors when behaviour is challenging, so that school experiences do not mirror or embed negative life experiences for vulnerable pupils, in effect handing them a 'double whammy'. The first section provides information on diverse adversities that children in the UK may be experiencing and the impact of these on mental health, learning and behaviour. The second summarises research on resilience and the protective factors that counter the impact of adversity, especially within the school context. The third explores a range of paradigms in addressing challenging behaviours and ways in which these might provide opportunities for enhancing resilience. Throughout the paper the role of the educational psychologist is addressed, looking at what is already being done to support vulnerable young people, their teachers and families. The final section considers how this role might be expanded to incorporate promotion of a pro-active, universal, wellbeing framework in education for both mental health and behaviour.