M Garner

The professor heading an independent review into mental health, ADHD and autism recently told the BBC that the rise in mental health distress is not exaggerated and is based on a real increase in anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders as well as other mental health problems. This has been backed up by his review, released this week. Professor Peter Fonagy said talk of young people being 'snowflakes' is wrong and that young people today face a range of challenges, including...

Mentors at Saffron Walden County High getting their certificates after training For the peer mentoring experience to be truly valuable and safe, Talk2Nish argues that peer mentors need to be properly trained with safeguarding at its heart. Just matching an older student with a younger one without proper training is not enough. Mentors and their mentees need to feel properly protected. Otherwise mentors can become overwhelmed or may give advice that may not have the desired impact. They are...

At the recent BrainWaves conference on young people's wellbeing, one speaker described how the #BeeWell project based at the University of Manchester has been investigating and promoting young people's mental health. The project has just published the largest contemporary study of positive childhood experiences in England. Drawing on data from 120,645 secondary school pupils across Greater Manchester and the Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton regions, the study looks - in...