What are Social and Emotional Health (SEMH) difficulties?
Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour.
These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained.
Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder. The underlying causes may be environmental difficulties at home or school or both
Support with SEMH difficulties
To find out how to access mental health services and the support available locally please see the emotional and mental health advice on the Devon Safeguarding Children website.
Support in schools
Children will be considered to have special educational needs if they need educational arrangements or interventions that are different from those generally offered in a mainstream school.
Schools and colleges should have clear processes to support children and young people, including methods for managing the effects of any disruptive behaviour so it does not adversely affect other pupils.
There are a range of things that can be done to support children or young people in school if they have social and emotional difficulties that affect their behaviour.
Schools may get support from the Social Emotional Mental Health and Wellbeing Team.
Schools can also follow the emotional health and wellbeing pathway which has been developed to support education settings to identify need, implement effective interventions and source appropriate external support in a graduated way. The Pathway follows the I THRIVE Framework which is a person-centred and needs-led approach to supporting mental health needs.