How Educational Systems Support Children With Mental Illnesses?

Multitiered systems of mental health support and services in schools, including mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention, and treatment, improve academic and psychosocial functioning and reduce the risk of poor outcomes, including mental illness and school failure. An estimated 20% of children show signs or symptoms of a mental health problem, which is a destructive force in schools. Key policy recommendations to strengthen education systems to protect and promote the mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and adolescents are outlined.

A new report calls out states that do a good job supporting kids’ mental health, suggesting that this review may help establish appropriate school educational models and call for a greater emphasis on the advancement of student mental health in K-12 schools. Schools are geared to educate students who are able to sit quietly in a seat for most of the day, can readily absorb subject matter, and are able to…

The MTSS framework uses a public health approach to promote student well-being by identifying three “Tiers” of prevention to support the needs of the entire school. Evidence-based recommendations to bolster mental health support within educational systems include providing grants to train senior mental health leads, establishing realistic workloads, maintaining stable staff-to-student ratios, providing competitive pay and insurance benefits, and assessing staff mental health.

Schools enhance both access and quality of mental health supports and services for students while providing instruction, serving as program managers, and often providing emotional or behavioral support to a child. The European Education Area promotes the development of a “whole-system, whole-school approach” to address mental health and well-being in schools.