Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health
Music and the arts have an important role to play in supporting the emotional well-being and mental health of all children and young people. The arts can also be a powerful tool for communication where a young person is facing challenges. Our programmes can complement the specialist support given by health and care professionals, and also provide continuing support after a specialist intervention has finished.
Evidence for the development of children and young people through creative and cultural learning comes from these documents based on research from three different perspectives, one focussed on academic outcomes, one focussed on behaviour, and one focussed on well-being.
Ofsted Inspection Framework (2019) – key personal development outcomes identified by Ofsted.
DfE Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools (2018) – protective factors which support mental health and improved behaviour in children and young people.
Children’s Society How to Help Your Child’s Well-being (2016) – the results of the Children’s Society research into how the five ways to wellbeing are applied to children. “Giving” in the adult version was replaced by “Be Creative”, which makes all five ways relevant for creative wellbeing.
The positive outcomes for children and young people from that research which can be achieved through creative and cultural learning are:
Enjoyment through creative(3) play(3) and humour(2)
Developing a positive attitude(2) through discovering and developing their interests and talents(1)
Experiencing success(2) through developing artistic skills and having achievement(2) recognised through performance and certification
Developing self-efficacy and agency through having choice, being a planner(2) and able to reflect(2), leading to having a belief in control(2)
Building cultural capital(1) through exploring cultural identity, valuing family heritage(3) and having the curiosity to connect(3) to other cultures
Working together leading to good communication skills(2), sociability(2), positive friendships(2) and a sense of belonging(2)
In addition, the development of self-expression by communicating through storytelling can be enhanced by the therapeutic value of relating the story to an identified development need.
These outcomes can be achieved, and the talents of children and young people nurtured, through five dimensions of creative and cultural learning.
Please contact us to discuss how we can support your work.
Image credits: 1 Katherine Leedale 2, 3 Charlotte Wilson