Engage with young people to promote their emotional wellbeing and mental health

This standard is about using youth work interventions and activities to support young people to explore their mental and emotional health and wellbeing and coping strategies. These interventions and activities could include social, economic, cultural, spiritual and leisure activities, making use of networks and services. 

At the centre of the standard is the right of all young people to be fully socially included. You will help young people to realise their own strengths, coping strategies, aspirations and resources and minimise any barriers to accessing activities designed to encourage positive mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

This standard applies to youth work practitioners who work to promote the social inclusion of young people.

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1. assist young people to assess their own strengths, aspirations, resources and coping strategies, and how they can build on these
2. make suggestions about appropriate positive activities and/or networks/services to young people that they may wish to access
3. obtain and provide relevant information to enable young people to determine the involvement they wish to have with relevant activities and/or networks/services 
4. create opportunities for young people to participate in activities and/or networks/services in which they have expressed an interest
5. minimise any barriers to accessing appropriate activities and/or networks
6. provide assistance as required to enable young people to participate in relevant activities and/or networks/services
7. seek advice to protect young people's welfare, where involvement with an activity and/or network appears to be having negative effects on their behaviour, mental and emotional health and wellbeing
8. take action in accordance with the advice you are given to ensure a positive outcome for the young people you are supporting
9. meet the values and principles underpinning youth work in relation to the requirements of this standard

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1. legal, organisational and codes of practice relevant to working with young people with emotional health needs, and their impact for communicating effectively with young people
2. factors affecting young people's needs and/or abilities to organise support, assistance and to take direct action
3. factors which influence young people's self-image and their willingness and interest in interacting with others
4. the types of support and assistance which young people may need at different times and in different contexts and how to access these
5. any issues of identity that might act as a barrier to young people's participation in youth work activities
6. what sorts of information young people may need, how it is to be used and how confidentiality and safeguarding can be maintained
7. how and where to access information and support that can inform your practice
8. the importance of valuing, recognising, respecting and promoting the diversity, expertise and experience of young people with mental and emotional health needs and their significant others
9. how to challenge assumptions in a constructive way that raises awareness and understanding
10. how and when to seek support for young people in situations beyond your experience and expertise
11. how and when to seek support for yourself
12. the forms which discrimination may take, the behaviours which may be expressions of these and how they may differ between different groups and in different settings
13. the possible effects of stereotyping, stigmatisation, prejudice and labelling on people and how to support people who may have experience of these
14. factors which may exclude people from provision and how to deal with these
15. what constitutes discrimination, both direct and indirect
16. your own values and how these affect your work with people who use services and with other service providers
17. the importance of and how to challenge discrimination and oppressive behaviour within and through your organisation's structures and outside of these
18. causes of discrimination and harassment
19. procedures for recording and reporting discriminatory practices and incidents
20. the values and principles of youth work in relation to the requirements of this standard

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1

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28 Mar 2022

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Current

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Original

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CLD Standards Council

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N/A

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Youth Workers

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3221

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Youth; young people; information; decisions; support; action; aims; outcomes; goals; values; agencies; mental health; health; emotional health; wellbeing

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