Health and Wellbeing
Positive health and wellbeing is not just a responsibility for all, it is a resource for learning. PINS explores the importance of many aspects of health and wellbeing through this page.
Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s Mental Health Week is about encouraging uniqueness #BeingOurselves. More HERE
Understanding Depression and Low Mood in Young People
Free online course. Understand how to recognise depression and low mood in teenagers and learn how to help. More HERE
Beyond Adversity
Half of all mental health issues begin before the age of 14. This report from Young Minds suggests that there are fundamental misunderstandings about young peoples’ behaviour which means the problem is not being properly addressed. More HERE
10 things to say instead of stop crying
Crying is OK. More HERE
Support and information dedicated to self-harm recovery, insight and support
SelfharmUK is a project dedicated to supporting young people impacted by self-harm, providing a safe space to talk, ask any questions and be honest about what's going on. More HERE
Mental wellbeing findings from SALSUS 2015
Amongst lots of interesting data 15-year-old girls were considerably more likely than any other sub-group to have a borderline or abnormal emotional problems score. More HERE
Mental Health Strategy – a 10 year vision
This is the Scottish Government's approach to mental health from 2017 to 2027 – with a strong focus on children and young people. More HERE
It’s Children’s Mental Health Week 6-12 February!
The aim of the week is to help everyone spread a little kindness. It may sound simple but in these moments, small acts of kindness can make all the difference. More HERE
Children’s Grief Awareness Day November 17th 2016
Children's Grief Awareness Day seeks to bring attention to the fact that often support can make all the difference in the life of a grieving child. It provides an opportunity for all of us to raise awareness of the painful impact that the death of a loved one has in the life of a child, an opportunity to make sure that these children receive the support they need. More HERE
Aye Mind is on a mission to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people
Aye Mind is about making better use of the internet, social media and mobile technologies, working with young people aged 13 to 21 to create and share a wide range of resources. More HERE
Mental Health and Wellbeing among Adolescents (13 to 15 year olds)
The report finds that friendships and a positive experience of school are the two things most closely aligned with mental wellbeing. Deprivation and poorer physical health both correlate with lower mental wellbeing. More HERE
Transforming mental health services
Dr Olive Moloney blogs about delivering mental health services and support to young people who offend. More HERE
Understanding suicide and self-harm amongst children in care and care leavers
This paper explores why children in care and care leavers are at increased risk of hurting themselves as a result of adverse backgrounds and continuing stress. More HERE
Working with children and adults who may be at risk of self-harm
This document is aimed at a range of professionals and foster carers and kinship carers where there is a concern that children or adults are involved in self-harming behaviours. More HERE
The HandsOnScotland Toolkit
This is an online resource for anybody working with children and young people. It is a one-stop shop for practical information and techniques on how to respond helpfully to children and young people's troubling behaviour, build up their self-esteem and promote their positive mental wellbeing. Take me to this resource HERE
Start a Fairtrade Breakfast Club
With a Traidcraft Breakfast Club you ensure farmers around the world are paid fairly. More HERE
Food for Life
Resources provide a whole school/agency approach to food to enrich learning with children and communities. More HERE
Dignity: Ending Hunger Together in Scotland
An independent group explores food poverty: the right to food is understood as a matter of justice rather than charity. More HERE
Better Eating, Better Learning
This sets the agenda for improving food education and school food in Scotland over the next decade. BEBL plays a vital part in Scotland’s vision of becoming a Good Food Nation. More HERE
Beyond the School Gate - Improving Food Choices in the School Community
New guidance for local authorities, schools, retailers, caterers and other partners on what they can do to influence the food environment around schools and support children and young people to make healthier choices. More HERE
Better Eating, Better Learning - A New Context for School Food
Refreshed guidance to support schools, local authorities, caterers, procurement departments, parents, children and young people to work in partnership to make further improvements in school food and food education. The guidance sits alongside a new self-evaluation tool for schools, local authorities and caterers. More HERE
Nutritional Guidance for Children and Young People in Residential Care Settings
This guidance adopts a holistic approach to health and wellbeing and acknowledges the concept of a 'health promoting environment' similar to that established within health promoting schools. This guidance is relevant to anyone who has a part to play in the health and wellbeing of children and young people living in residential care. Go HERE
As part of the process. Who Cares? Scotland researched the experiences of children and young people living in residential care. Young people’s views go HEREBeat - eating disorders website
Beat is a UK charity for people with eating disorders and their families. Beat is the working name of the Eating Disorders Association. Take me to this resource HERE
What works on drug education?
This literature review examines the evidence of effectiveness of different types of drug prevention and education delivered in schools. More HERE
Alcohol and young people report
From the SALSUS survey the proportion of young people who have ever had an alcoholic drink has decreased again but there is an increase in the proportion of 13-year-olds reporting being drunk in the past week. More HERE
Drugs and young people report
From the SALSUS survey drug use prevalence has remained stable, except for 15-year-old boys, and there is an increase in the availability of drugs since the last wave of the survey. More HERE
Smoking and young people report
From the SALSUS survey smoking prevalence amongst young people continues to drop, but slowly for girls. More HERE
E-cigs, vaping and young people
There is a legal prohibition on under 18s using devices but they are doing so. ASH Scotland and youth work partners have issued guidance. Download pdf HERE
New resource for young people affected by harmful parental drinking
A.D.A.M. (Another’s Drinking Affects Me) is a website for young people aged 11 to 16. More HERE
SALSUS Education resource
SALSUS reports on a range of topics around young people’s smoking, drinking and drug use. A teaching aid has been produced to allow young people and their teachers to easily connect with the results of the survey and to explore related issues. Download the pdf HERE
Information on New Psychoactive Drugs
Crew have recently updated their information for professionals and young people on current commonly used substances, harm reduction and referral advice. Downlaod the pdf HERE
Focus on smoking and young people
ASH Scotland has produced a page of resources aimed at young people who wish to stop smoking. The webpage breaks down resources into age appropriate categories. More HERE
The Y-STEP smoking prevention Education CD Rom provides resources and materials linked to Health and Wellbeing experiences and outcomes around substance misuse (for P6 to S3 pupils) More HERE
Teenage drinking cultures
This report investigates the influence of friendship groups on teenagers' drinking. Go HERE
'drugs - what every parent should know'
Information booklet suggests ways to engage with young people, gives information about drugs and identifying drugs use, and what to do in an emergency. Visit Know The Score website for general information, or call the helpline on 0800 587 5879, for copies of the leaflet.
Young people’s views on their RSHP learning
Research has been carried out in the Lothians to find out young people’s views, the research makes an interesting read and the last page shows what young people think the ‘best’ RSHP lesson ever would look like. More HERE
Healthy Respect Website
Healthy Respect provides sexual health information, support and advice in the Lothians. The Healthy Respect Team have re-launched the resource for young people and professionals. More HERE
Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education in Schools
Scottish Government has published new Guidance which reflects the need for discussion of all types of relationships as part of RSHP education. Download the pdf HERE
Young People's Knowledge and Understanding about Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses - Research Findings
Survey of S3-S6 pupils in Scotland about how often they have been taught about sexual health in school, what their understanding is, and how they think they will use this understanding in the future. More HERE
Provision of HIV Prevention to Young Gay and Bisexual Men Report
The LGBT Youth Scotland and NHS Lothian report summarises views and experiences of young gay and bisexual men in relation to sexual health, HIV, services and information. More HERE
Children, young people and 'sexting'
NSPCC commissioned study exploring young people's views and experiences of how sexually explicit texts and images are produced, circulated and used through mobile phones and the internet and how these practices shape the offline lives of young people. Download the pdf HERE
Underage and Pregnant packs
BBC Learning has compiled resource packs featuring footage from the BBC programme ‘Underage and Pregnant’. Both the Teacher's Pack and the Youth Pack (designed for use in more informal settings) contain exercises that address different aspects of teenage pregnancy, sexual health, relationships and parenting. More HERE
Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Resource for Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder
This resource aims to help everyone involved in delivering sex and relationship education to those with an autism spectrum disorder. Go HERE
Sexual health interventions targeted at children and young people
Which approaches have been proved to improve the sexual health and wellbeing of children and young people? Go HERE
Learning Together: A review of sex and relationship education resources for parents and carers
The comprehensive review includes resources and publications suitable for 3 – 18 year olds and will help professionals provide information and support to parents in this area of children and young people’s learning. To order a copy, email nhs.healthscotland-wish@nhs.net
Sexual health leaflets
New information leaflets on chlamydia, vaginal health, genital herpes, gonorrhea and genital warts are now available form NHS Health Scotland. Translations available soon. Take me to this resource HERE
Sport for change
New research into the role that sports and physical activity can have in bringing about positive change in communities. More HERE
Scotland’s children inactive compared to others
Scotland had one of the best environments and infrastructure for outdoor play. But is amongst the worst for exercise, and for the amount of time children spend in front of screens. More HERE
Get children playing outdoors
Playing outdoors improves academic success and reduces obesity yet the Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card 2016 has found that children’s physical activity levels are continuing to fall well short of recommended levels. More HERE
The Active Healthy Kids Scotland Report Card 2016
This ‘state of the nation’ report on the physical activity and health of Scottish children and adolescents, evidencing significant challenges in terms of sedentary behaviour, low levels of physical activity and obesity. More HERE
Play Maps
Play Maps is a resource designed to help Community Planning Partnerships plan for play. More HERE
Measuring the impact of the two hours/two periods physical education programme
The research shows that practitioners, PE Lead Officers and local authority representatives believe these initiatives have had a positive impact in schools across Scotland. More HERE
Sport strategy for children and young people
With contributions from Children’s Parliament, SCCYP and Young Scot the Scottish Government commits to sport for all. More HERE
Safe sport events, activities and competitions
The Child Protection in Sport Unit publicationhelps ensure that you meet the safeguarding responsibilities for events and take steps to promote the wellbeing of all participants, including as volunteers or officials. More HERE
Start Active, Stay Active
Start Active, Stay Active is aimed at professionals and policy makers and is the first link in a chain of communication to inform behaviour change. Download the PDF HERE
Online Resources for Outdoor Learning
Includes best practice and health and safety guides. Go HERE
Taking Learning Outdoors: Partnerships for Excellence
This report considers how to prove the value of outdoor learning and how to improve its quality, capacity and access. Take me to this report HERE
Deaths after adolescent admissions to hospital for adversity related injury
Adolescents with emergency hospital admissions due to self-inflicted injury or alcohol/drug related injury as opposed to accident-related admission are at more risk of death the decade after. More HERE
Infographics on Teenage Lifestyle Trends from SALSUS
From talking about concerns to key leisure activities to feeling pressure. More HERE
The ICE Pack: Knowing Me, Knowing You
This comprehensive and engaging resource has been written in collaboration with a range of early years and primary professionals and provides a building block approach to children’s social and emotional learning about themselves and others. Download PDF HERE
When a child can’t go to school due to ill health
Enquire, the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning, has recently produced a new factsheet about what should happen in such circumstances. More HERE
Diabetes Improvement Plan
The plan sets out the priorities and actions to deliver improved prevention, treatment and care for all people in Scotland affected by diabetes including children and young people. More HERE
Why Children Die campaign
Each year approximately 350 to 450 children die in Scotland, and while we know that not all of these deaths can be avoided, we do know that risk of death during childhood and adolescence is amenable to public policy and public health interventions. More HERE
Latest WHO report into the health of adolescents
Adolescence is one of the most rapid phases of human development. The 2nd edition of the WHO report into the health of adolescents has been published. More HERE
Guidance on Health Assessments for Looked After Children in Scotland
This guidance will assist those involved in carrying out health assessments of our looked after children and young people. It sets out the minimum standardised elements of a health care pathway expected, requiring collaboration across agencies. More HERE
How healthy behaviour supports children’s wellbeing
This briefing from Public Health England focuses on the association between health behaviour and wellbeing in children. The evidence has found links between physical activity, screen time, healthy eating and wellbeing. Download pdf HERE
Health and Wellbeing 3-18 curriculum Impact Report
This report evaluates current practice in the aspects of health and wellbeing that are the responsibility of all staff and adults who work with learners. It identifies good practice and highlights important areas for further discussion and development. More HERE
World report on disability
The first ever World report on disability, produced jointly by World Health Organisation and the World Bank, suggests that more than a billion people in the world today experience disability. The report provides the best available evidence about what works to overcome barriers to health care, rehabilitation, education, employment, and support services, and to create the environments which will enable people with disabilities to flourish. The report ends with a concrete set of recommended actions for governments and their partners. Download the PDF HERE
If you have examples of practice, innovative approaches, learning and experience to share please get in touch by emailing info@pinscotland.org