Children's mental health: High number of Calderdale kids 'worry about something all the time'

Health scrutineers were discussing one of the responses given by the young people themselves in Calderdale Council’s annual anonymous electronic health and wellbeing assessment for 2023.

It samples responses on a range of subjects in their lives at primary Years 5 and 6 and secondary Years 7 and 10.

For primary age children taking part in the survey, every measure of their mental health and wellbeing – including feeling low, their life satisfaction, self-esteem and wellbeing – while on a par with last year were all significantly worse than 2019, the last pre-pandemic survey.

Higher numbers “worry all the time about something” than last year or 2019, survey results showed.

In the case of secondary age children taking part, the mental health and wellbeing pattern was significantly better in terms of self-esteem but there will still issues in other related areas which were the same or worse since 2019.

They too, agreed in larger numbers with the statement “worry all the time about something".

But not as many were self-harming as 2019.

Public health in schools co-ordinator for Calderdale Council, Becky Greenwood, said: “The aim is to get back to pre-pandemic levels – it might appear we are not getting there yet, but we are getting better.”

Headteacher of New Road School in Sowerby Bridge, Sharon Harwood, said her school ran wellbeing weeks where children learned strategies to support their mental health.

Youth council representatives raised the issue of children who were home educated in terms of how they could access help and advice that was available.

For primary age children, their general health was about on a par with 2022 but worse than 2019.

In the case of secondary age children taking part, the general health pattern was also similar to last year but significantly worse in most areas than 2019.

The issues were being debated by members of Calderdale Health and Wellbeing Board.

Similar questions are asked to the different children in each of the age cohorts each year, though the survey did take place in the worst of the pandemic.