ABSTRACT
Raised awareness of issues surrounding children’s mental health due to a perceived increase in statistical and anecdotal evidence is evident throughout current media narratives. This chapter explores why there is now more emphasis by offering a brief historical view. It then considers the many connecting factors that affect, problematise and provoke contemplation on the child within the family alongside their mental health and wellbeing by using aspects of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory alongside some features of posthumanism. By considering the micro contexts of children and young people, including not just the people who feature in and influence their lives, but also the sensual experiences of their environments, we suggest that mental health issues are affected by the human and nonhuman environment. In order to provide more effective and holistic support for children, we argue that attention should be paid to the holistic experiences of children and young people.
