ABSTRACT
Intervening early when children and young people are experiencing anxiety is important in helping to avoid mental health problems occurring later in life. Whenever school staff provide individual or small-group work for children and young people which is related to mental health issues, it is advisable to gain informed consent from parents/carers and the children themselves. Reaching a clear understanding prior to starting the work is an important part of obtaining informed consent from parents/carers. There are many types of supervision that may be available for professionals working with children and young people. The two types that are important for this work are professional supervision and clinical supervision. Working with children/young people in a group can have benefits both for the children/young people and for the efficient use of time and resources. The process for running small groups works equally well for other forms of support; friendship skills, anger management and social skills, for example.
