{"alias":"contentPage","byline":null,"standfirst":null,"content":{"layouts":[{"type":"sidebar","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EBeing open and gently encouraging conversation in Scouts helps mental health to become an everyday topic that children and young people are comfortable talking about.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ETalking about mental health\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s an easy model adults working with young people can use to approach mental wellbeing called CARE. It stands for Curious, Approachable, Refer and Empathy.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECurious\u003C/strong\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Curiosity is non-threatening and opens up conversations, as you show an interest in hearing a child or young person\u2019s perspective. You may notice\u202Fa sudden change in their behaviour, attitude or mood - remember, no change\u202Fis too small.\u0026nbsp;Be curious about this and ask them if they want to talk.\u202FYou don\u2019t need to be a mental health expert to listen and you don\u2019t need to know all the answers.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EApproachable\u003C/strong\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Create a safe space for them to open up.\u202FThis should be somewhere they feel comfortable and you\u0027re unlikely to be distracted.\u0026nbsp;Remember to\u202Fremain within the\u202Fguidelines\u202Fand boundaries of the\u202F\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/safe-scouting-cards/young-people-first-yellow-card/\u0022 title=\u0022Young People First - Yellow Card\u0022\u003EYellow Card\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERefer\u003C/strong\u003E.\u0026nbsp;You may not have all the answers, so be honest about not knowing and agree how you\u0027ll follow up. Encourage the young person\u202Fto speak to the people they live with, or to a GP, about how they\u0027re feeling.\u0026nbsp;If you\u2019re concerned about a child or young person\u2019s welfare, report it to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.\u0026nbsp;Where possible, it\u2019s best to inform the young person that you\u2019re going to do this.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmpathy\u003C/strong\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Be non-judgemental and let them know you\u0027re there for them. Try not to offer solutions right away and ask what they think could help.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EScouts boosts good mental health\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to research, children and young people who take part in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2022/scouts-and-guides-boosts-later-life-health\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022Scouts and Guides boosts later life health (University of Edinburgh)\u0022\u003EScouts have a lower risk of mental illness\u003C/a\u003E in later life. Scouts can play an important role in supporting wellbeing, through activities and badges, friendship, getting outdoors, and talking about and developing understanding around mental health.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Try a mental health activity","body":"\u003Cp\u003ETake part in one of our many\u0026nbsp;activities to help boost good mental health.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"Activities","id":null,"url":"/activities/?name=mindfulmoments","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Mental wellbeing activities","image":"/media/18270/beaver-laying-down.jpg?cc=0.0000000000000001263187085796,0.06999500035711735,0,0.08631526319548595\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dae19c84e68aa0","imageFocus":"Centre","imageId":33436,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"Centre","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]},{"items":[{"type":"Image top","cta":"Try 5 ways to wellbeing","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMind has 5 steps you can do every single day to improve your mental health.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"5 ways to wellbeing (Mind)","id":null,"url":"https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/five-ways-to-wellbeing/","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"5 ways to wellbeing","image":"/media/19352/cubs-playing.jpg?cc=0.0000000000000001263187085796,0,0,0.1563102635526033\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dae34fca4dd170","imageFocus":"","imageId":34991,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Image top","cta":"Check out Mind\u0027s wellbeing tips","body":"\u003Cp\u003EGet advice on how to look after your mental wellbeing, like how to reduce stress and how to connect with others.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"How to improve your mental wellbeing (Mind)","id":null,"url":"https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/wellbeing/wellbeing/","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"How to improve your mental wellbeing","image":"/media/u0gipqdp/two-scouts-laughing-while-walking-on-camp.jpg?rxy=0.2898134863701578,0.6262266294804256\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dae4df390cc8b0","imageFocus":"Centre","imageId":77534,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"Centre","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":"Learn how to have open conversations about mental health in Scouts.","pageType":null,"location":null,"browserTitle":"","versionDate":"19 April 2024","reviewDate":"01/01/0001","redirectUrl":"","id":79349,"nodeName":"Promoting good mental health","title":"Promoting good mental health","type":"contentPage","image":null,"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Promoting good mental health","headerSubTitle":"Learn how to have open conversations about mental health","headerCta":"","headerCtaText":"","headerCtaLink":"","headerBackgroundColour":"ffe627","showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Mental health","url":"/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/supporting-young-people/mental-health/","newWindow":false}]},"subHeader":"Learn how to have open conversations about mental health in Scouts.","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC83OTM0OSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/staying-safe-and-safeguarding/supporting-young-people/mental-health/promoting-good-mental-health/"}