What is meant by Social, Emotional Mental Health?
The SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) defines social, emotional mental health (SEMH) as:
“Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.”
“Schools and colleges should have clear processes to support children and young people, including how they will manage the effect of any disruptive behaviour so it does not adversely affect other pupils.”
All children and young people deserve the care and support they need to have the best start in life. Children learn and develop at a faster rate from birth to five years old than at any other time in their lives, so their experiences in early years have a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe, and happy childhood is important in its own right. Good parenting and high-quality early learning provide the foundation children need to fulfil their potential.
Four guiding principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage are:
- Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured
- Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
- Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time.
- Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers
- Importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates. The framework covers the education and care of all children, including children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Schools should assess SEMH needs through a chosen tool such as the Boxhall Profile to help staff understand the barriers to learning that pupils face. Learning needs should also be reviewed using a school’s own screening and/or assessment tools.
The Council Team – Plymouth Educational Psychology Service
Educational Psychologists use psychology to support the educational progress, development, mental health and wellbeing of children and young people from 0-25 years with complex special educational needs and, or a disability. The range of specialist psychological skills and knowledge covers the four areas of need identified in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice. Find out more about the Plymouth Educational Psychology Service.
Additional links to websites, documents, reports or books that provide user reviews, research, or DfE advice on identifying children and young people with mental health difficulties and planning appropriate provision. Reviews several approaches and links to further helpful organisations can be found here:
Interventions
- Zones of Regulation – Teaching children to identify emotions using color-coded zones (Blue = sad/tired, Green = calm/ready, Yellow = anxious/excited, Red = angry/overwhelmed).
- Mindfulness & Relaxation – Breathing exercises, guided meditation, and sensory grounding techniques (e.g., 5-4-3-2-1 method).
- Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Techniques – Thought-challenging, reframing negative thoughts, and self-talk strategies.
- Emotion Coaching – Teaching children how to recognise, express, and regulate emotions through guided conversations.
- Safe Spaces & Sensory Breaks – Providing calm-down corners, weighted blankets, or fidget tools for emotional self-regulation.
Further reading:
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ANXIETY | Top phrases for calming anxious children
ANXIETY/ANGER – Using Slow-Low-Low to calm things down
LISTENING | Why you should walk and talk not stare and scare
Additionally, the Inclusive Good Practice Guides to Plymouth Inclusive Local Offer outline the expectations of mainstream schools, early years settings and wider partners to fulfil their duty by offering a fully inclusive and adaptable learning environment as a universal commitment to all pupils, in advance of targeted planning through the graduated approach.
These guides have been created to support all practitioners, including leaders, practitioners, teachers, support staff and other professionals to maximise their offer in collaboration with children, young people and their families.
