It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, as set up by the the Mental Health Foundation.
On a ‘Community’ theme, Head of Policy and Public Affairs (England) at the charity, Oliver Chantler, has blogged on the negative mental health impacts of harmful digital spaces that promote hatred, self-harm, and dangerous misinformation. Given that urgent action from social media platforms and regulators to make online communities safer does not appear to be on the horizon. Until they are, schools are uniquely positioned to prepare young people for healthy and informed online engagement, he writes.
At the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the APCC joint lead for Mental Health and Custody, Kent PCC Matthew Scott, said: “Around one in four people in England will struggle with their mental health at some point. It is vital that those who do are able to access appropriate support, and that those experiencing a mental health crisis receive the right emergency service response from those best qualified to help them.
“That is why I and my fellow Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are committed to the Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) approach which provides the most appropriate emergency response for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis – allowing police forces to focus on their core duties of protecting the public. To support PCCs, the APCC has developed RCRP guidance to help them oversee the roll out of Right Care, Right Person in their area, and has also developed a toolkit for PCCs, which signposts where those seeking support for their mental health can find it.”
More reading
More on the week at https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week. The Foundation, a charity, offers free online publications, such as for managing anxiety, and stress.
