SAFER Training Programme (English)

Mental ill health is the priority health issue for children and young people and is the primary cause of disability, dysfunction and mortality in early life (Hoare & Stanfield, 2010; Rosenberg, 2012). Social, emotional and behavioral disorder (SEBD) in childhood have been shown to impact negatively on children’s academic lives and may result in poor educational performance, school disengagement, absenteeism and early school leaving (Chan et al., 2017). Children with SEBD are also much more likely to experience dysfunctional familial relationships, as well as negative relationships with teachers and peers, and are at greater risk of depressed mood and low self-esteem (Lorber & Egeland, 2011). If left untreated, these difficulties can increase the risk of antisocial and violent behaviour, delinquency, psychopathology, substance abuse, social welfare dependency, and poor adult relationships later in life (Britto et al., 2017). Metzler and colleagues (2017) suggested that such challenges for young people can emerge within the context of a range of interacting risk factors, including: