Physical activity has been positively associated with reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Paradoxically, the physical activity participation rates of children impacted by mental health disorders are lower than their peers. This presentation will review factors influencing the physical activity participation of children with mental health disorders, along with methods of facilitating positive physical activity experiences for children with mental health disorders at home, at school, and in the community, including in community sport.

Specifically, the results of semi-structured interviews exploring the physical activity-related experiences of 20 children (aged 6-12-years) with a diagnosed mental health disorder and their parents/guardians (n=18) will be presented. Factors including children’s physical activity-related competence (e.g., fundamental movement skills, sport-specific skills, and social skills), social factors (e.g., relationships with peers and program facilitators, and the provision of support from parents/guardians), and environmental considerations (e.g., noise and group size) will be discussed. Additionally, outcomes from a pilot study that evaluated the implementation of a physical activity-based program, Fit for Play, into an existing Child and Adolescent Mental Health service model of care will be presented. The overarching aims of Fit for Play were to provide children with positive physical activity experiences, and to encourage continued physical activity participation. As a result, Fit for Play focused on developing participating children’s physical activity-related physical skills (e.g., fundamental movement and sport skills), social skills, and motivation and confidence, that is, their physical literacy.

The presenting team will engage the audience with current literature surrounding physical activity, physical literacy and mental health disorder diagnosis in children; emphasise the translation pathways from evidence into clinical practice; and will provide real life examples from their clinical practice. The presentation will conclude with practical suggestions for engaging children with mental health disorders in physical activity.

Physical activity has been positively associated with reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Paradoxically, the physical activity participation rates of children impacted by mental health disorders are lower than their peers. This presentation will review factors influencing the physical activity participation of children with mental health disorders, along with methods of facilitating positive physical activity experiences for children with mental health disorders at home, at school, and in the community, including in community sport.

Specifically, the results of semi-structured interviews exploring the physical activity-related experiences of 20 children (aged 6-12-years) with a diagnosed mental health disorder and their parents/guardians (n=18) will be presented. Factors including children’s physical activity-related competence (e.g., fundamental movement skills, sport-specific skills, and social skills), social factors (e.g., relationships with peers and program facilitators, and the provision of support from parents/guardians), and environmental considerations (e.g., noise and group size) will be discussed. Additionally, outcomes from a pilot study that evaluated the implementation of a physical activity-based program, Fit for Play, into an existing Child and Adolescent Mental Health service model of care will be presented. The overarching aims of Fit for Play were to provide children with positive physical activity experiences, and to encourage continued physical activity participation. As a result, Fit for Play focused on developing participating children’s physical activity-related physical skills (e.g., fundamental movement and sport skills), social skills, and motivation and confidence, that is, their physical literacy.

The presenting team will engage the audience with current literature surrounding physical activity, physical literacy and mental health disorder diagnosis in children; emphasise the translation pathways from evidence into clinical practice; and will provide real life examples from their clinical practice. The presentation will conclude with practical suggestions for engaging children with mental health disorders in physical activity.

In March 2021, AWH CAMHS commenced Single Session Clinic for families referred to the service. This initiative was implemented by manager, Winnie McCulloch, with the operational support of Albury Wodonga Health. The SSC involved employing a Senior Clinician, experienced in family systems practice, into a dedicated position to coordinate and run the clinic. Utilising an experienced senior clinician was a step to ensuring the clinic ran effectively and able to respond more immediately to families ,ensuring the clinicians involved in the SSC, and engaged in other CAMHS commitments, were not overloaded.
Single Session Treatment (SST) is a strength based, solution, and reflective focused approach, client/family directed and responsive to the present.
The process involves a pre session questionnaire, a longer than “normal” appointment with the addition of a reflective team. At the conclusion a follow up phone call, a few weeks post session, is activated. Pre and post evaluation of the process is incorporated.
Feedback from participating families has been generally very positive. All verbally reported enjoying the experience of multiple clinicians and receiving immediate feedback to both the family and their GP. The idea of commitment for a single appointment has also been well received with clients only needing to take limited time away from work or school.
Feedback from the clinicians involved has also been very positive, eg enthusiasm experienced on the SSC day, feeling well supported in seeing complicated families, and transfer of skills learned across other areas of more individual clinical practise evident and notable.
We are now changing over some of the initial SSC clinicians to include other CAMHS clinicians – expanding overall knowledge and skill sets across the team and embeding the use of SSC as a core service offered by CYMHS.

3 x Key Learnings:
1. Implementing innovative service delivery within a regional setting.
2. Experience of encouraging cultural change for consumers and clinicians within an established CAMHS.
3. The benefits and uses of reflective practise in everyday clinical work.

Please see Dr Kelly Baird

Mental Health Profiles and Academic Achievement in South Australian Students

Proponents of strength-based approaches advocate for moving beyond a mental illness model to focus on building psychological wellbeing and resilience. Consistent with this approach, the dual-factor model posits that individuals can experience high/low mental illness and high/low wellbeing simultaneously. The current study used a latent class analysis (LCA) approach to identify different mental health classes in children and adolescents, using indicators of positive wellbeing (optimism, life satisfaction, happiness) and psychological distress (sadness and worries). Participants were 69,444 school students aged 8 to 18 years who completed the South Australian Wellbeing and Engagement Collection in 2019. Of these, 23,603 children (40.0%) completed the NAPLAN assessment in 2019 and this sub-sample were used in regression analyses exploring the association between mental health classes and academic achievement. Four mental health classes were identified (1) Complete mental health (70.6%: low distress, high wellbeing) (2) Vulnerable (8.3%: low distress, low wellbeing, (3) Symptomatic but content (13.0%: high distress, high wellbeing), and (4) Troubled (8.0%: high distress, low wellbeing), providing evidence to support the dual-factor model of mental health. Children in the Complete mental health class were least likely to have poor reading skills with 15.7% scoring at or below the National Minimum Standard, followed by children in the Troubled class (19.5%), the Vulnerable class (21.5%), and the Symptomatic but content class (22.9%). Regression analyses showed that children in the Vulnerable, Troubled and Symptomatic but content classes had a significantly higher risk of poor reading and numeracy skills compared to children in the Complete mental health class, after adjustment for a range of child and family level cofounders. Implications for schools and education systems are discussed, including the need to accompany clinical-based, individual level responses to mental illness with population-level preventative health approaches to build wellbeing.

3 x Key Learnings:
1. Four mental health classes can be identified in children and adolescents based on a combination of high/low psychological distress and high/low wellbeing
2. Most children and adolescents are in the complete mental health class (low distress, high wellbeing) but many are in one of the other three classes (29%)
3. Mental health classes predict reading and numeracy skills in school assessments, after adjustment for child and family level confounders

Young People, Couchsurfing, and Mental Health

At the last CAMH conference, we shared results from an earlier project that found a relationship between couchsurfing and poor self-assessed mental health. Since then, we have concluded an additional mixed-methods study exploring this relationship in more detail. We present first the results of a new quantitative study that draws upon five years of intake data—and over 2,800 records of young people who are couchsurfing—to comment on the relationship between mental health and homelessness. We then introduce the results following interviews with 65 young people who were couchsurfing throughout Queensland between 2018-2020. Young people linked their couchsurfing experiences to feelings of uncertainty and transience, abandonment, and “being a burden.” We also touch upon the relationship between couchsurfing and substance use, sexual assault, and forced labour. Cumulatively, these experiences contributed to three-fourths of respondents reporting very high levels of psychological distress on the Kessler-10 (K10). We conclude by discussing how social service agencies—and educational institutions—can do better at supporting young people who are couchsurfing.

3 x Key Learnings:
• The link between poor mental health and couchsurfing
• The common challenges faced by young people who are couchsurfing
• Solutions for improving service delivery for young people who are couchsurfing

With the 2019/2020 bushfires ravaging more than 20% of Australia’s bushland, the NSW Department of Education recognised the need to respond well to the inevitable impact of the fires on both students and staff. Partnering with not-for-profit organisation Mackillop Family Services - Good Grief, together they worked to provide training in their Stormbirds disaster recovery program. A psycho-educational small group program, Good Grief trained NSW school teachers, counsellors and other professionals in the fire affected areas of the South Coast of NSW to provide support and education to assist in the emotional and psychological recovery of children and young people who were affected by the fires.

Using the children and young people’s natural disaster program ‘Stormbirds’ as a basis for connection with children and young people in schools and communities, in impacted areas, gave a voice to the students and an opportunity to acknowledge and explore their experiences. This evidence and research based small group program assists children to make sense of their experiences, adapt to the changes resulting , develop skills and identify support networks going forward.

This presentation will examine how the program was well placed to support in the school and wider community and will outline the positive impact reported by children and families in bushfire impacted areas. It will also highlight some of the challenges encountered and ways forward in offering support in future.

3 x Key Learnings:
Enhanced understanding of the grief and loss aspects of natural disasters.
The power of peer to peer support groups for children and young people.
The learnings gained from delivery of groups in schools and community settings following traumatic community events.

With COVID-19 restrictions easing across the country, and devastating floods hitting Queensland and NSW, change has become a constant in the lives of children and their families. A recent study shows that children born in 2020 will experience a two- to sevenfold increase in extreme events, compared to their grandparents.
This workshop will examine the context of children and young people’s reality, sharing tools and resources for addressing the challenges. The necessity to work within a framework that recognises that events have impacted those caring for students too, and the need to support professionals wellbeing.

Please see Lucy

As the number of people seeking refuge and asylum continues to increase globally, it is important to understand resettlement experiences as a way of improving future outcomes. As young people make up over half of the displaced population, it is imperative to seek their experiences and perspectives.

This presentation provides a brief overview of the unique challenges young people face throughout the refugee journey, from pre-migration to post-migration, the host-community attitudes that young people encounter and the potential impact of negative societal attitudes. Current research indicates that negative societal attitudes have a detrimental impact on young refugee’s wellbeing. However, the evidence is limited as this research topic is complex and under-studied.

To contribute to the evidence-base, qualitative methods are recommended due to their exploratory nature. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is presented as an appropriate method, and the strengths of IPA are highlighted. Methodological considerations in conducting mental health research with young refugees are also discussed. This includes reflections on sampling, recruitment, data collection, research engagement and participation.

3 key learnings:
• Improved awareness of the unique challenges that young refugees face
• An understanding of the mental health impacts of host-community attitudes
• The importance of qualitative methods in mental health research with young refugees.