As part of the preparations for publishing and implementing the Children’s EHWB Framework SPPG have enlisted the support of the National iThrive Centre to facilitate a number of information and engagement events this autumn.

The EHWB Framework aims to provide a consistent systems wide approach to children’s mental and emotional health and wellbeing provision.

The problem we are currently facing across our society is;

• Long waiting times and a poor experience of waiting
• Delays in identification and assessment of needs, which compromises children and young people’s progress
• Confusion about how to navigate the system and services across health education and community support
• Need and family (and professional) expectations exceed capacity in our current system
• Children and young people’s preferences for how they would prefer to access services and support are not known or systematically addressed
• Gaps in access to advice and support whilst waiting and our response to those not requiring specialist care but have other needs
• Changing our environment and attitude to support neurodiverse children and young people

Our current model of working is struggling to meet the needs of children,  young people and their families. Funding and workforce are scarce and can not meet the current and growing demands. It will require a paradigm shift in our thinking about effective and efficient integration and realignment of current service s across all sectors going to successfully meet the needs and improve the lives of children and young people going forward.

The THRIVE Framework thinks systemically about the mental health and wellbeing needs of children, young people and families through five different needs based groupings: Getting Advice and Signposting, Getting Help, Getting More Help, and Getting Risk Support. Thrive’s vision is of a world in which children’s social and emotional needs are better understood and met. Created to support this vision, the Thrive Approach is a dynamic, developmental and trauma-sensitive approach to meeting the emotional and social needs of children.

THRIVE’s vision is of a world in which children’s social and emotional needs are better understood and met. Created to support this vision, the Thrive Approach is a dynamic, developmental and trauma-sensitive approach to meeting the emotional and social needs of children. Originally developed for use with primary school-aged children, the training and online tools are being used successfully to support the emotional development- and life chances- of all children from birth to adulthood.

The THRIVE Framework puts young people and families at the heart of decision making. It can often be a challenge to achieve shared decision making in settings as complex as services for children and young people’s mental health. It is imperative to involve children and young people in shared decision making about their own ‘emotional health and well-being.’ It is essential that children and young people have a say and feel heard about what they think, feel and want to happen about their own emotional health and well-being, right from the start.

These events are to inform key stakeholders about the concepts of using the Thrive system change model to help understand their role and the language used in and across EHWB services. It will help understand how to support children and young people with mental health, neurodiverse or neurodevelopmental needs.

The online sessions will allow for an introduction and Q&A session. The face to face events will bring everyone together to have a facilitated conversation about

• language
• their role and responsibility
• what they believe others do
• how best to support children and meet their needs
• how we can best work together

There is capacity for about 120 at each online session and about 80 at each live event.

For information here is a list of the dates we are planning to have iThrive information events and workshops.

Please see below confirmed dates/times for the virtual iThrive events:

1.  25^th October 11.30am – 1pm
2. 26^th October 11.30am – 1pm
3. 7^th November 12.00pm – 1.30pm  please note that information event will have an EHWB in Education specific theme
4. 9^th November 11.30am – 1pm

Registration link iThrive online

Also please see below confirmed Face to Face dates/times;

1. 13^th November 10am – 4pm; Antrim/Ballymena, (NHSCT)
2. 14^th November 10am – 4pm; Derry/Londonderry (WHSCT)
3. 4^th December 10am – 4pm;  Dungannon (SHSCT)
4. 5^th December 10am – 4pm; Lisburn (BHSCT/SEHSCT)

Registration live events

Can you consider who you feel will be best people to attend from your organisations and networks. It will be best if we can have representatives who will help inform strategic thinking and outcomes. It will also be important to have leaders from some local service user representative groups to give their views and inform the conversation.