NICE public health guidance: what's new?

This guidance is one of a suite of guidance being developed on this topic. The life course approach provides a strong theoretical rationale for the development of guidance on promoting social and emotional wellbeing. This perspective helps explain how experience and circumstances during childhood and adolescence determine health chances and social prospects in later life. In particular good social, emotional and psychological health helps protect children and young people against emotional and behavioural problems, violence and crime, teenage pregnancy and the misuse of drugs and alcohol. Critically, it also influences their ability to learn and achieve academically and therefore their opportunities for training and employment. Schools and other education establishments have an important role in promoting social and emotional wellbeing through both organization-wide approaches and individualbased interventions. There is comparatively limited UK-based evidence on the effectiveness of organization-wide approaches to promoting social and emotional wellbeing in secondary education. Much of the evidence is US based. The ‘best available evidence’ was derived from a small number of good quality randomized controlled trials, indicating that universal curriculum provision is effective in promoting positive behaviours and preventing bullying and disruptive behaviours. In addition the findings of the pilot evaluation of the national evaluation of the SEAL programme (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) in secondary education were considered. The guidance focuses on what constitutes effective ‘organization-wide’ approaches for promoting the social and emotional wellbeing of all young people, but also for providing specific help for those most at risk (or already showing signs) of problems. The recommendations cover action at a strategic level; principles and key conditions; provision of curriculum approaches; working with parents; partnership working with young people themselves and training and continuing professional development. Much of the recommendations are concerned with integrating the promotion of social and emotional wellbeing within the organizational systems and processes of secondary education; encompassing issues of culture and management as well as curriculum and extra-curriculum provision. Leadership by head teachers, governors and teachers is critical, especially through the inclusion of social and emotional wellbeing within improvement plans, policies, systems and activities. The creation of an ethos that promotes mutual respect, learning and successful relationships