Unit 02: Understand factors which may affect children and young people’s mental health

This unit looks at the factors that may affect children and young people’s mental health, including risks, protective influences and the everyday experiences that can make coping easier or harder.

Many learners find this unit especially relatable because it connects directly to real life. Mental health is not shaped by one thing. It’s influenced by relationships, environment, development, identity and the support available around a child. Some children have a lot to cope with and still appear to be managing; others can be knocked off balance by something that seems small from the outside. Context matters.

You’ll begin by exploring risk factors and how they can impact mental health. A risk factor is something that can increase the chance of distress or difficulties. Risk factors might relate to family circumstances, poverty, caring responsibilities, loss and bereavement, unstable housing, trauma, discrimination, or unmet additional needs. The point is not to create a checklist or make assumptions about individual families. It’s to understand how pressure can build and how experiences can interact over time.

Alongside risks, you’ll identify protective factors that can reduce the impact of those risks. Protective factors are the supports, skills and conditions that help a child cope and recover. These might include consistent, trusted adults; safe routines; supportive peer relationships; access to hobbies; positive school experiences; or timely help from services. In practice, a protective factor can be as simple as one reliable person who notices, listens and follows through.

Resilience is a key theme. Resilience does not mean “toughing it out” or coping alone. It is the ability to adapt and keep going, especially when things are hard, and it grows through supportive relationships and achievable successes. A helpful way to think about resilience is: what helps this child feel safe, connected and capable? Even small changes – a calmer start to the day, clear expectations, realistic targets – can reduce stress and improve coping.

You’ll also look at how to support children and young people to recognise risk factors and signs of distress in themselves. This is about emotional literacy and self-awareness: naming feelings, understanding body signals (like tension, racing heart or headaches), and knowing when to ask for help. In a learning or care setting, you might encourage a young person to reflect on what helps them feel calmer, or to identify early warning signs that they are becoming overwhelmed.

Development and puberty are covered too. Puberty brings physical changes, but it can also bring new worries, sensitivity to peer judgement, and shifts in sleep and mood. You’ll explore how puberty can affect children and young people, and how identity, self-esteem and body image can influence mental well-being. These topics need a respectful, non-judgemental approach because young people often compare themselves to others and may feel embarrassed, confused or isolated.

Transitions are another focus, including the move towards adulthood. Change can bring opportunities, such as independence and new relationships, but it can also bring challenges like exam pressure, leaving school, starting work, changing friendship groups, or new responsibilities at home. What looks like “lack of motivation” can sometimes be fear of failure or feeling out of control. Noticing this early can help you offer the right support within your role.

A significant part of this unit explores abuse and bullying and how they can affect mental health. You’ll outline different types of abuse a child may experience, and different ways bullying can occur (including online). Abuse and bullying can impact self-esteem, trust, concentration, sleep and relationships. Some children may become anxious and withdrawn; others may appear angry, defiant or “uncooperative”. Behaviour is communication, and understanding this helps you respond safely and appropriately.

You’ll also explore why some children and young people may be more vulnerable to abuse and/or bullying. Vulnerability can increase when a child is isolated, has additional needs, lacks protective adults, faces discrimination, or is in unstable living arrangements. It is important to keep your thinking balanced: vulnerability is not the child’s “fault”, and it does not mean the child is powerless. Your role is to notice risk, take concerns seriously, and follow safeguarding procedures.

Witnessing abuse or bullying directed at others can also be harmful. A child who sees violence at home, or repeatedly witnesses a peer being targeted, may feel unsafe and powerless. Over time this can affect their sense of security and their view of relationships. The unit helps you explain these impacts in a clear, Level 2 way, linking cause and effect without making clinical claims.

For example, in an after-school club, a young person might start refusing games they used to enjoy. If you look closer, you may notice they avoid certain peers and seem tense when phones are out. Following policy, you would record what you see, speak to the designated person, and support the child to feel safe, rather than trying to “sort it out” yourself.

As another example, a childminder may notice a child becoming unusually clingy and easily startled after weekends. The child may not disclose anything, but the change is still important. Keeping accurate notes, sharing concerns appropriately (in line with safeguarding and confidentiality policies), and seeking advice through the correct channels protects the child and supports professional decision-making.

The links on this page take you through each outcome step by step. As you work through them, aim to connect theory to practice: what might you notice, what could it mean, and what is the safest action within your role? That balance—understanding factors without labelling children—is the heart of this unit.

1. Understand risk factors which may affect the mental well-being of children and young people

2. Understand the potential effects of puberty and developmental changes on the mental health of children and young people

3. Understand how abuse or bullying may affect the mental health of a child or young person

  • 3.1. Outline different types of abuse which a child or young person may experience
  • 3.2. State different ways bullying can occur
  • 3.3. Explain why some children or young people may be more vulnerable to abuse and/or bullying
  • 3.4. Describe how witnessing abuse or bullying directed at others may affect a child or young person
  • 3.5. Explain how abuse or bullying directed at a child or young person may affect their mental health and well-being

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