The words we use make a difference. Research shows that child mental health experts and practitioners working with children, parents and families have different understandings about children’s mental health. How we communicate our messages is key to bridging this gap.
In 2021, we partnered with the FrameWorks Institute to create the Reframing Children’s Mental Health toolkit. This toolkit was designed to help Australia’s child mental health experts and advocates communicate in ways that expand support for large-scale policy changes that improve children’s outcomes.
Now, we’ve come together again to create the Children’s mental health and social determinants of health mini toolkit. This toolkit builds on our original framework, providing specific guidance and recommendations for communicating about the social determinants of children’s mental health. Effective, powerful communication is essential to spark hope and new ideas for families who might be going through tough times.