Ask the Experts: Dealing with depressed children

Q: One of the young people who attends our youth group suffers from severe depression, but the other day I heard a colleague tell her to "cheer up" and suggest she had nothing to be depressed about because she was "so young". What should I do?

Tracie Trimmer-Platman: I am alarmed to hear of this kind of attitude from someone who works with young people. Comments like this are simply not appropriate and almost certainly added to this young person's distress.

Engaging with people with depression can sometimes be very challenging. Some individuals are embarrassed by this and not sure how to react. Without the right knowledge, training and advice, they can become irritated and frustrated. It sounds like this is what happened.

It is essential all adults working with young people are aware of mental health issues and where necessary undertake relevant training. Flag this issue up to your manager. The charity YoungMinds is a great source of information and provides training for professionals.

Tracie Trimmer-Platman is senior lecturer in youth and community work at the University of East London

Q: How do I ensure children's services staff get behind my efforts to monitor and improve performance and do not see it as a threat?

Peter Lewis: Ultimately, it is your job to ensure quality and high standards. Some frontline staff may see monitoring as a chance for managers to single out underperformance for competence and disciplinary proceedings. Be clear that poor performance is something managed in supervision. You are trying to secure a good overall picture, which will help you identify good practice you can share and use to improve the service as a whole.

Part of this is about mapping trends over time and will give valuable management information about caseloads, where bottlenecks occur and where some closer attention might be needed. This can help alert you to emerging problems before they become critical.

Convene a group that includes staff from all tiers of your service, and include health and police colleagues. Over time, you can get your partners to share their own performance information with the group. Involving your frontline staff will demonstrate transparency and reduce apprehension.

Peter Lewis is a freelance providing interim local authority children's services leadership, and a former DCS in Haringey

Q: I want to improve story time at my nursery. What is the best way to read a book to a group of young children?

June O'Sullivan: The difference between reading to two children and reading to a group of 10 is quite significant. It is a skill and requires thought and knowledge.

Settle the children so they are comfortable. Think about where they sit and their different needs. Some may benefit from being closer to you such as those who are new to the setting, find being in groups a challenge or have learning needs.

Check they can see the book and if possible use a big book. Choose the story well. Don't pick a long book if they are hungry or fidgety.

Don't bore the children by reading in a flat, toneless voice. Instead read with feeling using different voices, rhythm and intonation. Finally, know the children's favourites and re-read them. Learning to read is all about enjoying and understanding how books work. Inspiring children to love listening to stories is a brilliant way of creating young readers.

June O'Sullivan is chief executive of the childcare charity and social enterprise, the London Early Years Foundation

Q: I'm a youth worker but also work part-time in a hotel, mostly on the night shift. On a few occasions I've noticed drunk young people being brought to the hotel by adults for "parties". Should I be worried?

Jeanie Lynch: Sexual exploitation of young people takes place in many environments, but increased attention is being paid to the "night time economy" as young people are particularly vulnerable in the evenings.

People who work at night can play a key role in identifying and helping protect children at risk. The Department for Education has funded a new national scheme to target a wide range of services that may come across vulnerable young people including taxi firms, fast food outlets, hotels, clubs, pubs, hospital staff and security guards. In Plain Sight is being piloted by Barnardo's in 12 UK cities, training workers to spot the signs of child sexual exploitation and ensuring they know how to report concerns.

Tell your employer about your concerns and suggest they speak to your local police or child sexual exploitation project. If you think a child is in immediate danger, contact the police straight away.

Jeanie Lynch works for Barnardo's and has 25 years' experience of working with vulnerable children and families

Email questions, marked "Experts", to cypnow@markallengroup.com