CYP Now - Nursery staff call for training to deal with complex mental health needs in under-fives

Almost three quarters of early years staff say they have struggled when working with children facing extremely complex backgrounds and challenging emotional and behavioural needs.

Nursery workers say they struggle to support children with complex backgrounds. Picture: Adobe Stock

A new report by the Anna Freud Centre, reveals that 69 per cent of nursery staff who polled said they had experienced working with babies or children affected by trauma or abuse.

Some 71 per cent of the 900 nursery staff who took part in the survey added that they had worked with babies and children affected by domestic violence while 60 per cent said they had worked with babies or children from families affected by substance usage.

Almost half (48 per cent) said they had worked with children who had experienced the bereavement of either a parent or sibling.

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