An exploratory study of children's understandings of well-being; a comparison of two groups of children in primary school, and the views of parents regarding the impact of the FRIENDS For Life programme on their children.

Supporting children’s well-being is regarded as a key task within early educational contexts in the Republic of Ireland (RoI). The school-based programme FRIENDS for Life (FRIENDS), based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) principles, shows high levels of efficacy, both at a targeted and universal level with children and young people (CYP). This programme is widely implemented throughout the RoI and is the leading preventative well-being programme endorsed by the RoI’s National Educational Psychology Service (NEPS). However, little is known about how children who have participated in this programme conceptualise well-being, compared with children who have not participated in it. This study aims to explore this gap and also elicits the views of parents in relation to the programme with a view to understanding how the programme impacted upon their children.

In this qualitative study the perceptions of rural primary school children who have received this programme were compared with perceptions of children who have not received it, in relation to well-being. Child questionnaires (N=40) and six focus groups (N=6-8 in each group) were used to elicit the children’s views. A questionnaire was also administered with parents in relation to their views of the FRIENDS programme (N=21).

Research findings evidenced differences in understanding of well-being between FRIENDS and Non-FRIENDS participants in the language and terms they used, their ability to elaborate on the subject of well-being and in their ideas about it, beyond the meaning of well-being. In addition to this, results from the parents’ questionnaire suggest that FRIENDS is considered a positive programme which builds emotional intelligence and life-long coping skills in their children.

The research findings indicate that the FRIENDS programme provides children with language which points to a deepened conceptualisation of their well-being. The research also affirms that children are knowledgeable about issues relating to them and that given the appropriate platform these opinions can inform curricular and pedagogical approaches in relation to well-being. Additionally, NEPS has an in-depth knowledge of the benefits of this programme, through training, and as such is well placed to support a broader implementation in schools in order to bring the benefits (of the skills and strategies) of FRIENDS to a wider audience of children.