Children's Mental Health Week 2023

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, and the theme is ‘Let’s Connect.’ At Prospero, we believe that ideally every week should be children’s mental health awareness week. Our support workers will know that there are a lot of families struggling through a very tough winter at the moment.

Keep reading for links to some of the key organisations that are providing advice, support, and resources to support children’s mental health this year.

1 in 6 children are said to have a diagnosable mental health condition.

Organisations in Support of Children’s Mental Health Week:

Place2Be

Place2Be provide mental health services to children and young people. Each year, they put together a wide range of free resources to support. This year’s resources have been designed to help young people consider how they can make meaningful connections in their lives. Many of the resources are designed to be used in school settings, however they are also suitable for social care settings.

We particularly like their ‘Support Balloon‘ activity where children create a diagram to show their support network, reflecting on how the adults in their life connect together. This offers a really nice visual opportunity for children to recognise that there are people out there that care and can support them. The visual analogy can lead to conversations about how this support balloon can give children a positive lift.

Dress to Express is their fundraising campaign. The idea is simple – express yourself during Children’s Mental Health Week by wearing a colourful outfit and donating £2 to Place2Be. See here for details on how your organisation can get involved.

Fans of the TV game show Taskmaster will be delighted by the puzzle-solving activity that has been devised in partnership with Place2Be.

Mentally Healthy Schools

Mentally Healthy Schools has drawn attention to their excellent mental health week toolkits, suitable for primary-aged students and secondary. Their resources explore building healthy relationships and making positive connections.

IntoFilm provided great ideas for using films to explore emotional wellbeing and mindfulness among young people.

A Place2Be counsellor meeting with a child in year 4

Statistics on Children’s Mental Health

Place2Be’s findings shine a light on why it’s vital that we work together to help children and young people who may be having a difficult time:

• 50% of people with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14.
• 1 in 10 boys under the age of 19 with a mental health condition get suspended or excluded from school.
• 1 in 6 children are said to have a diagnosable mental health condition.

Consequently, our duty of care when working with young people means we must be aware of the signs to look out for to get the right support at the right time.

• NSPCC offer guidance on recognising the signs that a child may be struggling with their mental health.
• YoungMinds offer fantastic resources and training for people that work with young people.

Supporting Young People Struggling with their Mental Health

If you or someone you know is going through a crisis there are organisations that can help:

Childline 

• Free for children and young people in the UK, 24 hours a day

Call 0800 1111
Alternatively, you can set up an account to Chat online or Send an email

Shout

• Free for anyone in the UK, 24 hours a day

Text CONNECT to 85258

Thank you for reading our post on children’s mental health week 2023.

We’re proud of the support workers who each and every day make a difference in the lives of young people in their communities. If you are interested in working in this area get in touch with the team:

e: info@prosperohealthandsocial.com

t:020 3319 3619