NEW MENTAL HEALTH CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR PARENTS

With children and young people now back at school or college, PHE’s new campaign provides NHS-endorsed tips and advice to help parents and carers to look after their children and young people’s mental wellbeing.

Most families in the North West have experienced upheaval in their daily lives during the pandemic. With children and young people now back at school or college, PHE’s new campaign provides NHS-endorsed tips and advice to help parents and carers to look after their children and young people’s (CYP) mental wellbeing.

The advice comes as CYP report higher levels of stress and anxiety than the general adult population², with COVID-19 increasing a number of risk factors for poor mental health in this group. The impact of school closures in the North West, limited social contact with friends and family and no access to leisure activities were identified as key reasons.     

A household survey reported that the three feelings CYP said they most experienced during lockdown were boredom (51%), worry (28%) and feeling trapped (26%), with nearly 1 in 5 saying they were unhappy during this period.

New PHE data from the North West reveals over two thirds of parents surveyed say their children’s behaviour has changed since the start of the pandemic (69%), and when asked their top three worries around coronavirus, nearly half (47%) said the mental wellbeing of their children topped the list of their biggest worries.¹ As we adapt to a new normal many parents and carers anticipate their children will experience new stresses. This includes facing the challenges of catching up with missed education, starting new schools or colleges and building relationships with friends again.

A fifth of parents surveyed in the North West say that not knowing what action they can take to support their children’s mental wellbeing has prevented them supporting (20%) and more than a third (34%) want more advice on how to support their mental wellbeing when returning to school.

The advice available on the Every Mind Matters website has been developed in partnership with leading children and young people’s mental health charities, including Young Minds, The Mix, The Place 2 Be and The Anna Freud Centre. It is designed to help parents and carers spot the signs that children may be struggling with their mental health and empowers them with tips and advice to support their children’s mental wellbeing. In addition to the advice for parents and carers the site also provides tools to help young people build resilience and equips them to look after their mental wellbeing.

To engage parents and carers a powerful short film has been created featuring a range of celebrity parents including Davina McCall, Marvin Humes, Sean Fletcher, Katie Piper and Edith Bowman, reading extracts from best-selling, author Charlie Mackesy’s well-known book, ‘The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse’. The emotive extracts all touch upon mental health and aim to encourage parents to visit the Every Mind Matters website.

NHS’s Top 5 Tips for supporting children and young people’s mental wellbeing as they go back out into the world (please view all tips on the Every Mind Matters website)

1. Be there to listen: Ask the children and young people you look after how they are doing regularly so they get used to speaking about their feelings
2. Stay involved in their life: Try to know something about all parts of your child’s or young person’s life
3. Support positive routines: Be a positive role model and support positive behaviours including regular bedtime routines, healthy eating and getting exercise
4. Encourage their interests: Children and young people are often drawn to particular interests, so support them in exploring them
5. Take what they say seriously: help the children and young people you look after feel valued in what they say

The website also encourages parents to complete a personal ‘Mind Plan’, a quick and free interactive tool offering adults tailored mental wellbeing advice. More than 2.4 million ‘Mind Plans’ have been completed since launch in October.

Dr Rebecca Wagstaff, Deputy Director Health & Wellbeing, Public Health England - North West said: “Parents and carers’ bonds with their children are now more important than ever before.

“The pandemic has touched everyone’s lives and families can see the way it has affected their children.  

“Our young people’s mental wellbeing is a priority for a healthy future and here in the North West we want them to easily find the help and support that they need - and also to be there to listen to their concerns.

Through ‘Better Health - Every Mind Matters’, we can all make a positive, lasting difference to the lives of thousands of local children, their families and carers.”

Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director and Director of Health Protection at Public Health England, said: “Parents’ and carers’ relationships with their children are special and we want to give them the support they need. Being there to listen and encouraging them to explain how they feel can make a real difference to how children and young people cope with life’s challenges. It can also help them develop effective skills to cope with their emotions.”

Minister for Mental Health, Nadine Dorries, said: “The effects of the pandemic on children and young people’s mental health have been challenging and it is vital we continue to do all we can to protect them and prevent long-term effects.

“Young people should feel encouraged to speak up, look out for each other, and ask for help. This campaign and these resources are a great way to access support and help parents to understand steps they can take to care even more for their children’s mental health and wellbeing.”

Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan, NHS England Associate National Clinical Director for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, said: “As young people go back to class, it’s understandable that while many will be excited to get back, some may also have concerns and anxieties about the new academic year, following the uncertainty and upheaval of Covid, which is why this important campaign is offering practical tips to help kids cope.

“Parents, carers, teachers and students should also be reassured that the NHS has been and will continue to be there for everyone with concerns about their mental health, whether through 24/7 crisis support lines, video and phone consultations, or face to face appointments.”

TV presenter Davina McCall said: “Children have missed out on so much during lockdown and like lots of other parents, I’ve wanted to support mine as much as I possibly can. As we’re starting to go back to normality and there’s still lots of uncertainty for our kids, it’s important we’re there for them through their ups and downs – communication is so important. For anyone that’s concerned or worried, or just want some tips on how to support them, please search Every Mind Matters.”

The new Better Health - Every Mind Matters campaign will be supported through social media, radio and press activity, helping to reach audiences including parents and carers of children and young people (aged 5-18) and young people (aged 13-18).

Search Every Mind Matters for expert tips and advice to support children and young people with their mental wellbeing, or for more information, visit https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/

CEO of The Mix, Chris Martin, said: “For children and young people, coronavirus resulted in the withdrawal of the daily companionship of friends and the personal support provided by schools, health services and youth clubs that was vital to maintaining their mental health. At the Mix, we witnessed a frightening rise in contacts from those who felt overwhelmed by anxieties and fears that were magnified by the suffocating effects of isolation. As young people and their families face the fresh challenge of the return to school, it is essential that they have access to expert information and life-saving support they need to ensure positive mental health.”

Professor Peter Fonagy, Chief Executive of the Anna Freud Centre said: “Asking for help and getting the help you need are two of the most important steps anyone can take to support their own mental health and the mental health of others. This campaign will support parents who have real concerns about the impact of the coronavirus had on their children and give them the confidence to listen and encourage them to speak out about their feelings. In many cases this alone will help, in others it is the most important route to obtaining timely support with the stress and disruption to their lives caused by the pandemic. This campaign is a major contribution to promoting and protecting our children’s wellbeing.”

Celebrity Quotes for Every Mind Matters

Please see a table below of all celebrities who have shared their tips and advice for maintaining good mental wellbeing during this time:

About Every Mind Matters:

• Every Mind Matters is supported by the following leading national charities: Young Minds, The Mix, Mind, Barnardos, Centre for Mental Health, Anna Freud, Rethink Mental Illness, Time to Change, Heads Together, Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, Place2Be, Shout 85258, Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition and Association for Young People’s Health.
• Every Mind Matters provides simple NHS-approved tips and advice to help you take care of your mental health. If you are still struggling after several weeks and it is affecting your daily life, please contact NHS 111 online.
• Being active helps mental wellbeing and you can access free easy ten minute work outs from Public Health England, or try other exercise videos at home on the NHS Fitness Studio. Sport England also has tips for keeping active at home.
• The Every Mind Matters sleep page provides practical advice on how to improve your sleep.
• Visit the NHS mental health and wellbeing advice website for self-assessment, audio guides and practical tools, if you are experiencing stress, feelings of anxiety or low mood.
• If you already have a mental health problem you can access comprehensive guidance provided by Mind.