A project looking at what young people want if they, or someone they know, have a mental health need or worry.

Transcription

1 Everyone has a mental health A project looking at what young people want if they, or someone they know, have a mental health need or worry. Authors: Amplify, the Children s Commissioner s young people s advisory group, with Tom Green, Shaila Sheikh, Dawn Rees and Dr Sandra Gulyurtlu Ch ldren s Commissioner Promoting and protecting children s rights

2 About the Children s Commissioner The Children s Commissioner for England is Anne Longfield. The Children s Commissioner acts in the interests of all children in England and makes sure their rights are promoted and protected in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Her post was established by the Children Act The Children and Families Act 2014 gave her special responsibility for the rights of children who are in or leaving care, living away from home or receiving social care services. It is her job to make life better for children and young people by making sure their rights are respected and that their views are taken seriously. The Commissioner is supported in her work by a team of staff. Together, they are responsible for the rights of all children and young people until they are 18 years old, or 25 years old if they have been in care, are care leavers or have a disability.

3 About Amplify Amplify is the Children s Commissioner s advisory group of young people. Its members are at the heart of the Children s Commissioner s work, making sure the voices of children and young people are listened to and taken seriously. Some of the things Amplify members do include: putting their ideas and opinions about what matters to children and young people directly into the Children s Commissioner s plans and activities leading projects with the support of the Children s Commissioner s staff sharing views on our work and the issues that affect young people helping the Children s Commissioner s staff to interview job applicants and some of the companies from which they commission research and other work contributing to the Government s thinking about policy and the law representing children and young people s views at important meetings with government departments, researchers, charities and others.

4 Introduction At the beginning of 2014, Amplify started developing and carrying out a project on mental health. They decided they wanted to look at where young people would go, who they would talk to and how they would like information, help and advice if they, or someone they knew, had a mental health need or worry. What makes this project distinct is that it was designed and run by young people for young people. It presents their views on what is important to them. The project started with desk research to identify where mental health information, help and advice is provided to children and young people. Based on the findings of this review, Amplify launched a national survey which asked for the views of young people from across England. It was completed by 526 people. Members of Amplify looked at the data and met with Government officials, leaders of charities and representatives from mental health organisations and service providers to think about and discuss their findings. The project has run for nearly 20 months with many hours spent by the group looking at and discussing their findings. Included here are Amplify s key findings and recommendations.

5 Findings Most young people we spoke to said they get information about mental health online Online searches can mean you end up looking at bad information Discussion boards are sometimes used by people who want to make things worse Online videos are important, but the quality can t be guaranteed Reliable apps are hard to find and can cost money if they need lots of data. Where would you go for information if you had a mental health need or worry? Specialist website (66%) Internet search (62.4%) Online forums (24.5%) Social networks (17.9%) Apps (16.9%)

6 Recommendations A kite mark should be developed showing that information has been quality assured. This means that young people know that the information they are accessing is accurate and designed for them Time, effort and resource needs to be put into websites and apps that are created for young people They should also be created with young people Because lots of young people are online, professionals need to be there too and in the spaces where young people actually are.

7 Findings Friends are the most popular group of people those seeking help go to but they aren t always equipped to help Schools are good places to share information and some school nurses can be good for advice and help. Some young people told us that school nurses aren t around enough and they are worried about being gossiped about if they see the nurse. Who would you got to for help if you had a mental health need or worry? Friends (50.4%) Parent / Carer (43.7%) Mental Health Professional (40.9%) Doctor (40.3%) Partner (40%) Online Chatroom Professional (24.1%) Sibling (20.7%) Teacher (20.2%) Telephone Helpline Professional (18.8%) School Nurse (18.1%)

8 Recommendations Specific resources should be developed to equip young people to listen and give some help to their friends. This includes knowing where to go and what they could, should and should not say There should be drop-in clinics or surgeries for young people where they don t have to attend with a parent or carer if they don t want to More work should be done in schools to promote awareness, challenge stigma and offer help to those who need it Schools should also publish what services they provide so students are clear what help they can get from their school There should be one central directory that any young person can access to find out what services are available to them Organisations should aim higher and involve children in all that they do - not just what they can get away with.

9 Word Cloud We asked people what they would search for online if they had a worry or concern about their mental health. The larger the word, the more frequently it was used. The words mental and health were the most popular but we haven t included them in the diagram below as they would be so big that you wouldn t be able to read the other words.

10 Help and advice If you or someone you know has a mental health need or worry, below are some national organisations that offer information, advice and help. Childline: Free phone: (24 hours) Get Connected: Free phone: (11am to 11pm) YoungMinds:

11 Ch ldren s Commissioner Promoting and protecting children s rights Children s Commissioner Sanctuary Buildings Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BT Telephone: info.request@childrenscommissioner.gsi.gov.uk Web: Advice and assistance free phone for children and young people receiving social care services, in or leaving care, or living away from home: