How I Got Here: Wendy Minhinnett, Charlie Waller Trust

A love of the ‘new’

When I was young, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I went to the United States to be a nanny. I started volunteering in a school there in my free time – I loved it.

After returning to the UK and having my daughter, I went to college at 25 to study education and training. The government had just introduced the Sure Start scheme, which aimed to give children the best possible start in life, with an emphasis on community development, and I got my first “real job” as a family support worker. It was a new developmental thing, which I love. From there, I became a fathers’ development worker and then a parent support advisor in schools – another new initiative.

The turning point

My daughter became unwell. I found myself on the other side. I’d sit in the waiting room while she had an appointment, but I wasn’t involved at all and got no support. I just thought, I need to do something.

My background gave me the skills, but the real push came from my lived experience. I created a parent and carer support group – Rollercoaster – in partnership with the local NHS child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in County Durham. For three months, it was just me, a CAMHS nurse and my sister, all sitting by ourselves in a room. We kept going, spreading the word, and the parents and carers came. They told us what they needed to help them support their children. We now offer many services, from one-to-one and group work to digital support. Rollercoaster became a commissioned service – led by people with lived experience and professionally supported – and I now focus full time on my parent support work.

Creating a national network

I attended meetings through NHS England and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, explaining to policymakers what children and families needed.

It was then that my working relationship with the Charlie Waller Trust began. With their support, I created a national network of projects and groups for parents and carers who support children and young people with mental health difficulties – and for interested clinicians. It’s called PLACE, which reflects my belief that there should always be a place for parents and carers in young people’s mental health.

During lockdown was when we really came together as a virtual network and there are now more than 40 organisations involved.

Peer support for parents and carers

You can’t beat having a conversation with someone who has lived experience of supporting a child and we believe it should be recognised as a paid and supervised role. They should be in family hubs and within the children’s mental health workforce. Lots of people leave a job to care for their child and want to do something to help – but, until now, there’s been no pathway, no training, no support.

That’s all about to change. Between us – Charlie Waller Trust, PLACE members, children’s psychological therapy services North East, Charlie Waller Institute and the Cellar Trust – we’ve created an eight-day, evidence-based training course for parent peer support workers, which will be piloted thanks to sponsorship by Health Education England.

My vision is that every parent and carer should be able to access support from a fully trained peer with access to professional support – so I hope this is just the start.

Top three career tips

1. Follow your passion and instinct. The energy you get from doing what you love will get you through the tough days.
2. We all get it wrong sometimes – reach out and accept support.
3. Work within your values, but understand other people’s values. Working alongside and connecting with people is crucial.