Children’s Society to expand mental health services with £1mn award
Amrit Virdi
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
The Children’s Society has been awarded £1 million to provide early intervention mental health support to young people across all four nations of the UK, with a focus on those from marginalised communities.
Children as young as eight will benefit from the funding provided by BBC Children in Need, the Health Foundation and Impact on Urban Health.
The organisations picked The Children’s Society as the winners of the A Million & Me Award to mark mental health awareness week.
Using the funding, the charity will provide face-to-face support for children, and resources for parents and carers to start wellbeing-informed conversations. It will also expand its current online sessions, digital mindfulness tools and instantly accessible parent line.
Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “We are thrilled to win this fantastic £1mn award which will allow us to dramatically expand our mental health support services for children right across the UK. Far too many children are dealing with mental health challenges, often isolated and lacking the help they deserve.
“This funding is a game-changer that will turbo-charge our efforts to reach more of those in need. This marks an exciting new chapter for us, and we can't wait to get to work and provide children with the tools and care they need to build resilience and thrive.”
Fozia Irfan, director of impact and influence at BBC Children in Need, added: “The Children’s Society perfectly embodies our vision for A Million & Me, which is to seek out solutions to provide mental health support through early, targeted intervention for children and young people from all backgrounds.
“From its inception, A Million & Me has always revolved around sustainable investment into children’s mental health. I am excited to be working closely with The Children’s Society to continue this legacy, magnify their impact and define a brighter future for all.”
This comes as BBC Children in Need announced a campaign for mental health awareness week titled The Heaviest Backpack, highlighting the issues young people are facing through of a series of "in conversation" mental health films with the likes of Roman Kemp and Mary Earps.
