Children & Young People - Emotionally Healthy Schools Project

Healthwatch Bolton undertook research on young people’s mental health and emotionally healthy schools after the public voted it as one of the top 3 issues that they should work on in 2019/20.  They undertook 3 professionals’ briefing and engagement sessions in March 2020. They also undertook a survey of professionals.  230 people took part in the research.

There was a lack of knowledge of what support is available, not knowing where to get local information. People appeared to know the larger more well known support organisations more than smaller ones. There was a reliance of using information by word of mouth. Some felt that funding cuts and increased workloads were impacting on the support they felt able to offer young people, and there was pressure from both from services and parents.

The training that was on offer did not seem to be lined up to needs and many feel uninformed leading to repeated use of the same services and worrying about overloading such services. Support and training were seen as what needs to change to improve children and young people’s low level mental health services. A single point of information was also regarded as being beneficial.

There were two recommendations about training and the need for a single point of access for information and support for young people.