Young Minds: hidden struggles
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Healthwatch Kent and Healthwatch Medway worked with MVA Kent and Medway, Medway Council’s Public Health Team and Medway and Swale Health and Care Partnership on a project to understand the understanding and perceptions of self harm and the factors causing children and young people living in Medway and Swale to do so. A mixture of surveys, interviews and focus groups were conducted across a total participant sample of 323 individuals.
Understanding of self-harm: “cutting yourself” was the most universally recognised form of self-harm. Some differences in perceptions across age groups and public vs professional roles were observed.
Awareness of support services: nearly half (48%) of the general public were unaware of any support services. Professionals showed a greater overall awareness, but 12% still lacked awareness of support services. Children and young people most frequently identified CAMHS, Childline and Kooth.
Drivers of emotional distress: young people cited pressures with maintaining standards, social media and mental health/addiction challenges as key stressors. 57% attempted to manage emotions independently, though a proportion (29%) said they felt hopeless of unsure where to turn for support.
Emerging trends: professionals reported an observed increase in cutting, eating-related self-harm and links between social media and self-harming behaviours. Neurodiverse young people were identified as particularly vulnerable.
Challenges and strengths: barriers identified include engaging with children and young people, access to services (including waiting times) and unclear referral pathways for the correct support. Empathy and active listening were highlighted as effective support strategies.