On the 22nd March 2022, 4.00-5.30pm, Healthwatch in Sussex hosted a webinar to explore Children and Young Peoples Mental Health and Wellbeing.
The event was a chance to improve mental health and wellbeing services for children and young people in Sussex.
Simone Button, Programme Director, Foundations for our Future, introduced the new Strategy for improving services and provided some background to the Foundations for our Future Project.
In her presentation, Simone focussed on the following recommendations for implementation:
- Rec 20 – Establish a forum or group to take this work forward. Rec 11 – Single Point of Access – all referrals or requests for support, go to one place and then directed to the right place. East Sussex have this, but B&H & W Sussex need to develop. Rec 6 – Strategic plan for children & young people emotional health, wellbeing & mental health across Sussex - Interface with other strategies for example, the physical health strategy e.g., eating disorders so that young people suffering from this can be met with a coordinated strategy (see slide 4).
- Developing resilience in young people. Prevention in avoiding C&YP developing issues. Support for transition periods, in particular to adult services. How prevent MH and promote good health; how we want to work; how we improve support provided (See Slide 5).
- Thrive framework – nationally recognised (See Slide 6).
(See below presentation slides for further information on the presented Aims and a list of the full recommendations)
Ed Peasgood, Amy Broadbent and Josh Arnold-Jenkins, Youth Representatives, Foundations for our Future, described the process of how young people are being involved in the planned and ongoing work in developing strong mechanisms for engagement and co-production.
Josh – work done so far: - Worked with several youth groups to engage young people – what YP want, how they want it to be accessed, how to engage with information and how to bring info to others. - Reduce system speak and make language accessible. - Co-production with young people to shape services we will use Ed – National Youth Work Curriculum – when we involve children and young people, need to think about the following as well as the health need: social benefits, friends they will make and learning gained e.g. paid work experience and building career prospects.
Amy – young people’s voices need to be present on all Boards, to ensure their input feeds in at every level.
Ed – physical as well as emotional health should be coordinated.
David Liley - Healthwatch in Sussex posed a question "How can the Strategy be taken forward locally; What are the barriers and opportunities" as a discussion topic for the breakout rooms.
Watch or download a video recording of the webinar below, along with the relevant documents.