Category: Young People’s Mental Health

The number of young people seeking counselling for exam related anxiety ahead of GCSEs and A-levels reportedly doubled. It is therefore unsurprising that Bloom’s most popular workshop continues to be Exam Stress.

One in six children aged 5 to 16 were identified as having a mental health problem in 2021, a significant increase from one in nine in 2017. Never has the need to support young people’s mental health been greater, and we know that early preventative support using upstream approaches like building resilience can have a positive impact.

A survey conducted by Basketball England found that approximately 27% of basketball players in the UK come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Lack of funding leaves little available to invest in mental health programmes.

Following an Ofsted inspection in 2020, Notley High in Essex pledged to implement strategies to improve students’ behaviour and wellbeing. Alongside other initiatives, Bloom was brought on board to foster and strengthen the school’s commitment to building a supportive environment for young people’s wellbeing.

Anyone who engages in a sporting activity, whether it be for pleasure or destined for a professional pathway – physical injury is an unavoidable risk. Roughly 48% of youth sport athletes have been found to have at least one injury during an athletic season, (Patel & Nelson, 2000).

There is a great need to support the mental health of children and young people in alternative provision education. A 2018 report from the House of Commons Education Committee (Forgotten children: alternative provision and the scandal of ever-increasing exclusions) found that an estimated one in two pupils in Alternative Provision schools have social, emotional and mental health as their primary category of Special Educational Need, as opposed to 1 in 50 in the general population.

Scotland’s land mass is classified as 98% rural with circa 1 million people living there. National Charity, Change Mental Health, emphasise the need to support people with their mental health no matter where they live in Scotland.

Beyond Bricks was launched by our founding partner in Northern Ireland, MindWise in January 2022 and was made possible thanks to fundraising by colleagues at Lloyds Banking Group. We spoke to Children and Young People Programmes Coordinator, Amy, from MindWise about the brilliant work she’s been doing to make Beyond Bricks happen.

Your Resilience is Mental Health UK’s education programme that supports 14-18 -year-olds to develop the tools and knowledge on managing their own mental health through life’s transitions, both now and in the future.

New research by Mental Health UK explores British workers’ experiences of loneliness in the workplace and how it can impact on our mental health.

With 75% of mental illnesses starting before a person’s 18th birthday, evidence shows that providing good, early preventative support in the right place at the right time can help to avoid young people’s mental health deteriorating.

Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place between the 7-13 February and the theme this year is growing together. As we move through the week, we ask you to set time aside with the young people in your life to think about how they have grown – what skills they have developed, what personal qualities they most admire in themselves and others, and what goals they would like to set themselves for the year ahead.

Lauren Quigley is Bloom Engagement Officer working in the North of England. She is responsible for engaging schools and colleges in her region to participate in Bloom, a programme which gives students aged 14-18 the tools they need to build their resilience and better protect their mental health. Here Lauren talks about her own mental health challenges and why Bloom can make a real difference to young people in Greater Manchester and beyond.

From this September onwards, Moulton College in Northampton will be rolling out Bloom, Mental Health UK’s resilience programme, to over 600 students. Pastoral Officer Jess Lygo shares her experience of co-delivering the programme last spring before taking action to sustain Bloom to support all 17-18-year-old animal welfare students.

Tina* works for our corporate partner Lloyds Banking Group and recently attended a workshop for parents and carers run by Bloom. Bloom is our young people’s programme which supports 14-18 year olds to build resilience and protect their mental wellbeing. Here Tina talks about how the workshop helped her and her daughters become more open about their mental health.