A PILOT project by the Children’s Society which offers free emotional support to children has been awarded £1 million from BBC Children in Need, it was announced this month.
The charity’s “Space to Grow” initiative supports children, aged eight to 13, who lack access to existing well-being services. It has a selected concentrate on young carers and UK minoritised-ethnic/global majority heritage and LGBT+ groups. Children using the service might be experiencing bullying, racism, abuse, problems at home or school, or other issues, the charity says.
Children’s mental health deteriorated throughout the pandemic, the mental-health charity Mind reports. In 2021, one in six children had a mental-health condition, up from one in nine before Covid.
The chief executive of the Children’s Society, Mark Russell, said that the goal was to succeed in children “before they reach crisis point”. He thanked BBC Children in Need for the funding, which, he said, would enable the project “to succeed in children who often miss out on early help. We stay up for supporting 1000’s more children, so that they’re happier, healthier, and thriving.”
The initiative is running in Chelmsford, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, and the funding will support its expansion to other locations across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland over the following few months. Its goal is to succeed in 6000 children in the following two years. It is being operated in partnership with the charity Children First in Scotland and MACS in Northern Ireland.
The initiative also supports parents, carers, and college staff.
