As over half of parents say their children’s mental wellbeing has been one of their biggest concerns during the coronavirus pandemic, Public Health England (PHE) launch a campaign to support the mental health of young people and their parents.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, mental health has been a major concern, but with children and young people back at school, PHE’s new campaign provides NHS-endorsed tips and advice to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing.
The advice will also equip parents and carers with the knowledge to support them.
Increased anxiety
Research has revealed that COVID-19 has caused an increase in anxiety in young people with more than a third of children being more worried, sad and stressed than before lockdown.
A survey from PHE found that two thirds of parents say their children’s behaviour has changed since the start of the pandemic. When asked about their top three worries around coronavirus, over half said the mental wellbeing of their children topped the list of their biggest worries.
The new advice, available on the Better Health – Every Mind Matters website, has been developed in partnership with leading children and young people’s mental health charities.
Tools and support
Designed to help parents and carers spot the signs that children may be struggling with their mental health, the site provides tools to help young people build resilience and equips them to look after their mental wellbeing.
In order to engage parents and carers, a powerful short film has been created featuring a range of celebrity parents including Sam Fletcher, Katie Piper, Davina McColl, Marvin Humes and Edith Bowmen.
The short film also includes extracts from the best-selling author Charlie Mackesy’s book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.
The extracts all touch upon mental health and aim to encourage parents to visit the Better Health – Every Mind Maters website.
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