Young Minds Yoga is a weekly exercise session giving young people the chance to relax and discuss problems with professionals, plus help reduce the impact and severity of mental health problems. Their parents or carers can also stay and chat to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) staff or each other providing peer-to-peer support.
Young Minds Yoga is a weekly exercise session giving young people the chance to relax and discuss problems with professionals, plus help reduce the impact and severity of mental health problems. Their parents or carers can also stay and chat to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) staff or each other providing peer-to-peer support.
The challenge
One in ten children needs support or treatment for mental health problems. Many mental health problems start early in life. Of those with a lifetime mental health illness; 50 per cent will experience their first symptoms before the age of 14 years and around 75 per cent by their mid-twenties.
The number of 0 to 19 year olds in Bedford is 41,300 which represents a quarter of the population. An estimated of 2,220 children in Bedford Borough aged 5 to 16 years have a mental health disorder and 1,130 of 16 to 19 year olds.
Many mental health problems can be prevented. Understanding the early signs and causes of emotional distress and intervening early can prevent problems escalating into diagnosable MH disorders needing specialist services.
Within Bedfordshire, the School Nursing teams offer drop-in sessions in secondary schools for young people to attend. In 2016/17 the School Nursing teams had 1,683 contacts with young people, of which 229 were self-harm related (13 per cent). Of these, 202 were with girls, and 27 contacts were with boys.
There is also a stigma attached to opening up about mental health as a young person and this is a major part of designing the support and promoting this activity.
Evidence tells us that sport and physical activity are beneficial for emotional wellbeing but those who would benefit most are least likely to participate.
The solution
As part of the expansion of the already successful adult Mindful Sport programme, the aim was to create a physical activity session that offers young people (12 to 18) in the community an opportunity to get active whilst also addressing mental health related conditions. The idea was also to provide a forum to relax and discuss problems with professionals and create a social lifestyle that reduces the impact and severity of mental health problems.
The parents or carers are also invited to stay in the café and chat to CAMHS staff or each other providing peer to peer support.
The young people are engaged via effective partnership work between Bedford Borough Council and the ELFT CAMHS team. The Leading Places project with the LGA has also brought the University of Bedfordshire into the fold and added research and evidence to underpin the programme.
The impact
There have been 117 attendances in 25 weeks and the young people who have attended the sessions are from a number of different schools and local areas. There have been a number of looked after children who have also taken part. And a range of different mental health conditions have been reported, including anxiety, eating disorders and depression.
The sessions are cost-saving in nature through the provision of early intervention to those at risk in schools and also supporting those already engaged in the East London Foundation Trust CAMHS service with a regular contact point and peer to peer support sessions. The project has also received referrals from other local organisations such as CHUMs and links back into the wider CAMHS support system.
By addressing these issues with young people, it will help to reduce the mental health problems that occur in later life and support healthier and happier adults in Bedford.
How is the new approach being sustained?
The young person specific element of the project has been running since October 2017 and is set to continue, with a view to further sessions if additional funding can be generated to extend this work.
The project makes effective use of a range of resources through the collaboration of the CAMHS team, the sports development team at Bedford Borough Council and the University of Bedfordshire. The strength of the pathways between services and the awareness of the provision is key to the sustained levels of participation.
Young Minds Yoga is a weekly exercise session giving young people the chance to relax and discuss problems with professionals, plus help reduce the impact and severity of mental health problems. Their parents or carers can also stay and chat to children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) staff or each other providing peer-to-peer support.
Bright Futures
Helping children and young people to fulfil their potential is a key ambition of all councils, but our children’s services are under increasing pressure.
Bright Futures is our call for fully funded children's services.