Next week (1st – 7th February 2021) we are joining schools, youth groups, organisations, and individuals from across Scotland to take part in Children’s Mental Health Week. As we’re an imaginative team at Children’s Health Scotland, we really love this year’s theme of #ExpessYourself which is all about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity.
Children’s Mental Health Week 2021 is organised by Place2Be – a children’s mental health charity that provides counselling and mental health support in schools. As the leading Scottish children’s health charity, we’re joining in the fun to share our ideas of how children and young people can use their creativity to express themselves to encourage positive mental health. Our charity mascot, Bear, will definitely be joining in the fun! We will also be catching up with some of the children and young people who have taken part in our online Self-Management Service, SMS:CONNECT, to ask them about how they look after their mental health and wellbeing.
Laura Smith, Head of Children’s Health and Wellbeing Services recognises the importance of raising awareness of young people’s mental health:
“One of the key priorities for Children’s Health Scotland is improving life experiences for children and young people, and promoting positive mental health and wellbeing is an integral part of our work. It is particularly important to help children and young people build self-esteem, coping skills and resilience to support their wellbeing and reduce the risk of developing mental health conditions later in life.
“As part of our Children’s Health and Wellbeing Services, we run a Self-Management Service for children and young people with long-term health conditions that has a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing. We know that children and young people with health conditions are at least four times more likely to experience poor mental health, and that their mental health can impact how well they manage and cope with their health conditions.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic in particular, children have faced many challenges to their wellbeing and their mental resilience has been tested – the closure of schools, increased loneliness and isolation, loss of income, and the grief that many families have faced over the last year. This has reinforced the importance of support for the mental wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland.
“We are proud to support Place2Be in celebrating Children’s Mental Health Week and we will continue to use our social media platforms to raise awareness of ways to promote good mental health in children and young people.”
It’s important to remember that being able to express yourself is not about being the best at something or putting on a performance for others. It is about finding a way to show who you are, and how you see the world, that can help you feel good about yourself.
Make sure you join us next week on our Facebook (@ChildrensHealthScotland) and Twitter (@ChildHealthScot) to support Place2Be and Children’s Mental Health Week 2021.
If you would like to find out more information about any of our Children’s Health and Wellbeing Services, including SMS:CONNECT, please contact us by email at sms@childrenshealthscotland.org or visit the services page of our website: https://www.childrenshealthscotland.org/services/children-and-young-people/.
