Hull awarded £7.8m to improve young people's mental health
The money will be used to offer more support to young people along with parents and teachers.
Hull has been awarded £7.8m to improve young people's mental health and wellbeing.
The money will be used to fund a 5-year programme aimed at helping 10 to 16-year-olds overcome a range of life challenges such as body image, exam stress and peer pressure.
As part of the project, training will also be offered to parents and teachers to ensure they have the right skills to support children and young people.
Councillor Phil Webster, Portfolio Holder for Learning, Skills and Safeguarding Children, said:
"This is fantastic news. We are delighted our bid to improve children and young people's emotional health in Hull has been successful. We are extremely proud of the progress made to date and the valuable work already underway with schools across the city. The HeadStart programme supports Hull’s City Plan delivering early support and intervention to improve health and mitigate critical need and safeguarding the most vulnerable.
"Mental and emotional health is incredibly important in children’s lives and we know from research that mental illness in young people often develops from aged 14 onwards.
"This funding will now enable us and our partners to develop this further and with more schools, ensuring we have the right services and support available at the right time to prevent mental health problems and before they become more serious.
"The project is aimed to provide our future generation with confidence and resilience ensuring they have the best possible start in life and a bright future ahead."
Rachel Roberts, Assistant Early Help and Commissioning City Manager, added:
"The two-year pilot has enabled us to develop a really strong and committed partnership with a number of public and voluntary organisations, working together and sharing the same ambition of supporting the city's young people."
Lyn Cole, Big Lottery Fund England grant-making director, said:
“Mental health issues in early teens, if not tackled early, can develop into more serious conditions, impacting on school results and opportunities later on in life.
“HeadStart has been developed with young people to ensure that mental health is embedded in a school’s culture and pupils’ emotional welfare is recognised as fundamental to their overall achievement.
“This will raise awareness, tackle stigma and enable young people to seek the support they need when they have problems and are under stress. This funding will make a huge difference to the development of young people at a crucial time in their lives.”