Scarborough Borough children encouraged to talk about their mental health
Young people in the Borough of Scarborough are being encouraged to talk about their mental health.
Young people in the Borough of Scarborough are being encouraged to talk about their mental health.
It is part of Children's Mental Health week and families are also being encouraged to check on their kids.
North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group has set up a dedicated website for advice and support.
It says as another lockdown continues, it is more important than ever to share how we are feeling with others and encourage young people to express themselves.
The Go-To – https://www.thegoto.org.uk/ – is designed to be a portal or ‘single point of information’ showcasing the mental health support services and information offered by different agencies in the county.
The website has been developed by the CCG on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council and neighbouring CCGs (NHS Bradford District and Craven CCG, NHS Vale of York CCG) and promotes services within the existing North Yorkshire County Council boundary.
Young people from North Yorkshire Young Minds Combined – a group made up of members of North Yorkshire’s Youth Parliament and other youth voice groups – helped to design the new website which has sections aimed at young people, parents, carers, GPs and other professionals.
NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, GP Clinical Lead for integrated/community care, Dr Bruce Willoughby, said:
“With the majority of young people currently not in school and many in isolation as a result of the restrictions imposed on movement to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic, talking about mental health and expressing feelings can help reduce feelings of isolation.
“Now more than ever we need to be looking after our mental health and The Go-To offers access to the support young people and their families may need during this uncertain time.
“Coronavirus is having a profound effect on us all, but for children and young people, it can be bewildering and it’s right to be concerned about their mental health. This website will signpost a young person to the most appropriate support and will have lots of useful tips and information to help a young person cope with stress or anxiety.”
Lisa Gale, Service Manager at Compass Reach and Compass Buzz, a mental health organisation in North Yorkshire, said:
“My experience using the Go-To website has been really positive. I think it is really important that young people have easy access to the range of services on offer not just in North Yorkshire but nationally. The website is really easy to use and I would urge any young people who are struggling with their mental health to utilise this service and share amongst their peers”.
Ashleigh Coombs, Wellbeing Worker at Compass Buzz in North Yorkshire, said:
"It just opens up the gates for people talking about how they're feeling, to get people to start thinking creatively about how they can express themselves. You know, what do we do when we feel uncomfortable? What can we do to calm down our bodily symptoms for example.
"It gives the opportunity to let people know that it's OK and also offering that advice around being open, talk to friends and family. If you're not wanting to do that, there's the GPs, text messaging and other services.
"It can often be quite scary to open up but sometimes doing it behind a screen like a text messaging service, can give them the chance to talk about it, normalise what's happening to them and give them some support, advice and possibly signposting that can help support these children and young people.
"We're all unique and we're all different but it's thinking about is there a chance in that behaviour? Is this child or young person becoming more withdrawn? There could be an impact on the way they dress, what they're doing and what they're saying. Look out for these signs and hear what they're saying.
"It's talking about it and it's really important to have that awareness because you know your children and young person, you know if something different is happening to them, you know if they're more withdrawn. If that's something you're seeing then seek that help and look for support."
Find out more about Compass here: https://www.compass-uk.org/