Initiative to improve wellbeing of children up for national award

The scheme encourages young people to talk to trained school staff about their troubles and anxieties, so they can be addressed before they impact on the child’s health and wellbeing.

The project is an innovative response to address the mental health needs of children and young people across the borough and this has been recognised by the shortlisting judges at Positive Practice Mental Health Collaborative – a national organisation geared to highlight best practice in mental health and wellbeing.

The partnership includes Cheshire East Council, local schools, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP), NHS Eastern Cheshire and South Cheshire CCGs and the charities Visyon and Just Drop In.

Its work is helping more children and young people to ‘feel good and function well’. The ethos of the group is to ensure children focus on improving their resilience and focuses on making it acceptable to ask for support.

Councillor Jos Saunders, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for children and families, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this prestigious national award.

“The mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people is vitally important to a good experience of childhood and determining long-term health into adulthood.

“The scale of our ambition in this area knows no bounds and I am so proud of the strength of our relationship with schools, the health service and other key agencies.

“I am delighted that, through this innovative and collaborative partnership with schools, the National Health Service and the voluntary sector – the project has proved popular with young people and early indications have shown an improvement in the mental health and wellbeing in our children across the borough.

“This has meant we have been able to get to the root cause of problems, early on, so that mental health situations can be better managed by the right people in the right place.”