1

CentralBedfordshireYouthParliament

PromotingapositiveapproachtoMentalHealth&WellbeinginYoungPeople

ReportofCentralBedfordshireYoungPerson’sMentalHealthsurvey

August2017

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TableofContentsRecommendations............................................................................................................3

Introduction......................................................................................................................5Background................................................................................................................................5ResearchMethod&Limitations..................................................................................................6

KeyFindings......................................................................................................................7QuantitativeData.......................................................................................................................7QualitativeData.........................................................................................................................7

RecommendationsinFull................................................................................................10Recommendation1-Step-up,Step-downSystem–Wellbeinggroups......................................10Recommendation2-PeerSupportNetwork.............................................................................11Recommendation3–ParentSupportSystem...........................................................................12Recommendation4–Male“BreaktheStigma”Campaign........................................................12

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................14

Bibliography....................................................................................................................14

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Recommendations

Recommendation1-AStep-Up,Step-DownSystem(MinimumStandardsofCare)

TheCBYPrecommendsasystemthatallowsyoungpeopletobecaredforaftertheyhavemadeanyconcernsabouttheirmentalhealthknown.45%ofyoungpeoplestatedthatthehelptheyreceivedeitherdidnothelporonlypartiallyhelpedandmanyindividuallyexpressedthattheybelievedthatthewaittoreceiveanyhelpwastoolong.Theyalsofeltthattheyhadbeenforgottenaboutorthatthenumberofsessionstheyreceivedwasnotenough.Thoughweunderstandthatthereisacertainlimittotheamountofmoneywhichcanbespent,webelievethatintroducingasystemthatallowsindividualstoreceivelowerlevelsofhelpwouldbenefitthem.

Weareproposingasystemthatallowstheyoungpersontoreceivehelpbeforeandafterundergoingtherapyorcounselling.Todosowesuggestcreatingwellbeinggroupsthatregularlymeet,allowingthemtobewithotheryoungpeopleinsimilarsituationsandtohaveaplacewheretheycanshareanyissues.Thesegroupswouldutiliseexistingresources(suchasyouthandcommunitycentres)andwouldbefocusedonaparticularactivity(forexample,sportorart)todeliverasteadysourceofhelp.

Thesegroupswouldmeanthattheyoungpersoniskeptaneyeonaftervoicingaconcern(beforereceivingthehelptheymayneed)andafter(whentheymaystillnotbecompletelyreadytofacetheworld).Itwouldmeantheyarenotabandonedandtheywouldnotbeabletoslipbackintooldhabits.

Recommendation2-PeerSupportNetwork

Inresponseto24%ofyoungpeoplestatingthattheywouldliketohavesupportavailablefrompeopletheirownageassupport,werecommendthecreationofanetworkofyoungpeopleineachschoolwhowouldbeavailableforayoungpersontoexpressanyconcernsabouttheirmentalhealth(orsomebodyelse’s).

Thiswouldbeagroupofyoungpeople,trainedtodistinguishbetweenyoungpeoplewhomayhaveseriousissuesandthosewhoaresimplyhavingabadday.Theywouldmeetwithanadult(whowouldbeoverseeingtheschool’sgroup)regularlytoreportbackonconversationsanddiscusswhattodonextforeachpupil.

Eachpersoninthisnetworkwouldalsoalwayshavetheopportunitytodiscussanyissuestheywerehavingthemselves(asawayto“offload”).

Recommendation3-ParentSupportSystem

Inresponseto45%ofyoungpeoplestatingtheywouldgotoafamilymemberiftheywerestrugglingwithamentalhealthissue,theCBYPbelievethatparentsshouldalsobeabletoreceivesupport.

Thiscouldinclude:theopportunitytogotosupportgroupsforparents/carersofachildwithmentalhealthissues;trainingtospotthesignsofmentalhealthissues;trainingonhowtorespondiftheir

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childdoesdiscloseamentalhealthproblemtheyarefacing;resourcesand/oranadvisorspecificallyforparentswhocanadvisewhotospeaktoandwhocanprovidehelpfortheirchild.

Recommendation4-Male“BreaktheStigma”Campaign

TheCBYPalsoreceivedcommentsfromalargenumberofmaleswhofounditparticularlydifficulttoopenupduetotheamountofstigmaaroundmentalhealth.Thisisreflectedinthenationalnumberofmalesuicides.Oursuggestionisthatacampaigniscreatedtotargetyoungmalestoencouragethemtotalkabouttheirproblems.Wefeelthattheissueofthelargenumberofsuicidesstemsfromgrowingupbelievingthattheyshouldn’ttalkaboutanyissuestheymayhave,andifthisisstigmaisdiminishedearlieroninlifewemaybeabletodecreasethisnumber.

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IntroductionThereporthasbeencompiledfromasurveyof1,254youngpeople(aged11-18)livingorattendingschoolinCentralBedfordshire.Withinthisreportwewillhighlightthemainresultsandkeyinformationofthesurvey,beforediscussingsomesolutionsandfinallymakingsomerecommendationsforthedevelopmentoftheMentalHealthservicesforyoungpeople.Thesurveywascreatedbyyoungpeopleandtherecommendationshavebeencreatedinconsultationwithyoungpeople.

BackgroundMentalHealthhasbeenanagendaitemforYouthParliamentforthepastfewyears;from2013,ithasappearedontheMakeYourMarkballotpaper(theUK’slargestconsultationforyoungpeople).InCentralBedfordshire,ithasconsistentlybeenvotedasoneofthetop5issuesbylocalyoungpeople,pollingfirstin2015.AlthoughMentalHealthdidn’tappearfirstin2016(itcameinthird)ontheMakeYourMarkballotinCentralBedfordshire,theYouthParliamentunanimouslyvotedthattheywantedtocontinuetheworkofYouthParliamentonthisissueforanotheryear.TheYouthParliamentfeltthatbecausementalhealthhasbeenaconsistentproblemidentifiedbyyoungpeopleforanumberofyears,plusthecurrentattentionandawarenessthatmentalhealthisreceivingfrombothfrompoliticiansandinthemedia;theycouldstilldomoreonthiscampaign.

ThemembersresearchedmentalhealthtodiscoveriftherewasaspecificwayinwhichtheYouthParliamentcouldtargettheircampaign.Membersspokewiththeirpeers,spokewithmentalhealthprofessionals(MindBLMKandELFT),andcarriedoutsomeindependentresearchtotrytoidentifyhowtheYouthParliamentcouldhelpwiththeissueofmentalhealth.Itwasquicklyevidentthatmentalhealthisanationalproblemwiththelatestestimatessuggestingthatatleast1in10youngpeoplewilldevelopamentalhealthissueintheUK1,andtheGoodChildhoodReportstatingthat10%ofyoungpeopleare“Languishing”–havinglowscoresforbothsubjectivewell-beingandpsychologicalwell-being.2

Furthermore,locallytheSHUEsurveyconductedin2015revealedthatyoungpeopleinCentralBedfordshirehaveaparticularlylowresiliencescore.Inaddition,theconversationsbetweenthemembers,theirpeers,andlocalprofessionalorganisationsrevealedyoungpeopleoftenfindthatservicesareoftennotsuitable,thattheyoungpeopledon’tmeetthecriteria,thattherearelongwaitinglists,theycan’taccessthemwithoutmissingschoolorcollege,andtheycan’taccessthemconfidentially.

InviewofthisthemembersagreedasurveyshouldbeconductedspecificallyaimedatyoungpeopleinCentralBedfordshiretoidentifywhatspecificissuesyoungpeoplearefacinginrelationtomentalhealthwithinCentralBedfordshire.Thissurveywasintendedtogetanideaofhoweffectivethecurrentmentalhealthservicesare,whatsupportisavailabletoyoungpeoplestrugglingwithstressoresteemissues,andhowsupportoptionscouldbeimproved,particularlyforyoungpeoplewith

1MentalHealthFoundation,“Peer-ledsupporttohelpyoungpeoplelookaftertheirmentalhealth”GoodMentalHealthforall,(November2013)Retrievedfrom.https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/news/peer-led-support-help-young-people-look-after-their-mental-health2TheChildren’sSociety,“TheGoodChildhoodReport2016Summary”(2016):pg.3

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“low-level”(tier1and2)mentalhealthproblems.ThemembersformedaworkingpartnershipwithMINDBLMKtoproducethissurveysothatthesurveycouldhaveprofessionalguidancegiventhenatureofthetopic.

ResearchMethod&LimitationsThestudyusedquestionnaireswhichtargetedyoungpeopleinschoolsaroundCentralBedfordshire.Thequestionnairewasdesignedonline(onSurveyMonkey)butwasavailabletobeprintedforeaseofaccess.DatacollectiontookplacebetweenFebruaryandMay2017.Themain2methodsofdatacollectionwerethroughyoungpeoplerequestingtheirschoolstopartakeinthequestionnairebyspendingafewminuteswithintheirformtimetofillinthesurvey,andbyCentralBedfordshireYouthWorkersvisitingsomeschoolsatlunchtimestoaskyoungpeopletocompletehardcopies.

AllSecondary,Middle,andUpperschoolsinCentralBedfordshirewerecontactedtoaskaboutparticipationinthesurvey.Allpupilsparticipatedbasedonanonymous,voluntaryinformedconsentandthetotalparticipantsnumbered1,254.WhilsttheYouthParliamenthopedformoreengagementthisdidprovideagoodcross-sectionofyoungpeopleacrossCentralBedfordshirewithagoodbalanceofage,gender,andlocationandthisisasubstantialresponsetoinformanyrecommendations.

Duetothenatureofaquestionnaireformatmostoftheinformationcollectedisquantitative,however,therewasspacegivenatregularintervalsthroughoutthesurveyfortheparticipantstoprovidemorequalitativedata.Thesetwomethodshaveprovidedagoodbasistoinformanyrecommendations.However,thereisfurtherscopeformorequalitativedatatobecollectedtocontinuetoinformtheimplementationoftherecommendations–particularlythroughasteeringgroup.

Afurtherconsideration,tothosehighlightedalready,whendrawinganyconclusionsbasedonthisresearchisthe“noresponse”withinparticularquestions.Thisparticularlyappearedwithinthequestionof“Wouldyouknowwheretogoorwhotoask[aboutmentalhealth]?”inwhich57%ofyoungpeopledidn’trespond;whilstthismayindicatethatyoungpeopledon’tknowandthereforehaven’tansweredthequestion,astheyoungpeoplehaven’trespondedwecan’tdrawthatconclusion.Therefore,wewouldsuggestthattheremaybeopportunityforsomefurtherresearchtofindoutifyoungpeoplearefamiliarwiththeprocessesinrelationtomentalhealth,feelconfidentinthoseprocesses,andwouldknowhowinformationmightbeusedorsharediftheydisclosedamentalhealthissue.

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KeyFindingsSomeofthekeyinformationfromthedatacollected(availableinfullbelow)isasfollows:

QuantitativeDataNumberofyoungpeoplereportingexperienceofMentalHealthProblems

Asstatedatthetopofthispaper,thecurrentnationalstatisticformentalhealthestimatesthat1in10youngpeoplewilldevelopmentalhealthdifficultiesatsomestage.However,ourdatareportsthat27%(206)ofyoungpeoplehaveexperiencedmentalhealthproblemswhichequatestoover1in4youngpeople;ahugeincreaseonthenationalaverage.

Thenumberofyoungpeoplereceivingnohelp

Ofthe206youngpeoplereportingtohaveexperiencedsomedifficultywithmentalhealth,113havenotreceivedanyformalhelp.

Youngpeoplearerecognisingothersstrugglingwithmentalhealth

45%ofyoungpeoplehavereportedtheyhaveseenotherpeoplestrugglingwithmentalhealth;thiscouldbepeers,family,orothers.Youngpeoplewhorecognisethestrugglesofothersarealsopredisposedtohelpwith60%offeringsomehelpandsupporttothatpersonthroughapproachingthem.

Lackofgoodsupportnetworksforyoungpeople

Whilstmostyoungpeople(88%)havereportedthatiftheyarehavingabaddaythereissomeformofsupportavailabletothem,12%(141)ofyoungpeopledon’tbelievetheyhaveanysupportiftheyarehavingabadday.

Importanceoffriendsandfamily

Whenaskedwhoyoungpeoplewouldspeaktoiftheywerestruggling,33.8%wouldspeaktoafriendand31.9%wouldspeaktotheirmumordad.Furthermore,whenaskedwhatsupporttheybelievedshouldbeavailable,19.4%wouldlikesupportfromsomeonetheirownage.

QualitativeDataThefollowingaresomeofthequotesthathavebeenpulledfromthesurveysandgroupedbytheme:

LackofContinuedSupportandaplan:

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“Thecounsellorwasawfulandwasthenchangedbytheschool,andIwasnevercalledbackforanotherappointment”

“…Therewasnolong-termplanandIsoonslippedbackintooldhabits”

“Ithinktheservicesthatareavailableneedtobegreatlyimproved,it’snotdowntoschools,Ithinkmostoftheschoolsdowhattheycan.Itistheexternalservicesthatareahugeletdownthatareunsupported,unwelcomingandoverworked”

“…Ididn’tfeelIcouldopenupfullyaboutmyissues,asIwasn’tsurewhatsupportwouldbegiventomeafter”

“WasfantasticwhenIhadit[Chumssupport],butnowit’sworseIhaven’tgottenhelpagain”

“Sometimestheystopitforthetimebeing,however,itdoesn’tstopcompletely”

Waitingtimesaretoolong

“Ididnotbenefitfromprivatecounsellingbuttherewasnowayofgettinghelpfrom[the]Samaritansbecauseofthelengthywaitinglist!Theschoolservicewasonlyonceaweekandslightlyhelped”

“…CAMHisclearlyunderfundedanddischargedmewellbeforeIwasready”

“…stfrancis[sic]isn’treallyworkingandwithCAMHtheyhavetakenawhiletogetanappointmentsorted,ittookafewmonthsformetoseethemsincetheyassessedmeandlabled[sic]meas[a]mediumrisk”

“Iwasrejectedhelpbythecouncillors[sic]inschool”

“Wouldhavelikedtoreceivesupportsooner”

UncomfortablespeakingtoaCounsellor

“They[theschoolcounsellor]wereunfriendly,patronisingandmademefeelselfconsciousanduncomfortable”

“Ipersonallywouldn’topenuptoastranger”

Youngpeopleneedsomeonetheycantrustthatwillcontinuetohelp

“Iaskedforsupportanditwasgivenandtheysaidanotherappointmentwouldbemadebutitneverwasmade.Ididn’tmentionittoanyoneandjustignoredit”

“Peopleshouldbetaughthowtohandleitwhenafriendisstrugglingaspeopledon’tknowwhattodo”

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“Thecounsellorsentmeawaybecauseshefoundmedifficulttoopenup”

“Supportshouldn’tbeforcedonyoungpeopleandtrustneedstobeformedbetweenpeoplethatapersongoestosupportto[sic]”

“Ihaven’treceivedanysupportbutIhavetriedtotalktopeople(likemymum)andshedoesn’tlisten”

“No16-year-old(particularlyboys)wanttogoandtalktoa40-year-oldworkerorcounselloremployedbytheschool.Ladsneedtellingfromayoungagethatweneedtotalktoeachotheraboutstuffwithoutbeinglabelledasunmanlyorgay”

Toomuchstressandpressureatschool

“Maybeadultsshouldnotice.Andperhapsrealisethatweneedemotionalsupportratherthanjusteducational”

“Teacherstellusthatourmentalwellbeingisimportantandweshouldn’tstressourselvesouttoomuch,butIfeeltheydon’ttrulybelievewhattheysayandtheyputtoomuchpressureonustoget‘good’grades(Ihave,inthepast,beenupsetoverBgrades)”

“…beingadisabledpersonandapersonofotherminorities,itisliterallytorturetobeatschooloften…they[thegovernment]punishmyparentsifIcan’tgotoschoolandstruggletogetoutofbed–becauseI’mnotpracticallydying,Ihavetobeinschool,wherethedifficultylevelsaregettingharderandharder”

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RecommendationsinFull

Recommendation1-Step-up,Step-downSystem–WellbeinggroupsOneofthekeyfindingswithinthesurveyisthenumberofyoungpeoplereportingtohaveexperienceddifficultieswithmentalhealth;27%-over1in4-youngpeoplecomparedtothenationalestimatedaverageof1in10.Oftheseitisnotablethatoverhalfhavenotreceivedanyformalhelporsupportfortheirreportedstruggle.Whilstthereisn’tanyquantitativedatafromoursurveywhichrevealswhythistrendisapparent(andperhapsthereisscopeforfurtherresearchtobedonearoundthis),onewouldpresumethatthereisacombinationofreasonsforthis(backed-upbysomeofthequalitativedatareceived).Partofthereasonforthistrendisduetothestrainonthecurrentserviceswhichmeansthattherecanbelongwaitinglists;

“Ididnotbenefitfromprivatecounsellingbuttherewasnowayofgettinghelpfrom[the]Samaritansbecauseofthelengthywaitinglist!”

High“qualifying”needtoaccesstheservice;

“Iwasrejectedhelpbythecouncillors[sic]inschool”

Andalimitedtimespanonthelengthofintervention:

“…CAMHisclearlyunderfundedanddischargedmewellbeforeIwasready”

Partofthereasonisbecausesomeyoungpeopledon’tfeelcomfortableopeninguptoastranger:

“Ipersonallywouldn’topenuptoastranger”

Andpartofthereasonwillbedowntopersonalandmentalhealthcomplexities;therearesomeyoungpeoplethatworryabouttheinformationbeingshared:

“…eventhose[adults]youtrustwilltellothersiftheythinkitisnecessary”

Andsomewhostruggletoopenuptoanyoneabouttheissue:

“Maybeadultsshouldnotice.Andperhapsrealisethatweneedemotionalsupport…”

Inadditiontothenumberofyoungpeoplenotreceivinganyhelp,theyoungpeoplethathavereceivedformalsupporthighlightedtheissueofcontinualsupport.Currentlytheserviceisonlyabletoofferamaximumofsixsessionswithacounsellor,however,followingthosesessionsyoungpeoplehavefeltthattherewasn’tanyfurthersupportofferedtothemunlesstheirmentalhealthproblemsprogressedagain:

“…Therewasnolong-termplanandIsoonslippedbackintooldhabits”

“…Ididn’tfeelIcouldopenupfullyaboutmyissues,asIwasn’tsurewhatsupportwouldbegiventomeafter”

“WasfantasticwhenIhadit[Chumssupport],butnowit’sworseIhaven’tgottenhelpagain”

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Therefore,itseemsapparentthatthereisaneedforaspaceinwhichyoungpeoplecanmeetandreceivesomesupportiftheyarestrugglingwithmentalhealthandwhichyoungpeoplecanstep-upandstep-downintowhilsttheywaitformoreintensivesupport,oncethey’vefinishedreceivingcounselling,oriftheydon’t“qualify”formoreintensivesupport.ByutilisingcurrentservicesavailabletotheCounciltherecouldbeaseriesof“wellbeinggroups”setupwithinthecurrentyouthcentresandstaffedbythecommissionedyouthworkers,ifgivensomespecialisttrainingandsupport,wherebyyoungpeoplethatarewaitingformentalhealthservices,whohavefinishedwithmentalhealthservices,orwhodon’tqualifyformentalhealthservicescouldmeettoengageinpositiveactivitiese.g.art,drama,sport,etc.andsupportoneanotherunderthefacilitationofatrainedyouthworker.

Recommendation2-PeerSupportNetworkThedatacollectedhighlightstheimportantroleoffriendsandfamilyinsupportingyoungpeoplestrugglingwithmentalhealthissueswith626youngpeoplereportingthattheycurrentlytalktofriendsiftheyarehavingdifficulties,and332youngpeoplesuggestingthatpeersupportshouldbemadeavailabletohelpyoungpeoplewhomaybestruggling.Byintroducingaformalisedpeersupportnetworkinschools,itwouldalsohelpthe12%ofyoungpeoplewhoreportedthattheycurrentlydon’thaveanysupportiftheyarehavingabadday.

Furthermore,whenyoungpeoplewereaskedabouthowtheymightsupportothersthatarestruggling,noyoungpeoplesuggestedreferringthemtoanyservices(although8.9%saidtheywouldseekadvicefromothers).Althoughyoungpeoplemaybecomfortabletalkingtotheirpeersiftheyarestrugglingwithmentalhealth,theirpeersmaynotbewellenoughinformedandequippedtosupportthem,particularlyifitisamoreseriousmentalhealthissue.Therefore,ifaformalpeersupportnetworkwasimplementedyoungpeoplecouldbemoreconfidentthattheadviceandguidancethattheirpeersofferedwasgoingtobebetterinformed,asthe“mentalhealthchampions”wouldbegiventrainingandsupportinordertodotheirrole.

ThroughtrainingyoungpeopleandcreatinganidentifiablepeersupportsystemwithintheschoolsinCentralBedfordshire,wewillbeutilisingtheexistingsocialnetworksandsupportsystemsthatyoungpeopleuse,andcreatingsomesupportsystemsforyoungpeoplewhodon’thavestrongsocialnetworkstodependon.Indoingthiswecanaddresssomeoftheissuesraisedbyyoungpeople,suchasbuildingtrust:

“Supportshouldn’tbeforcedonyoungpeopleandtrustneedstobeformedbetweenpeoplethatapersongoestosupportto[sic]”

Receivingsupportfromsomeoneclosertotheyoungpeople’sage:

“No16yearold(particularlyboys)wantstogoandtalktoa40yearoldworkerorcounselloremployedbytheschool”

Andsupportingyoungpeopletohelpothers:

“Peopleshouldbetaughthowtohandleitwhenafriendisstrugglingaspeopledon’tknowwhattodo”

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Whilstapeersupportnetworkwouldn’tbeadequateforyoungpeopleexperiencingseriousmentalhealthdifficulties(tier3and4),thenetworkcouldbestructuredsothattheyoungpeoplewouldbeabletorefertheseriouscaseson.Thismightalleviatesomeofthecurrentpressuresontheservicesandgosomewaytohelpingyoungpeoplefeelacontinuedsupportbeforeandafteranycounselling,whilstthosethatneedlessformalsupportwhentheywerestrugglingcouldaccessthissupportwhentheyneededit,tohelppreventsomeinstancesescalating.Forinstance;whenyoungpeoplearefeelingoverburdenedwithinschoolpressuresassummarisedinthiscomment:

“Teacherstellusthatourmentalwellbeingisimportantandweshouldn’tstressourselvesouttoomuch,butIfeeltheydon’ttrulybelievewhattheysayandtheyputtoomuchpressureonustoget‘good’grades(Ihave,inthepast,beenupsetoverBgrades)”

Byhavingotheryoungpeoplewhoidentifywiththisissue,theyoungpeoplewouldbeabletosharetheirproblemwitha“MentalHealthChampion”andwithinthatspaceincreasetheirresiliencetothesestressesandpressure.

Recommendation3–ParentSupportSystemAshighlightedpreviously,oneofthemaincurrentsupportsystemsforyoungpeopleistheirfriendsandfamily.31.9%(591)ofyoungpeoplesaidthattheywouldgototheirparents(mumordad)iftheywerestruggling,whilst27.9%ofyoungpeoplesaidthatthey’dliketoreceivesupportfromanadultofferinghelp–whilstthisisnotdirectlysuggestingaparentitcouldincludethem.

Wehaven’tconductedasurveywithparentsandwouldstronglyrecommendthisasfurtherresearchtobeconducted.However,fromsomeofourqualitativedataitisapparentthattheremaybeaneedforfurthersupportandadvicetobemadeavailabletoparents:

“Ihaven’treceivedanysupportbutIhavetriedtotalktopeople(likemymum)andshedoesn’tlisten”

Thissupportandadvicecouldbeassimpleashostingsupportgroupsforparentswithchildrensufferingwithpoormentalhealth,inwhichparentscouldsharesomeoftheirstruggleswithothersexperiencingsimilarsituations.Withinthiscontexttheparentscouldalsobeofferedsometraining,advice,andsignposting,tohelpensurethattheyoungpeoplewerereceivingtheappropriatesupport.Inthisway,wecouldutilisetheyoungpeople’salreadyestablishedsupportnetworksandensurethatparentsweresupportedtohelptheirchildren,asmentalhealthandthementalhealthsupportstructurecanoftenbeconfusinganddauntingtoanyonewhohasnopriorexperienceorunderstandingofmentalhealth.

Recommendation4–Male“BreaktheStigma”CampaignFromsomeoftheresults,andinparticularsomecommentsfromthesurvey,itbecameapparentthatamentalhealthcampaignfocusedonyoungmaleswouldbeuseful.Thisissuewasidentifiedbyacoupleofyoungmalerespondents,withonerespondentcommenting:

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“…Ladsneedtellingfromayoungagethatweneedtotalktoeachotheraboutstuffwithoutbeinglabelledasunmanlyorgay”

Thisideaisfurtherbackedupbytheresultswhenbrokendownintogender,with30%ofmalesreportingthattheywouldtalkwiththeirfriendsiftheywerestruggling,comparedto36%offemales.Furthermore,theissueofthe“GenderParadox”,whichresultsinadisproportionatenumberofmalesuicideseveryyear,hasbeenwelldocumented.OnearticleonthesubjectoftheGenderParadoxwrites:

“…menandwomenequallysufferproblems,equallyconsidersuicide.Butitisculturallyacceptableforwomentotalkaboutproblemsandaskforhelp,butnotformen”3

Therefore,atargetedcampaignfocussingonyoungmaleswouldappeartobeimportant.Thecampaignshouldfocusonencouragingyoungmentotalkabouttheirfeelingswiththeirfriendsandtonotbeafraidofaskingforhelp.

3Powell,Jane(2015)‘TheGenderParadoxofSuicidalBehaviourandWhyWeCan’tAddresstheIssue’,HuffPostUK,31March,Availableat:http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jane-powell/male-suicide-rate_b_6562478.html(accessed1August2017)

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ConclusionWemustlistentothevoiceofyoungpeopleandprovideearlyhelptopreventthecurrenttrendofmentalhealthcrisisinyoungpeople.

Whilstweacceptthatthissurveyhassomelimitations,itundoubtedlyisastrongsamplethatrepresentsthevoiceofyoungpeopleacrossCentralBedfordshire,andthereforewebelievethattherecommendationsofthisreportshouldbeahighpriorityforCentralBedfordshireCouncil.WebelievethatthementalhealthservicesforyoungpeopleinCentralBedfordshirecanbeimprovedbyour4recommendations:a“step-up,step-down”system,apeersupportsystem,parentalsupport,andacampaigntargetedatmales.Theserecommendationsshouldsupport,andnotreplace,thecurrentserviceprovisioninCentralBedfordshire.

TherecommendationsofthisreportdorequiresomeinvestmentfromtheCouncil,however,theprimarycommitmentwillbeintimeandresourcesratherthan“new”money.GiventhecurrentcostofmentalhealthtotheCouncil,iftherecommendationscouldoffer“earlyhelp”toyoungpeople,andtherebypreventsomeinstancesfromdevelopingtheinvestmentmadebytheCouncilwouldberepaidinkind.AssuchwewouldstronglyencouragetheCounciltoinvestgoodqualityresourcestotheserecommendations,includingpersonnel,expertise,buildingsandequipment,andwhererequired,money.

Thereporthasbeencreatedbyyoungpeopleandisbasedontheviewsofyoungpeopleandwebelievethattherecommendationswillbettertheservicesavailable.ItwouldbeourrecommendationthatiftheCouncilshouldinvestintherecommendationsofthisreportthatitshouldcontinuetobeyoungpersonled,sothatyoungpeoplewilloverseeandassesstheundertakingoftherecommendations.

BibliographyTheChildren’sSociety,“TheGoodChildhoodReport2016Summary”(2016)

MentalHealthFoundation,“Peer-ledsupporttohelpyoungpeoplelookaftertheirmentalhealth”GoodMentalHealthforall,(November2013)Retrievedfrom.https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/news/peer-led-support-help-young-people-look-after-their-mental-health

Powell,Jane(2015)‘TheGenderParadoxofSuicidalBehaviourandWhyWeCan’tAddresstheIssue’,HuffPostUK,31March,Availableat:http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/jane-powell/male-suicide-rate_b_6562478.html(accessed1August2017)

Appendix

iAppen

143

210241

164

117

49

10

15%

22% 26%

18%

13%

5%

1%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

13 14 15 16 17 18 18+ 13 14 15 16 17 18 18+

AgeGroup

486665

23

41% 57%

2% 0% 20% 40% 60%

0

500

1000

Male Female NoResponse

Male Female NoResponse

Gender

84.9%

4.7% 3.8% 2.1% 1.5% 1.1% 0.7% 0.5% 0.3% 0.3% 0.1% 0%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Ethnicity

Appendix

ii

Appendix

iii

27.8%

18.9%

14.4%

11.2%

10.9%

10.5%

4.8%

0.7%

0.5%

0.2%

0.2%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

EtonburyAcademyBrooklandsMiddle

HarlingtonUpperSchoolMansheadUpperSchool

AllSaintsAcademyHoughtonRegisAcademy

VandykeUpperSchoolCedarsUpperSchool

BedfordCollegeAylesburyCollege

BiggleswadeAcademy

School

Yes19027%

No

50572%

NoResponse81%

ExperiencedMentalHealthProblems

Appendix

iv

Family12,4%

Doctor14,5%

CamHS8,3%

Chums7,3%

School22,8%

Yesbutnotdisclosed

11239%

NoHelpRecieved

10938% Other

6323%

Whathelpdidyourecieve?

Yes2623%

No

1715%

Partially54%

NoResponse6658%

Didthesupporthelp?

Appendix

vAppen

99921%

Childline21%

Counsellor124%

Family13545%

MedicalExpert3311%

TrustedPerson134%

Friend

21%

School8227% NoResponse

196%

Other5017%

Wherewouldyougo?

Yes2623%

No

1715%

Partially54%

NoResponse6658%

Wouldyouknowwheretogoorwhotoask?

Appendix

vi

Yes35972%

No

13928%

Wouldyoufeelconfidentaskingforhelp?

0.1%

52.2%

0.2%

0.7%

46.8%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Don'tKnow

NoResponse

Wouldnotofferhelp

Seekadvicefromothers

Talktotheperson

Howwouldyouhelp?

Appendix

vii

Yes40662%

No

20131%

NoResponse447%

Haveyouseenotherpeoplestruggling?

Yes96182%

No21318%

Isthereanysupportavailableifyouarehavingabadday?

Appendix

viii

2.0%

5.0%

8.4%

10.2%

11.4%

29.5%

33.5%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

YouthWorker

ASubjectteacher

ASupportTeacher/Tutor

BrotherorSister

Othermethod

Friend

MumorDad

Whowouldyoutalkto?

24.0%

21.7%

13.5%

8.6%

11.0%

21.2%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Someoneyourownageofferinghelp

Anadultofferinghelp

Activitieswhereyoucantalkaboutthings(E.gArt,Crafts,Sportsetc...)

Mentoring/Coaching/LifeCoachtypesupport

Counselling

Other

Whatsupportshouldbeavailable?

Appendix

ix

32.2%

28.5%

11.5%

5.3%

6.8%

9.7%

5.9%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

School

Home

Online

Viatext

Phone

CommunityVenue

Other

Wherewouldyouwanthelp?

32.2%

28.5%

11.5%

5.3%

6.8%

9.7%

5.9%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

School

Home

Online

Viatext

Phone

CommunityVenue

Other

Whenwouldbethebesttime?