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Very Important Kids (VIK) campaign for change in the North West |
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YoungMinds is the UK's leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people up to 25 and empowering their parents and carers. As part of the Big Lottery funded Very Important Kids (VIK) National Project, the North West regional worker and VIK are working towards improving the voice of children and young people across the region, through active participation. This will inform the development and future of their mental health services; raise awareness of emotional health and wellbeing, and fight the stigma that still surrounds mental health. It will be achieved through a combination of training to CAMHs and universal services, youth led research, local targeted campaigns, the development of resources and participation models, local events and a regional youth participation conference early next year. All the work and campaigning will be continually fed back to influence change in national policy making and practice.
The Manifesto, created by the YoungMinds "Very Important Kids" (VIK) panel and "Healthy Heads" covers 11 areas they believe must change if all children and young people with Mental Health problems are to get the support they need:
'We're the experts; start listening to us'
'Lost in the system; don't forget about us when we are 16 plus'
'Stigma still affects us; it's about time we were able to talk about how we feel'
Many thousands of children are isolated, unhappy, have eating disorders or self harm. 80,000 children and young people suffer from severe depression. It is vital that mental health is now seen as everyone's business so that investment is made in high quality services and early intervention.
Find out more about the work of YoungMinds Manifesto though this link:
http://www.youngminds.org.uk/campaigns-policy/manifesto For information on the work of YoungMinds in the North West, please contact:
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