Well-being workshops for young people over summer thanks to Tesco cash
Children and young people are set to benefit from health and well-being workshops during the summer holiday.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, CAMHS, has been awarded a grant by Tesco.
CAMHS provides support and advice to children and young people across Swansea Bay, as well as their families and school staff, through its school in-reach service.
The service has trained more than 2,000 teachers and education staff on topics regarding emotional health and well-being.
During the last academic year it had contact with more than 12,000 children and young people through assemblies, whole-class teaching and group work, on emotions, self-esteem, confidence, and resilience.
Looking to expand its service over the summer months the service applied to the Tesco Stronger Starts programme. This provides grants to community projects across the UK, with an emphasis on those which provide food and support to young people.
Recognising its value, the fund has provided the school in-reach service with £1,000. This will be used to fund workshops for children and young people, as well as their parents and carers this summer, and staff well-being events throughout the academic year.
CAMHS school in-reach team lead Lucy Bolton said: "The brief for the summer workshops will support children and young people develop an emotional toolkit, providing them with strategies and tips to support their emotional health and well-being.
"One session will incorporate a paint-along activity. An art therapist and a play therapist will also attend to offer strategies on supporting emotional regulation.
"Our focus will then be to plan sessions for education staff, to support their well-being. This will be something we will look to plan over the summer holidays as a team and roll out within the new academic year."
One in six children and young people aged five to 16 years was estimated to have a probably mental health problem in 2021.
The CAMHS school in-reach service also runs parent and carer workshops to share with them the importance of children's emotional health and well-being and offer practical strategies that families can try at home..
Lucy added: "The service recognises that learning about well-being in schools is as important as learning times tables and the alphabet.
"We pledge to make learning about emotional well-being and self-care, fun, memorable and enjoyable. We hope this will give children and young people a positive foundation to being in tune with their mind and body and know what strategies help."
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