We know that many children and young people will experience worries, stresses, or emotional difficulties at different points in their life. That’s why it’s so important that families, schools, services and communities work together to offer understanding and support. Children should feel that they have people around them who listen, care, and want to help.
This year’s theme - This is My Place - focuses on belonging and helping children feel accepted for who they are. Feeling like you belong at home, at school, online or in your community can boost confidence, reduce loneliness and improve mental wellbeing.
Young person's colourful drawing with feathers on it and a speech bubble which says "don't call me different" and the words neurotypical and neurodivergent are on either side.
A number of activities to highlight Children's Mental Health Week will be taking place across the county, with resources available from the mental health charity Place2B. A special event also took place on Saturday the 17th January at County Hall in Maidstone for young people to give their thoughts on mental health and what helps them to feel like they belong.
Amy Nichols worked with the young people at the event: "As an Emotional Wellbeing Participation Worker within the iTHRIVE and Participation Team at KCC, I spent time with young people at Kent Youth Voice to hear directly from them. A total of 114 young people aged 11–18 across Kent Youth County Council and the SEND Have Your Say group were given the opportunity to take part in this Choice Session, with young people attending from across the whole county. Together, we explored the theme of belonging and what they want parents to understand about supporting young people’s mental health."
- One message came through clearly: “I feel like I belong when I feel seen, heard and understood.”
- Young people shared that they should be able to freely express their emotions: “If I’m a boy and I cry, I don’t want to be told not to cry.”
- They also explained that advice only feels useful when adults explain why something helps: “If you give me advice for my mental health, please tell me why it helps. I don’t just want to be told to ‘have a bath’ or ‘go for a walk’; I want to understand the science behind it.”
- One young autistic boy shared something especially important. He said that hearing phrases like “your brain is wired differently” or “autism is your superpower” often makes him feel more different, not more understood. What helps him feel like he belongs is feeling normal and not being made to stand out.
Quotes created by a group of young people from Kent in a session about mental health
There's a lot of help available to support young people with their mental health on the Kent Resilience Hub, where you'll find resources for young people, as well as for parents and carers, staff and practitioners, to understand emotional wellbeing and resilience.
You can also get information on mental health support for children on the Kent and Medway Wellbeing Hub and on the KCC website.
