Guidance

Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people: examples of government-led contributions

Published 8 January 2024

Applies to England

Overview

The mental health of babies, children and young people (BCYP) influences their health, wider life chances and outcomes. The early part of the life course, from birth to young adulthood (0 to 25 years), provides important opportunities for promoting and protecting mental health.

The accompanying document Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people: a framework of modifiable factors identifies factors where there is scope to intervene to create the conditions that help to keep BCYP mentally well, and these are illustrated in figure 1 below.

This document provides examples of policies and programmes being delivered by central government that contribute in a positive way to addressing the factors that are identified in that framework. Examples are included from the following government departments:

• Department for Culture, Media and Sport
• Department for Education
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• Department of Health and Social Care
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Home Office

The details related to the examples included were accurate at the point of publication and are illustrative rather than comprehensive.

A third related document, Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people: methodology, literature and stakeholder feedback that informed the framework, outlines the methodology of and findings from the literature search and stakeholder engagement that informed the framework illustrated by figure 1.

Figure 1: babies, children and young people’s mental health: a framework of modifiable factors to guide promotion and prevention

Figure 1 contains 4 headings, each representing a different domain. These are, from left to right: 

• individual level
• interpersonal relationship level
• local community level
• wider environment and society level

Underneath each heading is a list of modifiable factors that influence BCYP health and fall within the relevant domain. 

The lists are contained within rectangles embedded within each other and increasing in size from left to right - conveying that individual-level factors are contained within interpersonal relationship-level factors, which are in turn affected by the local community. All factors are influenced by the wider environment and society as a whole.

Text alternative to figure 1

Domain: individual BCYP level

Modifiable factors that influence this domain include:

• premature birth
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• attachment
• speech, language and communication abilities
• physical health and health behaviours
• substance misuse
• gambling
• resilience
• body image
• social media and screen time
• hobbies and leisure time including arts, culture and play

Domain: interpersonal relationship level

Modifiable factors that influence this domain include:

• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver
• quality of relationships between parents or caregivers
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• abuse and neglect
• physical and mental health of parent or caregiver
• parental substance misuse
• poor experience of being in care
• bullying, including cyber bullying

Domain: local community level

Modifiable factors that influence this domain include:

• educational attainment and attendance
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environment
• mental health literacy, and social and emotional learning
• transitions between stages of education or into employment
• quality, security and nature of employment
• community networks, engagement and inclusivity
• safety, crime and violence
• access to health, care and support services
• loneliness and isolation

Domain: wider environment and society level

Modifiable factors that influence this domain include:

• poverty
• quality of housing and the built environment
• access to quality green and blue space, and engagement with nature
• quality and accessibility of transport
• access to digital resources
• experience of discrimination, stigma and prejudice
• exposure to online, media and advertising harms
• conflict, natural disasters and humanitarian crises
• climate change

The allocation of factors to one of the 4 domains contained within figure 1 was informed by a judgement about the level at which the action to modify the factors is most likely to be taken. However, the content across the domains should be read as an integrated whole. Some factors experienced at an individual level are mediated by family circumstances. Some factors identified at a wider environment and society level can be influenced at both a local authority level and at the level of national government. Some factors are cross-cutting in nature and could arguably sit in every domain. Although the factors are listed vertically in the domains, this does not reflect a hierarchy of priorities or degree of influence.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)-funded programmes such as the Youth Investment Fund, the National Citizen Service and the expanded Duke of Edinburgh Award, contribute towards helping BCYP in England through increased access to positive activities and opportunities for volunteering and civic participation.

DCMS is also working with Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust to support a network of over 450 school games organisers (SGOs). SGOs are delivering targeted sporting activities that inspire young people to be physically active, engage in competition and take up opportunities to become leaders. These activities promote positive interpersonal relationships, encourage the development of social and emotional skills and build resilience, all of which help to equip BCYP for later life and entry into the world of work.

DCMS-led communications campaigns such as its Every Mind Matters Loneliness Campaign also contribute to minimising the risks to children and young people’s mental health that arise from loneliness and isolation.

A list of DCMS-led activities aligned with modifiable factors that influence BCYP mental health follows.

Youth Investment Fund

The Youth Investment Fund (YIF) will build or refurbish up to 300 youth facilities, supporting 45,000 additional young people each year. This will enable young people to engage in positive activities outside school and access youth worker support.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the fund has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• resilience
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviours
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home

Programme status (underway or planned)

Phase 1: £12 million awarded in financial year 2021 to 2022 to youth facilities for small refurbishment or equipment (completed).

Phase 2: over £300 million, awards in progress from financial year 2022 to 2023, with the programme expected to be completed by 2025.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Findings from the evaluation of the previous YIF (2017 to 2020), comparing baseline and follow-up data at approximately 3 months, found statistically significant impacts in social skills, self-confidence, leadership, communication and self-expression, social connectedness, and happiness and wellbeing.^{[footnote 1]}

Findings from several literature reviews around the impact of youth work and out-of-school activities find small but significant effects on wellbeing and social and emotional skills (soft skills), as shown in this review of the evidence on the effectiveness of school-based and out-of-school programmes in the UK.

Research by OnSide, an organisation that provides large youth zones for young people, has found that most participants felt more self-confident and able to deal with emotional setbacks, and had better social skills - see OnSide’s various impact reports.

Expanding Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award scheme in schools and community organisations

DofE is to be offered to every secondary state school in England so participants can learn new skills, carry out volunteering and go on expeditions.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the scheme has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• resilience
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviours
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway and funded until 2025 (£4.57 million).

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

In 2020, DofE research found evidence of the positive benefits on participants’ wellbeing, with 62% saying that taking part made them more confident with overcoming difficult situations.

There is evidence to support the impact of the DofE on young people’s resilience, self-belief and sense of agency, social and employment related skills such as teamwork, responsibility and problem-solving, and the knock-on benefits to their academic attainment and employability.

Tackling uniformed youth groups waiting lists

DCMS is expanding capacity in uniformed youth organisations to offer teenagers on waiting lists the opportunity to attend a group - learning new skills, making friends, experiencing trips away and participating in volunteering.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the organisations have the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• resilience
• social and emotional skills
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviours
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway and funded until 2025 (£16.9 million).

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Youth participation in Guides or Scouts is associated with better mental health and narrower mental health inequalities at age 50.

Uniformed youth organisation activities, and the relationships they facilitate, are associated with a positive role in responding to loneliness, enhancing mental health, and promoting wellbeing among young people and adult volunteers.

Outdoor learning

DCMS is providing capital funding to take centres ‘off-grid’, hugely reducing energy costs both now and for the future.

It is also providing subsidies for around 10,000 disadvantaged young people to attend residential trips during holiday periods.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that outdoor learning has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• resilience
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviours
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance

Programme status (underway or planned)

Planned and funding secured.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Children raised with exposure to green space are up to 55% less likely to develop severe mental health problems such as substance abuse, stress-related illnesses and eating disorders.^{[footnote 2]}

Outdoor activities also improve cognitive function and reduce rates of cardiovascular morbidity and type-2 diabetes.^{[footnote 2]}

Additionally, outdoor learning has been shown to increase young people’s attainment in schools and their attitudes towards learning, as explained in this research report on outdoor learning hubs (PDF, 2.4 MB) and this research report on Wilderness Schooling (PDF, 203 KB).

#iwill Fund

The #iwill Fund creates a range of high-quality social action opportunities for young people across England.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the fund has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• resilience
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviours
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance
• transitions between stages of education or into employment

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, funded until 2025.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

The 2021 youth social action rapid evidence assessment found evidence that participating in social action can improve character-building, wellbeing and mental health, active citizenship and sense of belonging.

In the National Youth Social Action Survey 2019, the most common benefit of social action cited by young people was “increased self-confidence and self-esteem” (mentioned by 44%).

Additionally, a randomised control trial conducted in 2016 by the Behavioural Insights Team found significant increases in employability skills and character traits for adulthood such as empathy and co-operation when young people participated in social action - see the final report on Evaluating Youth Social Action.

Better Health: Every Mind Matters - Loneliness national communications campaign

Delivered as part of the established Better Health: Every Mind Matters brand, the aim of the campaign is to shift people’s attitudes and behaviours in relation to loneliness.

The campaign targets young people aged 16 to 34 and encourages them to reach out to others. This is intended to reduce loneliness and increase mental wellbeing in BCYP.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the campaign has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, annual campaign.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

National Citizen Service (NCS)

The NCS arranges programmes for young people from different backgrounds to work together on socially beneficial projects to develop their communication, leadership and team-working skills.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the service has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• resilience
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviours
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance
• transitions between stages of education or into employment
• community networks, engagement and inclusivity

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, £171 million funding for financial years 2022 to 2023 and 2024 to 2025.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

There is evidence that the NCS leads to improvements in life satisfaction, happiness and anxiety. See National Citizen Service 2019 Summer Evaluation: main report and Exploring the wellbeing impact of NCS: an interim report (PDF, 825 KB).

Every £1 spent on NCS generates an estimated economic ‘wellbeing’ benefit of £3.05.

76% of NCS participants felt more positive about people from different backgrounds after attending the programme, and increased levels of social trust.

NCS has a positive impact on young people engaging in their community, with 65% of participants more likely to help out in their local area afterwards.

Two years following the programme, participants were still ahead of peers on key work skills such as teamwork, communication and leadership. 85% of participants agreed that NCS provides an opportunity to develop skills which will be useful to them in the future.

Sports: school games organisers (SGO) programme (delivered through Sport England)

The SGO programme inspires young people to be physically active for life through positive and inclusive experiences of sport and physical activity. It also encourages healthy daily activity and competition, and opportunities to become leaders and volunteers.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• physical health and health behaviours
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• resilience
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance

Programme status (underway or planned)

In progress, funding confirmed until the end of the 2024 to 2025 academic year.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

The Active Lives Survey of more than 300,000 people aged 5 to 16 has shown a positive association between sport or physical activity and loneliness. There is also clear positive association between loneliness and volunteering, and sport and physical activity. Of those surveyed, 10% of BCYP aged 11 to 16 who are classed as ‘active’ (do an average of over 60 minutes per day) said they often or always feel lonely compared with 12% who are active for less than 30 minutes per day.

Happiness measure scores are higher for those who are active (7.0) than those who are less active (6.7). BCYP who volunteer also score higher (7.0) than those who do not (6.4).

Active BCYP are more likely to agree with the statement ‘If I find something difficult, I keep trying until I can do it’. Young people who volunteer are more likely to be resilient. (See data from Sport England.)

Department for Education

Education can have a range of positive impacts on the longer-term mental health and wellbeing of young people. Evidence supports a bi-directional relationship between BCYP mental health and academic outcomes, with slightly more evidence for mental health problems undermining academic attainment than vice versa. See, for example, reports on the impact of pupil behaviour and wellbeing on educational outcomes, the impact of mental health and wellbeing on GCSE performance in England, and correlates of mental illness and wellbeing in children.^{[footnote 3]} The act of learning is one of the 5 steps to mental wellbeing promoted by the NHS.

Good educational experiences influence many of the factors that are foundational for positive mental health:

• promoting social connection with peers and trusted adults
• supporting the development of emotional and social skills
• helping to develop healthy habits and behaviours
• equipping young people with knowledge and skills to look after their mental health and wellbeing

The Department for Education (DfE) implements a range of measures to help educational settings take effective whole-institution approaches to mental health and wellbeing. This work spans:

• promoting pupil and student mental wellbeing
• helping to identify and intervene early when a child or young person is experiencing mental health difficulties
• working effectively with specialist services where these are required

It is particularly important for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), or in alternative provision, to get the support they need to thrive and prepare for happy, healthy and productive adulthoods. Identifying and providing support for emerging and more complex needs, including for social, emotional and mental health issues, is an important part of DfE’s approach to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in education settings.

DfE supports and protects the most vulnerable children, particularly through children’s social care. Families and loving relationships are at the heart of the department’s approach, with a focus on early help and support for those who are struggling, helping families to overcome challenges, keeping children safe, and making sure children in care have stable loving homes, long-term loving relationships and opportunities for a good life.

A list of DfE-led activities aligned with modifiable factors that influence BCYP mental health follows.

Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision green paper

DfE is working to deliver 2 key recommendations from the 2017 green paper:

• incentivising and supporting schools to identify and train a senior mental health lead, who can implement and sustain a whole-school or college approach to mental health. DfE has committed to offer all state schools and colleges a senior mental health lead training grant by 2025. Over half of eligible settings, including more than 7 in 10 secondary schools, have taken up this offer so far
• working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England to deliver mental health support teams to support schools and colleges (see DHSC section below)

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the green paper has the potential to modify:

• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environment
• access to health, care and support services
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Whole-school approaches are well accepted as important to supporting BCYP mental health.^{[footnote 3]}

Schools white paper: richer educational experience

The schools white paper includes a commitment to support schools to offer a richer school week with every child able to take part in activities like sport, music and cultural opportunities.

School provision is supported by national guidance, such as the School sport and activity action plan and the national plan for music education.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the white paper has the potential to modify:

• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• loneliness and isolation
• relationships with peers and adults outside the home
• educational attainment and attendance
• resilience
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environment
• access to quality green and blue space and engagement with nature

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

These policies aim to increase provision and improve participation levels in the sorts of activities that evidence indicates promote personal development and wellbeing. They may also improve school belonging, a key factor in mental health.

Schools white paper: attendance

The schools white paper also contains the commitment that, by 2030, every child will be taught in a school with high levels of attendance. To support this, DfE is continuing to deliver its comprehensive attendance strategy to improve school attendance, including through:

• reviewing the system as a whole and publishing updated expectations setting out how schools, trusts and local authorities should work together to improve attendance
• establishing a better flow of pupil-level attendance data to help schools and local authorities to identify children at risk of persistent absence and enable early intervention
• convening the Attendance Action Alliance: a group of national leaders from education, children’s social care and allied services to work together to raise school attendance and reduce persistent absence through targeted pledges

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the white paper has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• relationships with peers and adults outside the home
• educational attainment and attendance
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environment

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Calm, safe and supportive school environments help make school a place where children want to be, and can develop positive relationships with peers and staff, promoting engagement and a sense of belonging.

Anti-bullying measures

All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. Schools can develop their own anti-bullying strategies and they are held to account for their effectiveness by Ofsted.

Government provides further support for schools on this issue, including through guidance, the Respectful School Communities self-review and signposting tool, and £2 million funding (2021 to 2023) to anti-bullying charities to support schools to tackle bullying.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the measures have the potential to modify:

• relationships with peers and adults outside the home
• bullying, including cyber bullying
• educational attainment and attendance
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environment
• experience of discrimination, stigma and prejudice

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Relationships, sex and health education (RSHE)

Statutory RSHE builds pupil knowledge and life skills including in relation to their social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing. RSHE also teaches pupils about respect and tolerance and online safety, supported by guidance for teachers.

In further education, while DfE does not provide a national curriculum beyond key stage 4, post-16 providers have the flexibility to offer aspects of relevant RSHE and should support students to access the information and support they need.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• bullying, including cyber bullying
• physical health and health behaviours
• mental health literacy and social and emotional learning
• exposure to online, media and advertising harms
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environment
• experience of discrimination, stigma and prejudice
• relationships with peers and adults outside the home
• abuse and neglect
• substance misuse
• gambling
• body image
• social media and screen time

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Education and pastoral support for children in need through designated teachers and virtual school heads (VSHs)

DfE has a range of policies and actions to ensure children in need (including looked-after children and adopted children) receive effective support:

• all local authorities must appoint a VSH, who has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of all children in their care. The role of the VSH has been expanded to cover children who have left care through adoption or special guardianship or child arrangements order (2018), and all children with a social worker (2021)
• a personal education plan (PEP) for all looked-after children, setting out educational needs and how they will be met. Looked-after children also attract Pupil Premium Plus funding to support education outcomes, aligned with the child’s PEP, and have priority in school admissions
• all maintained schools and academies must appoint a designated teacher, who acts as a source of support and advice on the needs of the looked-after children on the school’s roll, and has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of all children who have left care through adoption or special guardianship or child arrangements order

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• poor experience of being in care
• relationships with peers and adults outside the home
• loneliness and isolation
• educational attainment and attendance
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Stable Homes, Built on Love: plan to reform children’s social care

This is a bold and ambitious plan to reform children’s social care, setting out how government will help families overcome challenges, keep children safe and make sure children in care have stable loving homes, long-term loving relationships and opportunities for a good life. This is backed by £200 million investment over this Spending Review period so DfE can start reforms immediately and build the evidence for future roll-out.

Within this plan, activities specifically focused on improving the mental health and wellbeing of care-experienced BCYP include:

• strengthening the joint DfE and DHSC guidance for local authorities, NHS England and other relevant public bodies and professionals on promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children and care leavers. The update will extend the guidance to cover care leavers up to age 25 and ensure it sets out clear expectations for practice
• reviewing and working to strengthen the knowledge and skills in relation to mental health in the social care workforce. This includes ensuring that the new Early Career Framework (ECF), currently under development, develops social worker skills, so they can better respond to individuals with mental health needs.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the plan has the potential to modify:

• poor experience being in care
• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver
• quality of relationships between parents or caregivers
• loneliness and isolation
• relationships with peers and outside of the home
• access to health, care and support services
• abuse and neglect
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• attachment
• physical health and health behaviours
• abuse and neglect
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• experience of discrimination, stigma and prejudice

Programme (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Early years foundation stage framework (EYFS)

The statutory EYFS framework, which all early years providers in England must follow, includes personal, social and emotional development (PSED) as one of 3 prime areas of learning and development. It supports children to understand and manage their emotions and develop a positive sense of self. The 2021 EYFS reforms strengthened the educational programme for PSED.

This statutory requirement is supported by training with content on PSED through the Early Years Professional Development Programme.

The Help for early years providers online platform has training on PSED, and content is being developed to help early years practitioners to support children’s mental health.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the framework has the potential to modify:

• resilience
• transitions between stages of education or into employment
• speech, language and communication abilities
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviour
• mental health literacy and social and emotional learning
• safe, calm and supportive and inclusive learning environment
• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Family Hubs and Start for Life programme

Family hubs are ‘one stop shops’ that make it easier for families to access a range of services, including mental health and wellbeing support.

Investment of around £300 million in a 3-year Family Hubs and Start for Life programme (joint between DfE and DHSC) in 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation will transform services for parents, carers, babies and children. £100 million of this funding has been allocated to establish and improve perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support.

DfE’s additional £12 million Family Hubs Transformation Fund will support a further 13 local authorities to open family hubs.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• quality of relationships between parents or caregivers
• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, programme runs until March 2025.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

It is too early to give an indication of impact. However, an independent evaluation is taking place alongside regular monitoring information collection.

SEND and alternative provision improvement plan

This joint publication between DfE and DHSC sets out the government’s mission for the SEND and alternative provision system to fulfil children’s potential, build parents’ trust and provide financial sustainability. Key measures include:

• improving ordinarily available provision by setting clear expectations for the types of support that should be available in mainstream settings through new national SEND and alternative provision standards
• testing key reforms by creating 9 Change Programme partnerships through the £70 million Change Programme
• investing £2.6 billion into special and alternative provision places, including opening 41 new special schools with a further 50 in the pipeline
• investing £18 million between 2022 and 2025 to double the capacity of the Supported Internships Programme
• investing £30 million to go towards developing innovative approaches for short breaks for children, young people and their families
• investing an additional £7 million to fund an extension of the alternative provision specialist taskforces to run until March 2025
• increasing the high needs funding by a further £440 million for 2024 to 2025, bringing total funding to £10.5 billion - an increase of over 60% since 2019 to 2020

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the plan has the potential to modify:

• speech, language and communication abilities
• resilience
• educational attainment and attendance
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environments
• transitions between stages of education or into employment
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

University Mental Health Charter Programme

DfE has set a target for all universities to join the University Mental Health Charter Programme by September 2024. This supports universities as they work towards the principles of good practice laid out in the University Mental Health Charter Framework to become places that promote the mental health and wellbeing of all members of the university community. 

Providers who sign up to the charter are committing to implementing a whole-university approach to mental health and wellbeing. 

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• access to health, care and support services
• resilience
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environment
• transitions between stages of education or employment

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Research suggests that a whole-school approach to mental health promotion can be more effective than a compartmentalised approach^{[footnote 4]} and has been recommended by the World Health Organization.

Student Space

DfE has worked with the Office for Students (OfS) and Student Minds to provide Student Space, an online platform designed to support student mental health and wellbeing by bridging any gaps in support for students, working alongside existing services.

Funded with up to £3.6 million by the OfS and the Higher Education Funding Council Wales (HEFCW), Student Space has now received a funding commitment of £262,500 annually for 3 years to extend this provision of online mental health support to all students in England and Wales until 2026.

Student Space has provided vital mental health and wellbeing resources to over 450,000 students. 

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the platform has the potential to modify:

• mental health literacy
• transitions between stages of education or into employment
• access to health, care and support services
• loneliness and isolation
• access to digital resources
• resilience
• physical health and health behaviours

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Student Space offers a wide range of articles and support materials on issues that have been identified to impact student mental health, as well as pointing students to the mental health services available at their institution.

OfS funding to support student mental health

DfE has asked the OfS to distribute £15 million of funding, as part of the Strategic Priorities Grant, to providers in 2023 to 2024 to support student mental health, including providing additional support for transitions from school or college to university, with a particular focus on providing counselling services for students.

This funding will also allow providers to continue to develop better partnerships with local NHS services so students can better navigate the pathways for mental health provision.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the funding has the potential to modify:

• transitions between stages of education or into employment
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is helping to design and deliver programmes that increase opportunities for BCYP to connect with nature and access green or blue spaces, in line with the commitment made in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 to ensure that everyone is no more than a 15-minute walk from a green or blue space, and to work to reduce barriers to access.

Evidence shows there are a range of associated benefits for mental health spanning attention and memory restoration, resilience, engagement, enjoyment, social skills and self-regulated behaviour, experiencing success, wellbeing and confidence. See, for example, a briefing on the links between natural environments and mental health.

Where possible, Defra ensures programmes of work are targeted to reach populations most in need.

A list of Defra-led activities aligned with modifiable factors that influence BCYP mental health follows.

Ongoing programme of work to increase access to and connection with nature for everyone including BCYP

This work includes Defra programmes such as:

• £14.5 million investment in Access for All, reducing barriers to accessing nature
• the King Charles III England Coast Path (2,700-mile path)
• Coast to Coast National Trail
• open access mapping

Jointly with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, investing in a Levelling Up Parks Fund, targeted at the most deprived and low-in-green-space local authorities, to improve the condition and availability of green space for over 100 urban communities across the country.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviours
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• loneliness and isolation
• relationship with peers and trusted adults outside of the home
• community networks, engagement and inclusivity
• quality of housing and the built environment
• access to quality green and blue space and engagement with nature

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Evidence on the links between the natural environment and mental health is documented in this briefing.

Defra plans to develop a standard evaluation framework for examining the health impacts of outdoor interventions.

Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill Health through Green Social Prescribing (GSP) project

£5.77 million cross-governmental project led by Defra and including NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the Department of Health and Social Care, Natural England, Sport England, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the National Academy of Social Prescribing.

By effectively implementing GSP, the project aimed to improve mental health outcomes, reduce health inequalities, reduce demand on the health and social care system, and develop best practice at a local level.

The project has supported the roll-out of social prescribing across all primary care networks in England, and paved the way for better collaboration across government and for new commitments (for example, NHS England’s recent commitment to more ambitious social prescribing targets).

The programme formally closed in March 2023. However, work is continuing at local and national level to secure the legacy of the programme.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the project has the potential to modify:

• resilience
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• physical health and health behaviours
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• loneliness and isolation
• relationship with peers and adults outside of the home
• community networks, engagement and inclusivity
• access to health, care and support services
• quality of housing and the built environment
• access to quality green and blue space and engagement with nature

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Evidence on how the natural environment can support children and young people is documented in this briefing.

Defra plans to develop a standard evaluation framework for examining the health impacts of outdoor interventions, so it can consistently measure the public health impacts of its work to increase access to the outdoors.

Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund

At the heart of rural communities, village halls provide access to a variety of activities, community groups, learning opportunities and services. They often provide the only place for a community to meet and socialise locally.

The Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Improvement Grant includes £3 million of funding to modernise and improve rural community buildings and facilities.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the fund has the potential to modify:

• loneliness and isolation
• quality of housing and the built environment
• community networks, engagement and inclusivity

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, first awards made April 2023.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Under the previous grant scheme, 65% of halls reported their project had already increased use of their hall. (However, many projects were delayed by the pandemic so these figures will increase as awareness of the improved facilities spreads.)​

Flood prevention policies

Defra oversees a range of flood prevention measures that minimise the risk of flooding and hence the effects of natural disasters.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the policies have the potential to modify:

• conflict, natural disasters and humanitarian crises
• quality of housing and the built environment
• safety, crime and violence

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Department of Health and Social Care

The government published The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days in March 2021. The vision set out the findings of the Early Years Healthy Development Review alongside a vision for improving support for families during the 1,001 critical days. The vision’s aim is to ensure every baby in England is given the best possible start in life, regardless of background.

To help turn this vision into reality, the government is investing over £300 million into the 3-year Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. The programme is overseen jointly by DfE and DHSC and is funding new or transformed family hubs and a range of Start for Life services in 75 local authorities in England.

The modernised healthy child programme sets out a vision for a universal offer from health visiting and school nursing services to support maternal and family mental health for 0 to 5-year-olds, and promote resilience and wellbeing among 5 to 19-year-olds.

DHSC is working in partnership with DfE and NHS England to enable BCYP to have better mental health and wellbeing, supported and promoted by schools, colleges, parents, carers and the health system, and for children and young people experiencing poor mental health to be offered early appropriate support. Almost 400 mental health support teams (MHSTs) have been rolled out across schools and colleges in England, offering provision to children with common mental health issues such as anxiety. By 2024, it is expected there will be 500 MHSTs in place. 

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Better Health: Every Mind Matters social marketing programme aims to equip young people to look after their mental wellbeing through NHS-endorsed digital content and classroom resources, developed in partnership with clinical and academic experts and end users. All resources are for use in preventing or caring for sub-clinical mental health problems, with clear signposting to sources of support for more acute or emergency needs.

A list of DHSC-led activities aligned with modifiable factors that influence BCYP mental health follows.

Better Health: Every Mind Matters behaviour change campaign

The Every Mind Matters campaign is delivered via social media channels and through relationships, personal, social and health education lesson plans. It aims to equip children and young people aged 10 to 18 to take action to protect and improve their mental health.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the campaign has the potential to modify:

• resilience
• physical health and health behaviours
• hobbies and leisure time, including arts, culture and play
• bullying, including cyber bullying
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Unpublished programme evaluation found that 58% of those exposed to the campaign during 2021 to 2022 reported having taken action to improve and protect their mental health.

Family Hubs and Start for Life programme (delivered jointly with DfE)

Family hubs are ‘one-stop shops’ that make it easier for families to access a range of services, including mental health and wellbeing support.

Investment of around £300 million in a 3-year Family Hubs and Start for Life programme (delivered jointly between DfE and DHSC) in 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation will transform services for parents, carers, babies and children. £100 million of this funding has been allocated to establish and improve perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support.

DfE’s additional £12 million Family Hubs Transformation Fund will support a further 13 local authorities to open family hubs.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• quality of relationships between parents or caregivers
• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway. Programme runs until March 2025.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

It is too early to give an indication of impact. However, an independent evaluation is taking place alongside regular monitoring information collection.

Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper

Since publication of this green paper in 2017, DHSC has worked with NHS England and DfE to deliver commitments around MHSTs and Senior Mental Health Leads (SMHL) training in schools and colleges, along with a 4-week wait pilot to test how young people can access NHS mental health support quickly and easily.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the green paper has the potential to modify:

• access to health, care, and support services
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• relationships with peers and adults outside the home
• educational attainment and attendance
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environment

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

The Early Evaluation of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Trailblazer Programme provides insights into the initial roll-out of MHSTs.

Healthy child programme

The healthy child programme is the national prevention and early intervention public health framework, which is offered to all families in England as part of the Public Health Grant.

The modernised framework provides local authority commissioners and partners with a schedule of interventions that includes health and development reviews, early identification of need, health improvement, wellbeing, parenting and safeguarding. It promotes action across community, universal, targeted and specialist levels, depending on individual and family need.

Supporting maternal and family mental health and resilience and wellbeing are identified as ‘high-impact areas’ for universal health visiting and school nursing services.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• physical health and health behaviours
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• quality of relationships between parents or caregivers
• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• abuse and neglect
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

The Community Services Data Set (CSDS) and Child and Maternal Fingertips Profiles provide a range of indicators useful for measuring performance and outcomes.

Healthy guidance: establishing youth-friendly health and care services; known as ‘You’re Welcome’

The ‘You’re Welcome’ guidance sets out standards to help improve the quality of, and access to, health and wellbeing services for young people.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the guidance has the potential to modify:

• access to health, care and support services
• experience of discrimination, stigma and prejudice
• substance misuse
• resilience
• physical health and health behaviours
• poor experience of being in care
• bullying including cyber bullying
• access to digital resources

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Additional treatment funding committed to in the 10-year drugs strategy ‘From harm to hope’

The drugs strategy was published in 2021 with a commitment to provide additional funding of £532 million to improve the capacity and quality of substance misuse treatment and recovery services over 3 years from 2021 to 2022 to 2024 to 2025.

Most of the additional funding is being invested in adult substance misuse treatment and recovery. The menu of interventions local authorities can draw from includes being able to invest in supporting parents and others living with children where this is a local priority. This will help reduce parental addiction and improve family functioning. Local systems are also able to invest in supporting children where they are being affected by their parents’ drinking and drug use.  

The additional funding is also being invested in enhancing the capacity and quality of children and young people’s substance misuse treatment, with an ambition to get an extra 5,000 children and young people in treatment by 2024 to 2025.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the funding has the potential to modify:

• substance misuse
• parental substance misuse
• quality of relationships between parents or caregivers
• safety, crime and violence

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

In 2021 to 2022, 20% (26,570) of adults starting drug and alcohol treatment were living with children, either their own or someone else’s.

In 2021 to 2022, 46% (3,739) of young people starting drug or alcohol treatment were recorded as having an unmet mental health need.

These and additional supporting statistics are viewable in this 2021 to 2022 report on adult substance misuse treatment statistics.

Supporting the roll-out of the early language identification measure (ELIM) and intervention

A new ELIM and intervention was published in 2020. It aims to improve early identification of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) as part of the 2 to 2-and-a-half-year healthy child programme review undertaken by health visitors. DHSC continues to support the roll-out of this tool.

The ELIM and intervention is intended to enhance the early identification of SLCN, so that children receive appropriate support to develop to their full potential.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the measure has the potential to modify:

• speech, language, and communication abilities
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance
• transitions between stages of education or into employment

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Early language skills are important for the development of social and emotional skills, and for establishing relationships.

Without appropriate intervention, children with SLCN are at risk of poorer outcomes across the life course, including poorer educational attainment, employment prospects and mental health.

DHSC is developing plans to evaluate the impact of the ELIM and Intervention on BCYP outcomes. 

SEND and alternative provision improvement plan

This joint publication between DfE and DHSC sets out the government’s mission for the SEND and alternative provision system to fulfil children’s potential, build parents’ trust and provide financial sustainability. Key measures include:

• improving ordinarily available provision by setting clear expectations for the types of support that should be available in mainstream settings through new national SEND and alternative provision standards
• testing key reforms by creating 9 Change Programme partnerships through our £70 million Change Programme
• investing £2.6 billion into special and alternative provision places, including opening 41 new special schools with a further 50 in the pipeline
• investing £18 million between 2022 and 2025 to double the capacity of the Supported Internships Programme
• investing £30 million to go towards developing innovative approaches for short breaks for children, young people and their families
• investing an additional £7 million to fund an extension of the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces to run until March 2025
• increasing the high needs funding by a further £440 million for 2024 to 2025, bringing total funding to £10.5 billion - an increase of over 60% since 2019 to 2020

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the plan has the potential to modify:

• speech, language, and communication abilities
• resilience
• educational attainment and attendance
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environments
• transitions between stages of education or into employment
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Refer to the evidence listed within the ‘Speech, language and communication abilities’ section, under individual-level findings, of the accompanying Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people: methodology, literature review and stakeholder feedback that informed the framework document.

Guidance on the health risks of damp and mould for social and private rented housing providers

This new consolidated guidance (led by DHSC and published in collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is a key part of driving up standards and addressing damp and mould in the rented housing sector.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the guidance has the potential to modify:

• quality of housing and the built environment
• physical health and health behaviours
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health

Programme status (underway or planned)

Published October 2023.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Cold Homes Programme

Work streams under this programme include:

• identifying effective cold home interventions
• supporting regional teams with cold homes training and development
• development of a cold homes resource pack
• evaluation of cold homes e-learning module (training for health and social care professionals to identify and act upon cold home related hazards)

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• quality of housing and the built environment
• physical health and health behaviours
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Children and adults living in cold homes are more likely to experience anxiety and depression. Children living in a poor-quality home are 3 to 4 times more likely to have mental health problems and 2 to 3 times more likely to be absent from school than other children.

Refer to the evidence listed within the ‘Quality of housing and the built environment’ section, under wider environment and society-level findings, of the accompanying Improving the mental health of babies, children and young people: methodology, literature review and stakeholder feedback that informed the framework document.

SEND and alternative provision improvement plan

This joint publication between DfE and DHSC sets out the government’s mission for the SEND and alternative provision system to fulfil children’s potential, build parents’ trust and provide financial sustainability. Key measures include:

• improving ordinarily available provision by setting clear expectations for the types of support that should be available in mainstream settings through new national SEND and alternative provision standards
• testing key reforms by creating 9 Change Programme partnerships through the £70 million Change Programme
• investing £2.6 billion into special and alternative provision places, including opening 41 new special schools with a further 50 in the pipeline
• investing £18 million between 2022 and 2025 to double the capacity of the Supported Internships Programme
• investing £30 million to go towards developing innovative approaches for short breaks for children, young people and their families
• investing an additional £7 million to fund an extension of the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces to run until March 2025
• increasing the high needs funding by a further £440 million for 2024 to 2025, bringing total funding to £10.5 billion - an increase of over 60% since 2019 to 2020

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the plan has the potential to modify:

• speech, language and communication abilities
• resilience
• educational attainment and attendance
• safe, calm, supportive and inclusive learning environments
• transitions between stages of education or into employment
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) Supporting Families Programme (England only) encourages services to work together with local partners to provide early and co-ordinated support to vulnerable families facing multiple and complex problems.

The programme’s national evaluation shows that complex families have disproportionately high levels of health problems compared with the general population. Poor mental health is particularly pertinent, with over two-fifths of families on the programme having a family member with a mental health problem. That is why improved mental and physical health is one of the 10 headline eligibility criteria for families to receive support from the programme (each family must include dependent children and/or expectant parents, and demonstrate a minimum of 3 of 10 qualifying needs).

The programme can also: 

• support family harmony and stability
• help to minimise the risk that children in vulnerable families will:
  • experience absence of or poor-quality care and interaction with a parent or caregiver
  • end up in the care system
  • experience school exclusion
  • become involved in violence or crime
  • experience poverty and deprivation
  • experience financial, housing or food insecurity

From April 2024, responsibility for the Supporting Families Programme will transfer from DLUHC to DfE as part of a machinery of government change. This will enable the Education Secretary to deliver a co-ordinated, whole-system of support for children and families, as well as ensuring services are sustainable for local government.

A list of DLUHC-led activities aligned with modifiable factors that influence BCYP mental health follows.

Supporting Families Programme

This programme supports local authorities and agencies to deliver integrated early help services and innovations that, for example, improve school attendance, help parents overcome substance misuse, keep families together, and support victims of domestic abuse.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• quality of relationships between parents or caregivers
• abuse and neglect
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• parental substance misuse
• physical health and health behaviours
• substance misuse
• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• educational attainment and attendance
• poverty
• access to timely health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway and funded up until 2025.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

The programme’s evaluation shows it is successfully preventing high-cost statutory intervention - for example, reducing the proportion of:

• children on the programme going into care
•  adults receiving custodial sentences
• juveniles receiving custodial sentences
• adults on the programme claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance

Safe accommodation

DLUHC is committed to the delivery of safe accommodation with support for all victims of domestic abuse.

New duties on Tier 1 local authorities in England included in Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 ensure victims and their children across England can access the right support in safe accommodation when they need it. 

Under the duty, local authorities must appoint and take advice from a Domestic Abuse Local Partnership Board, and the board must include someone who can represent the interests of children. This will ensure the unique support needs of children staying with a parent in domestic abuse-safe accommodation are adequately considered and addressed.

Accompanying statutory guidance describes children’s support as including play therapy, child advocacy or a specialist children worker (for example, a young people’s violence adviser, independent domestic violence adviser (IDVA) or outreach worker specialised in working with children).

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the duty has the potential to modify:

• poverty
• quality of housing and the built environment
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• safety, crime and violence
• access to health, care and support services
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• parental substance misuse
• abuse and neglect
• quality of relationship with or between parent or caregiver

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

All local authorities are now working with local partners and commissioning support for victims of domestic abuse, including their children, in safe accommodation. 

An evaluation of local authority domestic abuse duties has been commissioned and is due to report in March 2025. This will evaluate how relevant duties are being implemented and the extent to which the support provided to victims is meeting victims’ needs, including the experience of children and young people.

Design Code Pathfinder Programme

The Design Code Pathfinder Programme is supporting 21 local planning authorities and 4 neighbourhood planning groups to produce design codes, which will empower communities to have their say on the development of new homes, buildings and amenities, such as shops and workspaces, in their area and help restore people’s pride in the places they live. The design codes and processes adopted through the programme will serve as examples for others to follow.

Design codes set the rules for the design of new development, building on the 10 characteristics of well designed places set out in the National design guide to help steer new development to deliver healthy, greener, environmentally responsive, sustainable and distinctive places, with a consistent and high-quality standard of design.

The National Model Design Code provides tools and guidance to local councils for producing design codes that promote the use of high-quality design to shape and deliver beautiful places for communities across the country.

The National Design Guide and National Model Design Code are both part of the suite of national planning practice guidance that supports the National Planning Policy Framework.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• safety, crime and violence
• quality of housing and the build environment
• access to quality green and blue space and engagement with nature

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway. 14 local councils tested the application of the National Model Design Code in 2021.

A further 25 organisations are being supported through the programme in 2022 to 2023.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Department for Work and Pensions

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides support across a range of initiatives, from administering benefit payments and delivering tailored support, to contributing to cross-government priorities such as the Supporting Families Programme. Young people also receive individually tailored work coach support from its Youth Offer, helping young people gain the skills and confidence they need to move into employment.

In England, DWP’s innovative Reducing Parental Conflict programme works with local authorities to integrate support for parents experiencing conflict within their children and families services. Local authority engagement with Reducing Parental Conflict has increased since its launch in 2017. Developing evidence suggests that there are improvements in child mental health as a result of Reducing Parental Conflict interventions.

A list of DWP-led activities aligned with modifiable factors that influence BCYP mental health follows.

Reducing Parental Conflict programme

The Reducing Parental Conflict programme delivers financial and practical support to local authorities in England to encourage them to integrate support into their children and family services for parents who are likely to or who are experiencing conflict.

Key activities include training local professionals to identify and address parental conflict, the delivery of parental relationship support and parenting interventions, and strategic support to local authorities and their partners.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver
• quality of relationships between parents or caregivers
• parental or caregiver physical and mental health
• parental substance misuse
• poverty
• educational attainment and attendance

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, funded to 2025.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Wider international evidence and emerging UK-based evidence suggests improvements in child mental health following parental participation in relationship and/or parenting interventions. Evidence of impact is also detailed in these evaluation reports of the programme:

• Reducing Parental Conflict programme 2018 to 2022: an evaluation of the effects of interventions on parental relationships and children
• Reducing Parental Conflict programme 2018 to 2022: final evaluation report
• Reducing Parental Conflict programme 2018 to 2022: diary research with parents accessing interventions

Jobcentres

Jobcentre Plus helps people move from benefits into work and employers advertise jobs. It also deals with benefits for people who are unemployed, on a low income, or unable to work because of a health condition or disability.

Jobcentre Plus employer and partnership teams work within the local community, building and sharing labour market intelligence, identifying skills needs and advising local employers on recruitment.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• poverty
• transitions between stages of education or into employment

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Supporting Families Employment Advisers

Supporting Families Employment Advisers deliver a personalised, responsive and tailored service to every individual within the family group to help find and stay in work. This can include outreach visits to schools, community centres and home visits, alongside support provided through Jobcentres.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the service has the potential to modify:

• poverty
• transitions between stages of education or into employment

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, funding confirmed to 2024.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

The overall Supporting Families programme evaluation shows it is successfully preventing high-cost statutory intervention - for example, reducing the proportion of:

• children on the programme going into care
• adults receiving custodial sentences
• juveniles receiving custodial sentences
• adults on the programme claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance

Youth Offer

The DWP Youth Offer provides individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit.

The Youth Offer includes intensive work coach support for young people during their first 13 weeks on Universal Credit, Youth Hubs bringing together support in communities for young people, from DWP, national and local partners and Youth Employability Coaches, who provide flexible support for young people with complex needs and barriers in order to help them into employment.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the offer has the potential to modify:

• poverty
• transitions between stages of education or into employment

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Universal Credit

Payment to help with living costs for those who are, for example, on a low income, out of work or cannot work.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the payment has the potential to modify:

• poverty

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Home Office

Through its Beating crime plan, the Home Office is taking a strategic response to addressing crime, including hidden harms and county lines exploitation. This, together with the Safer Streets Fund also helps ensure BCYP can live in safe communities.

The Home Office is leading work across government to help ensure that women and girls are safe at home, online, at work and on the streets, publishing a Tackling violence against women and girls strategy in July 2021 and a Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan in March 2022. These aim to transform society’s response to these crimes with actions to prevent relationship abuse, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as strengthen systems to respond to violence against women and girls.

The Home Office is the principal government department for driving forward the UK’s world-leading response to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, including through delivery against the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy, published in January 2021, and working with international partners, to exercise all available levers in combatting this horrific crime.

The Home Office is delivering a cross-sector, co-ordinated response to money muling (a form of money laundering) and related financial exploitation. This includes the publication of a cross-sector action plan to disrupt money mules and protect the public including children who are exploited in this way, as set out in the Fraud Strategy published in May 2023. Home Office-led programmes are helping to minimise risks to BCYP mental health such as experience of crime, trauma and aversity.

Home Office asylum and resettlement schemes are also helping to minimise the impact of loneliness and isolation, and experiences of trauma, and improve access to timely mental health support, personal and health education, and inclusive communities.

A list of Home Office-led activities aligned with modifiable factors that influence BCYP mental health follows.

Embedding trauma-informed practice (TIP) and mental health and wellbeing recommendations at Home Office-run hotels housing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

This work ensures services are customised and staff are trained in a way that recognises the prevalence of trauma among service users. It:

• aims to ensure staff understand the impact trauma has on shaping a person’s ability to feel safe and develop trusting relationships
• can address the barriers those affected by trauma can experience when accessing services
• seeks to avoid re-traumatisation by embedding practices that are flexible

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the work has the potential to modify:

• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• loneliness and isolation
• access to timely health, care and support services
• quality of relationships with parent or caregiver
• safety, crime and violence

Programme status (underway or planned)

Reviews of the current and a separate user-centred research project into how to improve mental health and wellbeing asylum accommodation have been completed. Some of the recommendations from these reports will be implemented at hotels for unaccompanied children. They cover sleep, physical environment, staff training, lived experience feedback and sharing good practice.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Evidence to be collated through stage one engagement.

Violence reduction units (VRUs)

VRUs take a preventative, whole-system approach to violence reduction, which comprises multi-agency working, data sharing and analysis, engaging young people and communities commissioning (and developing) evidence-based interventions.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the units have the potential to modify:

• safety, crime and violence
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• bullying, including cyber bullying

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

This evaluation report of the violence reduction unit year ending March 2021 shows early indications that VRUs improved:

• confidence and self-esteem
• motivation, positivity and resilience
• wellbeing, including mental health
• relationships with family, friends and others

County lines support

The Home Office is providing up to £5 million of funding to support young people and their families over 3 years (to March 2025) and help them exit from county lines gangs. This includes:

• funding to missing people to provide the SafeCall service in England and Wales - a confidential, anonymous helpline for young people - and support to parents and carers, which includes mental health support
• funding to Catch22 to provide a one-to-one specialist support and rescue service in London, the West Midlands, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, which will engage people under 25 who have been referred and help them exit from county lines activity. Each regional team includes a mental health caseworker

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the support has the potential to modify:

• safety, crime and violence
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• poor experience of being in care
• substance misuse
• educational attainment and attendance
• poverty
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, commenced 1 August 2022.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

The programme is being independently evaluated and, for Catch22, this will include a mental health survey of primary individuals to measure whether the service is having an effect on their mental health. This survey will use the Warwick-Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale to monitor how the mental health of primary individuals changes over the course of the intervention.

Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and toolkit

The Home Office is providing £200 million of support towards the YEF, which has a mission to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence.

The YEF toolkit summarises the best available research evidence about different approaches to preventing serious youth violence.

An additional £4 million has been provided to support the YEF’s trauma-informed practice grant round to evaluate trauma-informed practice in England and Wales delivered in youth justice, education and children’s social care services.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the fund has the potential to modify:

• safety, crime and violence
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• bullying, including cyber bullying

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

All YEF projects are independently evaluated.

Young Women and Girls Fund (YWGF)

The YWGF includes funding of up to £2.74 million over 3 years for the 20 areas that account for 80% of serious violence in England and Wales. The YWGF will ensure women and girls are able to access tailored, dedicated support. It aims to improve services for those suffering gang-related harm or exploitation, with a focus on understanding the specific and gendered risks.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the fund has the potential to modify:

• safety, crime and violence
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• bullying, including cyber bullying

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Children Affected by Domestic Abuse Fund

The Children Affected by Domestic Abuse Fund is for direct support services across England and Wales (such as counselling and 1-to-1 support) for children and young people who have been impacted by domestic abuse.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the fund has the potential to modify:

• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• safe, calm, supportive, and inclusive learning environment
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Project will be independently evaluated.

Online safety legislation

Child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) is a Home Office led policy area in the Online Safety Bill and covers grooming, livestreaming and image offences. The bill places requirements on online services to tackle CSEA content and report it to the National Crime Agency, as well as proactively combat and mitigate against risks of child sexual exploitation and abuse threat on its platforms.

Companies will be held accountable by the independent regulator, OfCom. (The bill has wider child safety duties relating to content harmful to BCYP such as pornography, self-harm, bullying and violence, but these are led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.)

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the legislation has the potential to modify:

• safety, crime and violence
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events

Programme status (underway or planned)

Legislation is undergoing parliamentary scrutiny.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

Data shows that the internet and access to children and other offenders via the internet exacerbates and increases incidences of CSEA. See, for example, an evidence review on the extent, nature and consequences of CSEA.

Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG)

The Home Office has produced guidance for ICTGs and is funding specialist ICTG services in Wales, and a range of local authorities across England that:

• build trusting relationships with trafficked children to help them build a positive future
• help children navigate the criminal justice, immigration and social care systems
• give practical support, such as help with housing, medical needs and education
• give emotional and psychological support
• train professionals working with children so they can spot the signs of trafficking and know how to support trafficked children

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the guidance has the potential to modify:

• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• safety, crime and violence
• safe, calm, supportive, and inclusive learning environment
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• access to health, care and support services

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

Delivering a co-ordinated response to money muling and money laundering-linked financial exploitation, including child financial exploitation

The Home Office is delivering a cross-sector, co-ordinated response to tackle money muling and financial exploitation.

This includes the commitment to publish a cross-sector action plan to disrupt money mule activity and protect the public including children who are exploited in this way, as set out in the Fraud Strategy.

This will bring together work to raise public awareness of the risks of getting involved, identify mule networks and freeze funds, target mule recruiters and controllers, and close down recruitment routes, balancing deterrents and safeguarding for identified money mules and victims of financial exploitation.   

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the response has the potential to modify:

• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• resilience
• relationships with peers and adults outside the home
• abuse and neglect
• safety, crime and violence
• access to digital resources
• exposure to online, media and advertising harms

Programme status (underway or planned)

Planned.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

No sources to cite at present.

The Prevent Programme

The Prevent Programme works to tackle and prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation, child criminal exploitation, child financial exploitation, modern slavery and human trafficking on a regional and national basis. It funds 8 local prevention officers to improve understanding of child exploitation, upskill organisational staff and influence systems change to contribute to the early intervention of child exploitation.

How it will help promote mental health in BCYP

Factors listed in figure 1 that the programme has the potential to modify:

• safety, crime and violence
• exposure to adversity or traumatic events
• abuse and neglect
• relationships with peers and adults outside of the home
• community networks, engagement and inclusivity
• access to health, care and support services.

Programme status (underway or planned)

Underway, commenced in 2019.

Evidence of impact on BCYP mental health

The programme’s evaluation evidences how safeguarding professionals and multi-agency partnerships within sectors benefit from engagement with the programme to increase awareness, knowledge and understanding of child exploitation, and upskill them to better respond to prevent exploitation.

By extension, it supports the children, young people and (non-abusing) families directly affected by child sexual abuse and exploitation who the agencies and organisations support.

1. It is worth noting that there are a number of limitations with the data. Only 12 out of 90 organisations took part in the impact evaluation as participation was not compulsory. Small sample sizes of young people were achieved meaning only the short-term impact of YIF could be explored. ↩

2. Arge L, Engemann K, Pedersen CB and Svenning JC (2019). ‘Residential Green Space in Childhood Is Associated with Lower Risk of Psychiatric Disorders From Adolescence Into Adulthood.’ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 2019: volume 116, issue 11, pages 5,188-5193. ↩ ↩²

3. See also: Deighton J, Humphrey N, Belsky J, Boehnke J, Vostanis P and Patalay P. ‘Longitudinal pathways between mental health difficulties and academic performance during middle childhood and early adolescence.’ British Journal of Developmental Psychology 2018: volume 1, issue 36, pages 110-126. Panayiotou M and Humphrey N. ‘Mental health difficulties and academic attainment: evidence for gender-specific developmental cascades in middle childhood.’ Development and Psychopathology 2017: volume 30, issue 2, pages 523-538. ↩ ↩²

4. Wells J, Barlow J and Stewart-Brown S. ‘A systematic review of universal approaches to mental health promotion in schools.’ Health Education 2003: volume 103, pages 197-220. ↩