Gary Seath 6 months ago
Forces Children Scotland has received MacRobert Trust funding to continue Your Mind Matters – a mental health support service for children and young people from armed forces communities in Helensburgh.
The funding ensures support provision continues to enable children and young people from this community to better understand mental health and wellbeing topics and to adopt effective strategies to overcome unique challenges.
The service responded to over 80% of children and young people who engaged with the charity through a poll stating they had faced unique mental health and wellbeing challenges, and that a bespoke support service was needed.
Children and young people from this community have said despite their many positive experiences of forces life, there are unique aspects that can impact negatively how they feel on a day-to-day basis.
Aspects concern parental deployment and family separation to caring responsibilities for siblings or a parent, limited contact with a serving parent, making regular moves through parental postings, and much more.
Your Mind Matters face-to-face services have run for three years for pupils attending Hermitage Academy and the wider community.
Beneficiaries have also worked with the charity to co-produce downloadable resources available to over 13,000 peers across Scotland from its Your Mind Matters Digital Hub.
Over the past year alone, Your Mind Matters face-to-face support has helped 92% of pupils to improve mental health outcomes and its digital hub has achieved over 1800 views and 500 resource downloads.
“The MacRobert Trust is delighted to support Forces Children Scotland in their mission to provide a life-changing service for forces families, enabling young people to pursue positive futures, develop new skills, and follow their dreams.”
“We are sincerely grateful to the MacRobert Trust for supporting Your Mind Matters.
The funding received makes a significant contribution in continuing to meet the unique mental health and wellbeing support needs of children and young people from armed forces communities.
We achieve this work together with children and young people in co-producing services, like Your Mind Matters, to realise our vision of making Scotland a place for all 13,000 of their peers to overcome unique challenges to realise their potential and thrive.”
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For more information please contact Gary Seath, Marketing, Communications, and Development Manager – gary.seath@forceschildrenscotland.org.uk.
Images are available upon request.
We support over 13,000 children and young people from armed forces communities across Scotland to realise their potential and thrive.
This is achieved through the delivery of mental health & wellbeing, youth participation, family support, education & learning, and policy services to meet their unique support needs. Moreover, we assist educators, professionals, and decision-makers to enhance their understanding and practice to meet the unique support needs of this community.
We put the lived experience of children and young people from this community at the heart of everything we do, who work directly with our team to co-produce our projects, services, and campaigns to ensure we collaborate as a collective force for good to achieve our vision of making Scotland a place where all children & young people from armed forces communities can realise their potential and thrive.
www.forceschildrenscotland.org.uk
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