Published: Tuesday, 1st October 2024
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is continuing to provide support for the city’s children and young people through the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Service.
The Stay Well service, which provides up to 97% positive outcomes for children and young people, is jointly commissioned between the council and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and is delivered in partnership with Changes Health and Wellbeing, Younger Mind and Dove.
A service user who has received counselling reflected on their experience: “Before I started counselling, I felt anxious and sad a lot of the time. People questioned me around what I said about my Nan and friend. No one understood what I was saying, I broke down in tears.
“It has really helped me to talk in the sessions about my Nan and friend. I now feel I am coping about Nan and my friend. My counsellor helped me to know my Nan and best friend won’t be here anymore. I enjoyed making the memory jar, and drawing. I now feel okay.”
It comes as the city council’s Family Matters programme is working with communities to boost the existing offer and make sure that children aged 10-14 years have ready access to social, emotional and mental health support, which is a key pillar of our strategy to support family life in the city.
The current Stay Well model’s focuses are split into two parts:
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Providing knowledge and skills to children and young people and parents to enable them to better manage, identify and respond well to emerging issues.
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Targeted support to children and young people, including one-on-one sessions, psycho-educational programmes and advice and guidance.
Councillor Lynn Watkins, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “The Emotional Health and Wellbeing Service is vital to the council’s commitment to continue supporting children and young people in the city.
“It is hugely encouraging to see so many children and young people having positive outcomes when completing their interventions, but the work of the service must not be satisfied with that.
“The Emotional Health and Wellbeing Service will continue to be here for the people of Stoke-on-Trent and I would strongly urge anybody with concerns around the wellbeing of a child or young person to refer them to the service, so they can receive support.”
In addition, 96 training sessions have been delivered to professionals involved in education, health, social care and also foster carers and parents.
The service will continue to work to reach more children and young people by making the best use of community locations, such as Family Hubs to improve accessibility. Other proposed improvements to the service include work to boost engagement with:
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‘Looked after children’ and the care experience of young people
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Children and young people from diverse backgrounds
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Those who drop out of the service
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Those who refuse the service
Nicola Bromage, Associate Director for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism and Children and Young People for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB said: “Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB are committed to delivering on our ‘Long Term Plan’ ambition and have continued to expand and transform mental health services for children and young people.
“Through our strong partnerships with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Stay Well we are supporting more children than ever before and seeking to continue to develop more opportunities for children and young people to improve their emotional wellbeing.”
Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for children’s services said: “In Stoke-on-Trent, family matters and we want to make sure that’s true throughout the city in every service.
“The enhanced mental health support programme will build on the already great work of the Stay Well model to empower children and young people and their families to reach their full potential. We want to work with our communities to provide the tools, guidance and opportunities to make this possible.”
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