The Thrive Hull Partnership hosted a celebration event to premiere new ‘what to expect’ videos, which aim to help children and young people accessing emotional and mental health support.
The Thrive Hull Partnership, led by Hull City Council and NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), works with over 80 organisations, services and projects across health, care, education and voluntary services. It’s part of a collaborative approach to tackling health inequalities and to support the emotional and mental wellbeing of Hull’s young people.
The videos were co-produced with young people. They tell the story of what it is like to access support services and how to ensure their voice is heard. The videos have also been supported by practitioners who deliver support directly to young people.
The premiere took place on Wednesday 9 July on the ground floor of the Princes Quay Shopping Centre.
The funding for the videos came about after a successful funding bid by the Thrive Partnership.
The Thrive Hull Partnership is made of key organisations and partners in the city that work to protect and promote children and young people’s good emotional wellbeing and mental health. It is led jointly by Hull City Council and the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
This event was attended by the children and young people that supported the production of the videos, as well as parents, carers, professionals and guests.
The videos are aimed at children and young people who have been referred to an emotional wellbeing or mental health service in Hull, to reduce anxieties around accessing support.
The videos were developed following a consultation with children and young people across Humber and North Yorkshire to improve digital access to mental health services.
The videos will also be helpful to parents and carers who have had a child referred to a service, giving them a greater understanding of accessing support.
The videos will also be promoted by the services which they showcase, as well as being shared across social media.
The videos will also be hosted on the How Are You Feeling website, where young people who maybe anxious about accessing services can obtain further information.
Councillor Linda Tock, the portfolio holder for Children’s Services at Hull City Council, said: “It can be a daunting and anxious time for children and young people accessing support services for the first time.
“These videos, produced by young people who’ve shared the same experiences, will help relieve some of those anxieties, ensuring they can feel confident in accessing services that will help improve their emotional and mental health.”
Olivia, a young person who co-produced the ‘what to expect counselling’ video said: “I was thrilled being part of this project to speak about the importance of mental health. I believe that it is important understanding the anxieties of entering support for the first time, and speaking about my own experiences to support other young people”
Gail Teasdale, programme lead for Children & Young People’s Mental Health at the Humber and North Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership, said: “It was a pleasure to commission these films in response to feedback from young people about what would help improve access to mental health support.
“This is an excellent example of how organisations in Hull are listening to young people and working with them to remove barriers to accessing support. The films will help many young people across Hull to know what services are available and what to expect when they get there.”