THE Army Families Federation is backing a national campaign promoting positive mental health among young people.

Children’s Mental Health Week 2016, which launched today (8 February), is focusing on building resilience and teaching youngsters how to cope with issues including bullying, bereavement and divorce.

By supporting the campaign, which is run by charity Place2Be, AFF hopes to raise awareness of mental health and emotional wellbeing amongst Service children. Families’ enquiries have highlighted to us the lack of provision in many areas, especially for younger children.

AFF has begun exploring whether research could be commissioned to investigate whether Service children are more at risk of developing mental health issues than their civilian counterparts. There is currently a lack of robust research of this topic in the UK.

We have already spoken with organisations such as Young Minds, NSPCC and Family Lives and plan to work closely with Place2Be to link with one of its projects taking place in a school with a high percentage of Service children.

AFF needs your help

As always, the more evidence we can gather, the more effectively we can lobby for change and an improvement in provision.

If your child has experienced issues, we would love you to share your experiences with us. We will treat any information we receive with the strictest confidence.

Please contact AFF Health & Additional Needs Specialist Karen Ross at additionalneeds@aff.org.uk or call 07552 861 983.

Related Posts