Children's services
Children’s Mental Health Week 2024: support available for young people in Walsall
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To mark Children’s Mental Health Week (Monday 5 February – Sunday 11 February 2024), Walsall Council is encouraging children and young people in the borough to look after their mental health, this week and all year round.
Launched in 2015, Children’s Mental Health Week is a national campaign organised by charity, Place2Be, and hopes to help spread the word that no child or young person must face a mental health problem alone.
Each year, there is a different theme to the awareness week, and for 2024 the theme is ‘My Voice Matters’, which aims to empower children to express themselves, how they feel, and understand the benefits this can have for mental health and wellbeing.
Free mental health resources for children and young people in Walsall
Wysa app
Wysa is an artificial intelligence (AI) app for secondary school pupils in Walsall. The app is free, and acts as a wellbeing coach. Wysa is completely confidential, secure, and private.
When you download the app, you get full access to all of Wysa’s self-help tool packs, including 150+ exercises, with everything from mindfulness and meditation to therapy tools for anxiety and depression.
You can download on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Friends for Life groups – self-esteem and confidence sessions
Friends for Life groups are free and teach children and young people skills that help promote self-esteem and confidence. The groups run in two different age groups (primary and secondary school) and run for eight weeks of one-hour sessions.
Sessions cover: understanding emotions in yourself and others, how to make and maintain friendships, dealing with peer pressure, bullying, and managing conflict, and tips to change unhelpful thinking into more helpful thinking.
To book on email wht.wellbeing@nhs.net or tel: 01922 423349
Fun friends
The Fun Friends programme is free for children aged 4-7 and focuses on play-based group activities which helps with communication and emotions.
The programme includes ten weeks of one-hour sessions, and the groups are delivered by school nursing service.
Children get the opportunity to learn about things such as body language, speaking bravely, talking about how they and others feel, and how to turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts.
To book on email wht.wellbeing@nhs.net or tel: 01922 423349
Parents and carers – understanding your child’s emotions
The school nursing service offer virtual emotional health and wellbeing workshops for parents and carers of children aged 4-19.
Workshops explore understanding emotions in children and teenagers, what causes emotional health problems, how to work with your child’s school, and how to maintain or improve your children’s emotional health.
Parents and carers can book a session by calling 01922 423349.
“ Children’s Mental Health Week is an opportunity for us all to stop and think about the children and young people in our lives, whether they are OK, and if not, what can we do to help them the best way we can.
There is a great amount of free support available in Walsall for families to access if they have concerns about a young person they know, so please take time to look through the resources and help available local to you and your family.
The theme for Children’s Mental Health Week 2024 is all about children expressing their views, thoughts and feelings, so I’d encourage young people in the borough to keep talking, share how they feel and listen to one another, this week and always. “
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Further information
Children’s Mental Health Week
https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/
Children’s Mental Health Week 2024 theme – My Voice Matters
https://youtu.be/G1gvP09JLm0?si=5o4di4jMKz3LcrtK
Black Country NHS Foundation Trust – Children’s mental health
https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/help-advice/looking-after-your-childs-mental-health
Walsall School Nursing Service
https://www.walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/school-nursing/
Walsall Council website – Children’s mental health
Walsall Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
https://www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/walsall-camhs
