Children and young people's programme

As well as working to change the attitudes and behaviour of the nation as a whole towards people with mental health problems, as part of the second phase of Time to Change we are developing a new programme that works specifically with children and young people.

10% of children and young people have mental health problems (ONS, 2004) but the real figure may be higher, as many don’t access services. And many studies show that roughly half of all lifetime mental health problems start by the mid-teens, and three quarters by the mid-20s. Ultimately, our aim is that young people who experience any mental health problems can receive support and understanding from those around them.

Attitudes are formed at a young age, and through this work we also want to prevent young people developing negative attitudes towards people with mental health problems in the future. So we will reach out to help improve the understanding of the nine out of ten children who don’t have mental health problems themselves, as well as their parents and families.

Children and young people with lived experience of mental health problems will shape and lead our work, through our young people’s panel and a wider group of young Champions.

Aims of the Time to Change Children and Young People programme

Our young people’s work aims to:

Improve the knowledge, attitudes & behaviour of young people and families around mental health
Reduce the number of young people with mental health problems who experience the negative impact of stigma and discrimination
Improve the confidence and ability of young people and families to speak openly about their mental health problems
Improve the confidence and ability of all young people and families to tackle stigma and discrimination when they see it or experience it.
Improve the social capital of young people with mental health problems by building young people’s confidence and ability to get involved and engaged within their local communities and activities including Time to Change

Find out more about how we'll do this