LFC Foundation is partnering with national children’s charity, Action for Children, to launch a new youth mental health programme in local schools.
The On-Target programme will support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people in secondary schools across the Liverpool City Region.
The need for this programme is evident now more than ever amidst the coronavirus pandemic, with a recent YouGov survey of over 2000 parents by Action for Children highlighting that a third of parents (36%)* worry that their children are feeling isolated, lonely, anxious, or unable to sleep.
In addition to this, 83%** of children with a history of mental health reporting that the pandemic has made their mental health worse.
The On-Target programme will work with small groups of young people who have been identified through questionnaire assessment to be most in need of support. Through a number of engaging workshops, the new project will provide basic support and knowledge to a wide range of young people, in particular focusing on three key areas: understanding and empathy about mental health, coping strategies and self-care, and the importance of talking and dealing with mental health concerns.
The personal development, communication and teamwork and relationship building workshops will be delivered by LFC Foundation staff and the other aspects of the project including, cognitive behavioural and person-centred intervention will be delivered by a specialist Action for Children support worker.
The LFC Foundation’s mental health manager will oversee all aspects of the programme to ensure the highest quality delivery is provided alongside the creation of key networks and referral partners to offer the best possible support for the young people.
Matt Parish, LFC Foundation Director, said: “The need for a project like On-Target is clear, and by working in partnership with Action for Children in local secondary schools we will provide young people across the city region with the support they need to help improve their mental health.
“Early intervention in children’s mental health is key and this new programme will be really important in equipping young people with the knowledge they need to understand their own mental health as well as the confidence to discuss it openly and seek support when needed.
“We are committed to the promotion of mental health across all of our programmes and have invested in a number of new projects as part of our mental health strategy to continue to increase our resources and provision.
“We are looking forward to starting this new programme and working alongside the dedicated and knowledgeable Action for Children team to make a real difference to our local young people.”
Carol Iddon, Deputy CEO, Action for Children, added: “We are incredibly excited to be working with the LFC Foundation in getting On-Target launched into local schools.
“At Action for Children our frontline staff work tirelessly to support children and young people on their journey to better mental health and in the wake of Covid-19, it is needed now more than ever.
“It’s great to see the LFC Foundation is so committed to working with us in bringing our vital On-Target programme to those young people across the city that need it most.”
