Young Peoples’ Mental Health Report - August 2016

Summary

Our young people told us clearly that the national problem of young people’s mental health is also Rutland’s problem. Rutland Youth Council told us that mental health is the biggest issue facing our young people.

After hearing from the Youth Council that mental health is by far their greatest concern, our survey of 965 young people was carried out in late 2014 across years 9-13 of Uppingham Community College, Casterton College and Rutland County College. It was designed with the help of the Public Health Department and administered by a group of six Healthwatch volunteers, developed from listening booths with young people and discussions with various stakeholders (including the Youth Council of Rutland and schools). The initial survey was conducted in secondary schools, but since then work has been done with primary schools, identifying that these issues are applicable across all ages.

Key findings:

• 7 out of 10 young people (69%) said that mental health should be on the curriculum.
• Young people, who have received help and benefited from help when they felt under pressure, are statistically more likely to say that mental health should be on the curriculum.
• Almost half of young people (46%) taking part in the survey said that in the last 2 years they had reached a stage where they needed help coping with academic pressure.
• Young people rank family and friends as their most preferred source of help. School based resources & particularly teachers are their secondary preference.
• Young people and providers mapped current services and found the gaps. They told us how they would like them filled, then ran a “Dragon’s Den” where providers 'pitched' to fill the gaps.
• Rutland County College then hosted a pilot to test a range of new approaches together.
• We made a film about the issues where young people described their lives and the pressures they feel; the project was presented nationally.