Emotional wellbeing of children and young people report

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our local population, in particular on our young residents who have experienced exam cancellations and reduced physical contact due to social distancing and infection control measures which has caused education to be delivered remotely throughout most of the pandemic.

Findings

• 59% of the young people we reached felt they would benefit support for their emotional wellbeing with 23% being unsure if they would need help
• For 39% of respondents, the preferred way of engaging with emotional wellbeing services was through face-to-face communication
• We found that the majority of participants (68%) had sought some form of support for their mental health. The most common support mechanism was for young people to discuss their issues or concerns with their friends and family
• 68% of young people were not familiar with the Kooth service, whilst 32% of young people had varying levels of awareness about the provider and what services it offers
• Of the young people who had never used Kooth, 67% gave the reason that they hadn’t heard of it, whereas 18% of young people felt that Kooth in some way did not fit their needs or requirements
• The majority of young people either preferred to remain anonymous (48%) or didn’t mind (34%) when accessing services for their mental health and emotional wellbeing. This suggests that Kooth’s option for anonymity is an appealing option amongst young people
• 55% of young people would like to hear more about mental health support services via online methods such as social media, websites or apps. 16% would also like to hear more information about services via their friends and family connections
• The two most important aspects to young people when accessing services were short waiting times and being able to use a service 24/7.