The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people has been well documented, and it is widely acknowledged that having early access to the right support is crucial for recovery.
However, research suggests that it’s not always easy for young people and their families to find out about or access the services and support they need (see notes*).
Through this new project, Healthwatch Somerset is working with a group of young volunteers to investigate how accessible young people’s mental health support services are. They want to find out about people’s knowledge and experience of mental health and emotional wellbeing support, and they want to hear views and ideas for how access to support could be improved.
Healthwatch Somerset will share their findings and recommendations for change with Somerset’s Integrated Care Board in early summer 2023.
This is a great opportunity to help shape young people’s mental health support in Somerset. You can share your experience and feedback by 4 June 2023, by completing Healthwatch Somerset’s survey online [now closed]