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Positive relationships matter
for some children they matter more than anything
Support from trusted adults, peers, family members and the wider community can make a crucial difference to the lives of children and young people.
Building positive relationships can result in significant benefits to children and young people – enabling them to grow strong networks and experience healthy social and emotional development in early childhood through to adolescence and beyond.
That’s why we’re keen to champion and support these connections however we can.
Over the last three years, mental health challenges in children have increased – and we know that children struggling with their mental health are not getting the help they need.
Some mental health concerns in children have risen such as anxiety and depression. In fact, it is estimated that more than 500 children a day (one every 3 minutes) in England are being referred to mental health services for anxiety.
The introduction of trusting positive relationships can help young people to approach these obstacles in healthy ways, boosting their emotional well-being and resilience and enabling and strengthening coping mechanisms.
Our recent SPOTlight survey, surveying children who attend BBC Children in Need-funded projects, showed that the presence of trusted adults is linked to children’s wellbeing across different aspects of their lives.
Children who reported having ‘a lot’ of trusted adults were significantly more likely to report feeling happy, particularly at school.
In contrast, those who said they had ‘no trusted adults’ were significantly more likely to feel unhappy, not only at school but also at home and in their local area.
Thanks to your ongoing support, BBC Children in Need continues to fund thousands of project workers across the UK.
These individuals provide the positive attachments and relationships needed to help children tackle the challenges that affect them daily – creating that everyday magic each child deserves.
Thank you for making this support possible.
