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Supporting mental health

The world can be a worrying place and the past few years have been especially difficult for children and young people. Our mental health hub takes a look at how your donations are supporting children and young people through increasingly difficult times and offers free support you can access for your family at home.

We know that challenges, uncertainty and pressure is weighing heavily on children and young people across the UK. The pandemic had a big impact on their lives, many children and young people missed out on school and social activities which has affected their mental health.

Now the cost of living crisis is making things even more difficult.  Many children and young people are missing out on the basics and experiencing increased pressure, worry and uncertainty. All of these challenges can harm children and young people’s life chances and their ability to thrive.

An icon of a head with a heart graphic in front of a blurred image of children

The projects supported by BBC Children in Need tell us that things are getting harder.

  • 91% believe that mental health is the biggest challenge facing children and young people today
  • 93% believe that the situation regarding children experiencing mental health issues is only going to get worse
  • 89% expect children will find it more difficult to access mental health support in the coming year
  • 87% say that the proportion of children they support who are experiencing poor mental health is increasing

Mental Health stories

With the support of young voices from a BBC Children in Need-funded project in Scotland, hear 6 different stories about mental health from across the UK.  The young people in this film are actors. They’re telling the real stories of children from BBC Children in Need funded projects.

Through projects we fund for children and young people in the UK...

A star icon

179,000

have stronger self belief

An icon of two hands enclosing a heart

152,000

have stronger emotional wellbeing

An icon of a fist

83,000

are more empowered

Find mental health information and support

Family Moodboosters

Family Moodboosters to try at home

Famous faces from across the BBC and beyond including Dr Ranj Singh, Oti Mabuse, Ade Adepitan MBE, Rhys Stephenson and Bethany Shriever MBE lead videos to inspire everyone at home to boost their mood, feel good, and use movement to help them understand their emotions and manage feelings together as a family.

Keep up to date on all the latest news

With inspirational stories from project workers and families, and updates on children you’ve met before.

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