We believe that good mental health is essential for children and young people to thrive, to develop socially and emotionally and to learn. We recognise that far too many children are not able to access support for their mental health especially at the crucial early stage when issues and challenges are starting to emerge. We know that children and young people need support with issues as they begin to emerge or preventing them from developing at all.  

Our funding focuses on improving children and young people’s social and emotional wellbeing, at the earliest stage, before the point of crisis.  

We will not fund: 

‘Point of crisis interventions’ which are short term/time limited and designed to stabilise individuals experiencing a crisis in an urgent way. This includes ‘clinical’ interventions such as formal/structured counselling services and interventions, psychological therapies or other clinical/medical treatments that take place after a point of crisis is reached. We will, however, fund such work that takes place to help prevent a point of crisis being reached. Our aim is to fund support which intervenes early and prevents mental health issues from escalating. 

We recognise that poverty and deprivation is complex and has a profound impact on children and young people’s lives, including mental and physical health, childhood development, education, relationships, and life chances. We know that access to a range of support to alleviate the impact of poverty and deprivation is key including addressing immediate needs, access to developmental and enriching opportunities and experiences, support for physical wellbeing and mental health and activities that address systemic inequity and local needs.   

Our funding focuses on alleviating the impact of poverty and deprivation in children and young people’s lives. This includes addressing basic/immediate needs (as outlined above), access to developmental and enriching opportunities and experiences, improving life chances and opportunities and support for physical wellbeing and mental health and activities addressing local needs.  

We will not fund: 

Basic needs and material support where they are a sole focus. Our Emergency Essentials programme supports individual children living with severe poverty. 

We recognise that children and young people are affected by inequity and discrimination related to ethnicity, disability, gender, gender identity and sexual identity. That systemic and structural barriers impact physical and emotional development and wellbeing, education, employment, criminal justice, and socio-economic position. We know that these barriers reduce access to opportunities and support, increase exclusion and isolation, impact on mental health and increase risk of poverty, impacting across life chances and wellbeing.  We know that marginalised children and young people need enriching, developmental support and opportunities that address individual and systemic issues.   

Our funding focuses on ensuring that children and young people affected by structural and systemic barriers and discrimination including ethnicity, disability, gender, gender identity and sexual identity have access to the opportunities and support they need. 

We recognise that not all children and young people have stable, safe and happy home lives. Children, young people and their families are affected by a range of issues and challenges including domestic abuse, family breakdown and separation including parent in prison, bereavement, parents with substance/alcohol misuse, caring responsibilities, neglect and trauma. We know that children and young people and their families need enriching and transformational support that addresses safety, physical and emotional wellbeing, relationships and personal and physical development.  

Our funding focuses on ensuring that children and young people experiencing challenges relating to their family get the support they need including young carers, children and young people with experience of care, bereavement, difficult family functioning or other circumstances.