More money for physical and mental health support for young people

The Youth Activator and You Move programmes are to be expanded

More physical and mental health sessions are coming to schools in north Oxfordshire in a move by Cherwell District Council to enhance mental health support for young people.   The council has also committed to more support for families.

Both the Youth Activator and You Move programmes are to be expanded.   Eight additional schools will benefit from 48 new sessions that will be run from December until April next year, and thirty families will be able to access additional You Move sessions.

A further £3,500 will be allocated to support research with public health and education partners into youth mental health needs and to explore long-term funding opportunities to enhance local services.

The council’s Youth Activators initiative provides physical and mental sessions for children aged five to 16.    Last year the team delivered physical and mental wellbeing provision in 46 schools within the district and saw over twenty thousand attendances.

Families can take part in a number of free or low-cost activities through the You Move programme. Sessions are designed to give families the chance to play and interact together, with all ages and abilities catered to.

Councillor Rob Pattenden, Portfolio Holder for Healthy Communities, said: “It is concerning to hear that across Oxfordshire, there has been an increase in young people needing to access support to address mental health issues.

“It is crucial that we have programmes in place for our young people to be able to learn about mental health and how they can access support to address any problems they may be experiencing.”

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Published: 07/11/2024 04:16pm by Banbury FM Newsteam

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