Kent young person speaks at HeadStart parliamentary event on mental health

A teenager from Kent has spoken in Parliament about her own mental health struggles and the importance of involving young people in shaping and improving the services that support them.

Last week, on Tuesday 5th February, four young people, from Folkestone, Ashford and The Canterbury High School, attended a Parliamentary event on the mental health of young people organised by The National Lottery Community Fund for HeadStart partnerships.

The event, hosted by the Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP, aimed to help the partnerships highlight their current learning, and support both the sustainability of HeadStart partnerships and the legacy of the programme and its evaluation through engaging a variety of stakeholders. Mr Lamb spoke about why HeadStart must make young people’s mental health a priority.

Jess Griffiths, right, meets the Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP and other guests

Jess Griffiths, 19, from Folkestone, who is a Young Carer and has been involved in the HeadStart Kent programme since 2016, spoke about her own experiences, emphasising the importance of co-production and ensuring young people have a say in how services are developed locally.

During her speech she said: “If someone had said to me two years ago that I would be standing up here in front of this many people – speaking – I would have run a mile! When I got involved in HeadStart I was struggling at school. I didn’t have very good attendance, or a great relationship with my teachers, and was always told I was never going to achieve anything in my life.

“I have helped massively to develop HeadStart and, in turn, HeadStart has played a massive role in creating an environment which has helped me develop and get to where I am today. I really look forward to what the future holds and how I can continue to use and build on the skills and confidence I have developed through my journey with HeadStart Kent.”

Jess spoke about her own mental health struggles as well as the HeadStart programme

Speaking after the event Jess, who won a British Youth Council award for personal development in the Youth Voice Star Awards in January 2019, said: “It was brilliant being able to share my experiences of HeadStart Kent with so many people and having MPs and other decision makers there to hear. I hope it will have a positive impact and improve awareness of what HeadStart is doing with young people.”

All MPs were invited to the event as well as key stakeholders who have an interest in this area. This included government departments working in the field and funders. Representatives from the Department for Education, NHS England, and various charities were also in attendance.

During the event, The National Lottery Community Fund highlighted a report, produced by Anna Freud Centre, which surveyed mental health prevalence, attainment and exclusion statistics of 30,000 young people who attend HeadStart schools.

In Kent so far:

• 1,353 staff have received training in Resilience, Mindfulness or Young People’s Mental Health First Aid.
• 5,775 face to face and support interventions have been given to young people across Kent.
• 10,000 Young People in Kent completed the annual Wellbeing Measurement Framework survey.

Roger Gough, Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “It’s fantastic to see one of HeadStart Kent’s young people delivering such a positive message, and the progress Jess has made thanks to the programme is very encouraging. By having the courage to stand up and speak about her experiences, Jess is no doubt helping many other young people across the county to improve their mental resilience and emotional well-being, which will stand them in very good stead for the future.”

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