Bloom programme supports kids with their mental health

Bloom - supporting young people's mental health

Since Bloom was launched in September last year, national mental health charity Support in Mind Scotland has already supported hundreds of young people and teachers in the first term of the programme, and is proud to be delivering throughout more schools during the spring and summer of 2020 and beyond.

The Bloom programme, designed by Mental Health UK and of which Support in Mind Scotland is a founding member, is delivered in schools and colleges through a series of workshops.

The scheme will help prevent long-term mental health challenges in later years, developing practical resources to provide young people with the skills needed for staying mentally healthy.

This innovative programme focuses on resilience building in young people at the age where they are encountering more challenges and life transitions, such as moving through school, changing friendship groups, moving to university and starting employment. We know there is a growing need for support for young people, with most long-term mental health problems beginning in adolescence. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 50 per cent of mental health issues start before a person is 15 and 75 per cent of mental illnesses start before a person’s 18th birthday.

Tara Foley, managing director, Bank of Scotland, said: “We know that one in four people are affected by mental health issues in the UK every year, so at any one time a significant number of our colleagues and customers may be struggling with their mental health.

“Our ambition is to shift mindsets to recognise that we all manage our mental health, just like our physical health, and with the right support we can help our colleagues and customers with mental health conditions to thrive.

“We are proud of our charity partnership with Mental Health UK and the next two years provide us with a unique opportunity to prepare the next generation with Bloom, our programme that supports young people to better manage their mental health.”

Young people living in today’s digital age can be more exposed to different types of pressure than the generations before them. Whilst being open to talk about mental health is certainly a positive thing there can be additional challenges – more young people are seeing and hearing that their friends are struggling and are not always equipped in how best to support them.

Bloom focuses on building resilience in those aged 14-18, and evidence shows that providing good, early preventative support in the right place at the right time can help to avoid deterioration in young people’s mental health.

Secondary school is a crucial space to support young people, which is why Mental Health UK gathered insight from young people and teachers across schools in the UK to build a programme that was both wanted and needed. Bloom gives young people tools and skills which they can deploy when they feel their wellbeing slipping, both now and in the future.

As one young person who took part in Bloom recently in West Lothian commented: “I learned that I don’t have to be perfect, and there are much better ways of coping with stress.”

Our research with teachers highlighted the challenges of supporting young people’s wellbeing – teachers often want to be able to do more but worry about saying the ‘wrong thing’ or being able to provide the right environment. Being able to devote sufficient time to adequately meet the needs of young people was also a concern.

A core part of the programme will be the legacy of Bloom within the school. Over an eight-week period, Bloom Associate Trainers work alongside teachers to support and train them in the course content and the application of our easy-to-use teaching resources, which are given to the designated trained teachers to continue future delivery of the programme, Bloom will affect the lives of more young people and leave behind a legacy within a school for years to come.

To date, Bloom has been delivered to young people and teachers in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumfries, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire and Stirling, and is currently in its second term. We welcome contact from schools and colleges across Scotland who may be interested in working with us in future school terms. Our collective intention is to reach more than 500,000 young people across the UK.

For more information about Bloom in Scotland visit www.supportinmindscotland.org.uk/bloom or contact Laura Gulliver at Support in Mind Scotland

Laura Gulliver, senior manager, Bloom Programme.

Bloom programme supports kids with their mental health – Laura Gulliver