Basingstoke MP Maria Miller recently met up with team members from Hampshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to hear about the work they are doing to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
Maria was briefed on their wide range of activities which aim to give children and young people greater resilience in terms of their mental and emotional health, including coping strategies for times of crisis, and also to give parents and carers, and schools advice and information about how best to provide support. She also heard about their campaigns, including last year’s campaign to raise awareness of suicide, and this year’s which is about eating disorders and body image.
Maria said: “It wasinspiring to hear about the fantastic work that this very small team are doing to improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, and help them achieve “a life in balance”. They are also training School Nurses to deliver their programmes in schools, which is a great way to increase their reach.”
“The CAMHS team provide a really important service and also offer a valuable resource for families and professionals working with children. I will certainly be encouraging schools in Basingstoke to make use of their materials and promote their events to help them reach an even wider audience.”