Moving on from the Pandemic

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP 

We need your help because C-19 has meant that young people more than ever are struggling with mental health issues. Problems such as self-harm and anxiety were already on the rise before lockdown, particularly among teenagers, with up to one in six children and young people estimated to have a mental health condition.1. Our focus is always on supporting the young people who use our services, their voices and the decisions that they make are at the heart of our work. 

CASE STUDY

The funds would help those who have been adversely affected by Covid19, like Owen (name changed) who lives with his grandparents (who had been shielding) and his autistic brother. He suffers from anxiety, self-harm and poor sleep, worrying about his grandparents, missed education, and not seeing his mum as much as he would like. Our project will provide a safe supportive environment where young people like Owen can understand what the impact looks like for them and how they can navigate going forward.

We feel that the words of our service users best sums up the work we do:

“When I was young I was passed on from service to service having to tell my story each time, but this time it was good to work out just with one  counsellor.”

“Counselling made me able to open up and more  importantly have an outlet and someone to talk to when things were not alright.”

"The charity helped me through a very difficult time when I was younger and lost my Dad. My counsellor was fantastic, offered me such great support.”

“It has made me more confident with myself and I feel I am able to be a better version of myself because of it.”

WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH YOUR HELP

Young people have told us that they don't feel that there is enough mental health support in our area and that their needs are not severe enough to get help, they don't feel that they matter. With your help we would like to provide more counselling sessions and wellbeing support for 11- 25 year olds in our community who have been struggling.

WHO WE ARE

The Moving on Project has been supporting young people in Fareham, Gosport and the surrounding areas for over 26 years. We provide a specialist confidential counselling service for 11- 25 year olds, as well as group work and other mental health support services. We are a community-based organisation with all counselling sessions provided by fully trained volunteer and paid counsellors. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and backgrounds but we all share a commitment to support young people.  We believe that no-one should suffer alone and that is why our qualified counsellors help 100's of young people every year.       

OUR AIMS 

We aim to provide an early intervention service to prevent the development of more serious problems caused by mental or physical ill health or other challenging circumstances, by providing a professional counselling service to young people aged 11-25 years, regardless of difference, background or identity. 

THE NEED 

We have been experiencing a high demand for our services since the start of lockdown. Our service has seen a rise in referrals for eating problems (including anorexia), self harm, severe anxiety (including around death), overdoses, OCD & trauma related to domestic violence.

Last year we offered over 1848 counselling appointments to young people. In response to the C-19 pandemic, we launched telephone and online counselling, in addition to our face to face work. 

• Those with pre-existing mental health problems are at higher risk of distress because they’re unable to get the help they urgently need. 
• This in turn adds to the health and well-being of the community.
• We reach people who have been impacted adversely by the  current situation, providing early intervention, reducing waiting times and helping to prevent escalation of poor mental health in later life. 
• We focus on building resilience, personal development and creative coping strategies, enabling them to manage through these difficult times. 

OUR IMPACT 

We reach people who have been impacted adversely by the current situation, providing early intervention, reducing waiting times and preventing escalation of poor mental health in later life. Some of the issues that people are coming to us for help with include; sleep problems, panic attacks, depression, low mood, anxiety, self harm, eating disorders, bereavement, loss, family break ups, relationships, bullying and suicidal thoughts.

HOW WE WORK
We provide trained counsellors, many of whom are volunteers, and belong to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or other professional bodies. They work with young people, either face to face, on the phone or via online counselling.

• We offer 6 and sometimes more sessions which includes the  initial assessment, each session is 50 minutes long, seeing the same counsellor each week. 
• The work that we undertake is delivered both in local schools and colleges, doctor
  surgeries and at our centre in Fareham.
• As an organisation we value safety, integrity and community. All our staff, trustees and
  volunteers have DBS checks and safeguarding is at the centre of everything we do

The Moving on Project aims to support young people who are struggling, many of our clients come from deprived and disadvantaged areas, where there are long waiting lists for mental health support. The counselling support that we provide is designed to help our clients find their own solutions and so every session is tailored to the needs of the client and the goals that they hope to achieve.

• The areas that we work in include places that are ranked in the top 20% most deprived in England. 
• Up to 38.5% of the students in Gosport's secondary schools are eligible for free school meals. 
• Therefore the areas that we work in have a high proportion of deprived and disadvantaged young people. 

The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood, resulting in the impairment of physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling adults lives. 

COVID-19 (C-19) 

C-19 has meant that young people more than ever are struggling with mental health issues. Problems such as self-harm and anxiety were already on the rise before lockdown, particularly among teenagers, with up to one in six children and young people estimated to have a mental health condition.2  A growing number of psychologists, psychiatrists and child health experts believe the needs of the young are being ignored in this pandemic.  A study in The Lancet Psychiatry3 found children's mental health deteriorated most during that period compared with other age groups. Before the pandemic, the 2020 State of Child Health report already highlighted increasing child poverty in working families, worsening mental health, and widening inequalities. 4 

We are also seeing the emergence of new issues in those with no history of mental health problems. During  lockdown 28% of our clients reported suicidal thoughts and self harm. Our goal is to be able to support every young person in our community who want counselling, but who are often facing barriers including the current long waiting lists and financial constraints that mean that they would not be able to afford private counselling. 

Young Mind carried out a survey with 2,011 young people with a history of mental health problems, the findings show:

• 40% of respondents said that there was no school counsellor available to support students in their school
• Only 27% had had a one-to-one conversation with a teacher or another member of staff in which they were asked about their wellbeing, by the time they completed the survey.
• Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) said that there was less mental health support in their school than before the pandemic, while only 9% agreed that there was more mental health support.5

PARTNERSHIPS

We are a founding member of the Hampshire Youth Access (HYA) group, a partnership of 11 leading agencies providing counselling, information, advice & supporting children/young people across Hampshire. Established in 2011 to share best practice, ensuring consistent levels of support across the county. We work closely with local schools/colleges, providing counselling/group work at several senior & primary schools. 69% of referrals are from Agencies with 44% from GP’s; and Colleges/Schools; CAMHS; Social/Family Workers & Hospitals. .We train/mentor a new generation of counselling students on placement from Chichester University, Eastleigh College & City College(Southampton). Working closely with the universities/colleges ensuring the students get the highest quality training/placement experience possible. 

COMMUNITY
Our community is at the heart of everything that we do at The Moving on Project. We have worked with many of the the local schools and colleges, providing counselling support and group work, on topics such as resilience, self-esteem and confidence. We also have a close partnership with the GP surgeries in our area, and many of our clients are referred via their doctor. Donations received from the Aviva Community fund would make  a huge difference to our charity, as we are a small grass roots based organisation.

• ANY HELP THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO OFFER AND ANY DONATIONS HOWEVER SMALL MEANS A GREAT DEAL TO OUR SMALL CHARITY.

• WE WORK REALLY HARD TO PROVIDE A SERVICE AND WITH YOUR HELP WE WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT MORE YOUNG PEOPLE, THEIR FAMILIES AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY.

• THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ OUR STORY

1https://digital.nhs.uk/data-andinformation/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2020-wave-1-follow-up

2https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/ 2017/2017 

3 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(20)30308-

4/fulltext#secestitle140 4 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30349-7/fulltext 

5 Young minds survey Coronavirus: Impact on young people with mental health needs Survey