Online webinar: Deploying digital solutions for Children and Young People’s mental health & lessons learnt in tackling health inequities

Results and learning from the South-West Academic Health Science Network’s Health Equity Innovation Programme 2022/23

To sign-up for this event, please click here.

Join us for an online webinar bringing together 4 projects which have explored the potential of digital innovation to improve young people’s mental health and how to reach those experiencing health inequity. Come to get a quick understanding of these exciting projects and how they may support your work. 

Projects presenting are: 

Luminova; Tales of Courage, by BFB Labs – Manjul Rathee, CEO 

Luminova; Tales of Courage is a NICE-recommended and CE marked digital therapeutic intervention game, which has been piloted in North Devon, as part of our programme. 

Tellmi – Dr Kerstyn Comley, Co-CEO 

Tellmi is an award-winning peer-support app where young people aged 11-25 can share experiences and support each other, which has been recently tested in Somerset, as part of our programme. All posts and replies are pre-moderated by humans to enable a safe environment. 

Good With – Dr Ellie Kallis, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer & Dr Victoria Root, Behavioural Data Scientist  

Good With is a money and mental health app that uses a personal AI coach to support learners to understand their relationship to money, and tackle financial anxiety as they prepare for adulthood. Tested in the South-West as part of our programme. 

Brain in Hand – Dr Nicola Doherty, Project Manager 

Brain in Hand is a digital self-management support system for people who need help with executive functioning (e.g. remembering things, making decisions, planning), or managing anxiety. It is often used by people who are autistic or managing anxiety-related mental health challenges. We have recently supported a test of self-referral and targeting health inequities in 5 areas of the country, including Devon. 

Children and young people’s mental health is a huge concern. 1 in 6 children and young people are living with a mental health disorder  – that’s 5 in every classroom. We also know that more children and young people with a diagnosable level of mental health condition are going without NHS support, than receiving it, and that waiting lists are often long.  

Mental health problems are not distributed evenly across society. There are inequities, with some groups of children and young people much more likely to experience difficulties. Adverse Childhood Experiences and childhood trauma is significantly associated with anxiety-related disorders in later childhood and young adulthood, for example.  

There is a real need for new ideas and innovations that help to address the gaps and challenges and which can transform the experience of young people.  

The South-West Academic Health Science Network’s Health Equity Innovation Programme 2022 has funded and supported the testing of innovations to reduce anxiety for children and young people experiencing inequity. We have supported innovations that have tested peer-support, game-based therapy, help with executive functioning and proactive support around financial needs on reducing anxiety and improving mental health. 

Come and hear about the impact these approaches can have and learning about the challenges and enablers for digital innovators in reaching children and young people in greatest need. The webinar will include presentations, questions of each speaker and group reflection.  

This webinar will be relevant to: NHS and local authority commissioners, NHS providers, Public Health, education partners, Academic Health Science Networks, academics, voluntary sector organisations, funders/investors and any other partners who have an interest in children and young people’s mental health. 

To sign-up for this event, please click here.

We will be running a separate webinar to share the findings and learning from our nature-based innovators/partners Apricot Centre, Resilient Young Minds, The Wave, CAMHs goes Wild. Further information and registration for this is here.