Social prescriptions can help young people through mental health problems - new research

Social prescriptions can help young people through mental health problems - new research

Using “social prescriptions” to improve children and young people’s well-being without medication can strengthen government policies to support mental health, researchers at the University of Manchester have found.

In an article published by Policy@Manchester, Ruth Farrimond-Goff and Professor Caroline Bond highlight recent data from the World Health Organization suggesting that one in seven people aged 10 to 19 worldwide experience a diagnosable mental health condition.

However, they point out that although 'social prescribing' - a link worker or community navigator is provided to prescribe a social/community-based care package, can support adults to meet social and emotional needs, it is not commonly used for children and young people in the UK.

To find out more about the impact of embedding social prescribing into the education sector, researchers reviewed a pilot system run in a large combined authority in the North West of England.

“We wanted to know whether social prescribing is a beneficial alternative method and preventive mechanism to promote young people’s mental health and wellbeing through engagement in activities.”Farrimond-Goff and Bond write.“We also wanted to assess how it works with local workers in relation to supporting young people’s mental health as they age.”The liaison worker helps the young person consider their strengths and interests, identify an appropriate activity and then support them to connect with it.

From their findings they conclude: “It was obvious that the need for.” They add:"We found that the Link worker role was critical to the success of the project. Students spoke about the Link workers being a 'listening ear' and supportive, providing advice and guidance."

In their article, the University of Manchester researchers note that the government has identified poor mental health as a barrier to learning in its “Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity” missions.“They are committed to providing access to mental health professionals in every school so that every young person has access to early support” to address problems before they escalate. “Farrimond-Goff and Bond write.“We recommend linking social prescribing staff to be integrated into this strategy and be an integral part of Schools’ mental health professional workforce.”

They continue:"Barnardo's has called for universal mental health support in schools through 'a national social prescribing strategy for children and young people'. Our research supports this call."

The academics also advise that the NHS Long Term Plan has identified social prescribing as a universal service for all ages.“The implication therefore is that this primarily adult-focused intervention is available to those under 18 years of age.”

In their study, Farrimond-Goff and Bond identify several “moderators and barriers” if such an expansion of social prescribing to lower age groups is to achieve optimal impact.

“The key facilitator was having a dedicated internal liaison worker with the main barriers being a lack of budget, time and access to the community.”They explain. “As the Government commits to supporting mental health in schools and launching a network of Young Futures Hubs, we are committed to a national social prescribing strategy to be integrated into the development and budget for these plans.

"Finally, we found that it is important to listen to young people and be aware of students' choice of activity choices when providing social prescription. Education police officers developing policies and interventions should ensure that sufficient consultation opportunities are available so that the views of young people, educators and mental health professionals can be taken into account."

'The right recipe? Young people, mental health and social prescribing, by Ruth Farrimond-Goff and Professor Caroline Bond are available to read on the Policy@Manchester website.

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