Programmes
Our vision is a world where every child has access to the things they need to be healthy, feel safe, and reach their potential.
Right now, millions of children and families are trapped in poverty which causes significant harm and distress to children’s mental health.
This is an issue which disproportionately affects children from minoritised ethnicities, who are more likely to live in poverty due to structural racism.
When a family is forced to live in unsuitable housing, work low paid unstable jobs, and rely on foodbanks, this affects every aspect of a child’s life.
Children living in poverty often experience:
The situation is made worse by challenges accessing support services. Poverty and racism make it harder to access timely, effective care, with children from marginalised communities often at risk of both judgement and discrimination.
To reduce inequalities in children’s mental health outcomes in Lambeth and Southwark, we will work closely with local people and organisations who are trusted by their communities, developing impactful ways of improving children’s mental health.
That means:
We want to identify how key environments where children and their trusted adults spend time can be made safer and more nurturing. Thereby better meeting the needs of the most marginalised and reducing inequities in provision for children’s mental health support.
We want to develop approaches to addressing childhood poverty and structural racism that centre children’s voices and experiences. Crucially, we are working towards approaches which can be adopted by others in the system.
Children’s mental health Portfolio Manager Julika Niehaus shares our approach and ambition to boldly change the school system, alongside incredible school partners in Lambeth and Southwark.
The UK government has committed to publishing a child poverty strategy. To help inform the government’s work, the Child Poverty Action Group, with support from Save the Children UK, and funding from Impact on Urban Health, has set out how to deliver an effective child poverty strategy.
Ending child poverty is a huge challenge, and we cannot do this on our own. We're working with others to build the foundations for good mental health in children, starting with meeting their needs for secure housing, access to nutritious food, a nurturing school environment and safe spaces to play.
Programmes
We want to break the link between low income and poor nutrition, by improving the quality of food options in lower-income neighbourhoods.
Programmes
Our vision is a healthier world where everyone breathes clean air.
Programmes
Our vision is a world where everybody has the financial freedom needed for good mental and physical health.
