The Healthy Young Minds Alliance has made significant strides in Year 1, following its launch in September 2024, with representation on key Cheshire East young people’s Boards and Partnerships, and over 110 individuals from 74 organisations signed up as members.
In an era, where collaboration is key to tackling complex challenges, the Healthy Young Minds Alliance in Cheshire East stands as an emerging positive example of how partnership working can transform mental health support for children, young people, and families.
Why Alliance Working Matters?
Alliance working fosters:
Collaborative leadership: Shared decision-making and strategic alignment across sectors
Resource sharing: Maximising impact through pooled expertise, funding, and tools
System connectivity: Creating seamless pathways for families navigating mental health services
Innovation and responsiveness: Co-developing solutions that reflect real-time needs and feedback
Key Highlights from the August Meeting
The August meeting brought together a diverse group of professionals from health, education, social care, and the voluntary sector to share updates, best practices, and plans.
The meeting received updates on the services provided by Just Drop In and Visyon (the two commissioned partners under the Healthy Young Minds Cheshire East Council commissioned contract)
Just Drop In (JDI) offers a wide range of parent and youth support services in the North of Cheshire East including:
Mental Health First Aid and Awareness courses
Sleep and anxiety workshops
Peer support groups and mentoring
Arts-based and psychosocial groups
A new Animal Therapy pilot with strong early engagement
Visyon delivers services in Central and South Cheshire East, through a four-stage model:
Initial listening and triage
Assessment and open access appointments
Counselling, mentoring, and group work
Post-intervention planning and well-being journeys
Both organisations use Goal Based Outcomes to measure impact, with significant improvements being seen in young people's well-being scores in Year 1.
Members were encouraged to sign up to the Solihull Approach Training for Professionals - There are three, free online courses for professionals on brain development, attachment, and trauma. Over 350 professionals have so far registered, with strong uptake and positive feedback.
The Cheshire East Council Family Hubs Team have also purchased the same training courses, for parents and carers.
Members also received an update from Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on the Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in CE schools and various CWP programmes that are active - or becoming available in CE.
The team now operates as a unified Cheshire East MHST Team which is currently supporting 51 primary schools and 12 sixth form college settings across Cheshire East with an 87% referral acceptance rate and 76% clinical improvement. Focus areas include anxiety, emotional regulation, and low mood.
Programmes in Cheshire East that are available - or due to be launched soon include:
Fear-Less and Timid to Tiger (CBT-based)
Coming soon the Ride the Rapids (for neurodivergent children)
The WYSA App (a digital mental resilience tool) ready to be rolled out in October to sixth form colleges
The Blues Programme to address the shortfall of referrals and support currently offered to adolescents with low mood and depression to be launched in the autumn school term
Strategies for Safety and Well-Being training for primary and secondary schools will soon be offered (a CWP/Anna Freud Centre collaboration)
A New Neurodivergent Resource Platform
A new Neurodivergent resource web-based directory, co-produced with families and professionals has been created by the Integrated Care Board offering clear pathways, personal passports, and practitioner guidance.
Early Years and Perinatal Mental Health
Alliance member, Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust shared that their 0-19 service deliver, as iHV Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Champions, iHV Multi-agency Fathers and Perinatal Mental Health Training and iHV Multi-agency LGBTQI+ People and Perinatal Mental Health Training – highlighting that the earliest prevention, starts in pregnancy and the critical 1001 days in a child's life. Any Alliance member, interested in this training, can get in with the 0-19 team via wchc.mentalhealthteam@nhs.net
Upcoming Healthy Young Minds Events & Workshops for Alliance Members
An online Self-Harm Workshop on 15th October
A Joint Face to Face Event (a partnership between the Family Hubs and Healthy Young Minds) is to be held on 4th November at the Canalside Conference centre in Middlewich, bringing together schools, voluntary sector, health and social care. Book your place here
A range of Priority Thematic Workshops are planned later in the year to discuss:
Mental health and wellbeing for SEND children and young people
Younger children and early intervention support for their wellbeing and mental health
Mental health and wellbeing for Children and young people wo are not in education or home-schooled
Looking Ahead for the Healthy Young Minds Alliance
We wish Ange Richardson, our former Healthy Young Minds lead, a very happy retirement. Kate Little, CVS CEO, would like to share:
Ange has done amazing work setting up a thriving alliance of organisations working to improve the mental health of children and young people and will be much missed. Thank you, Ange, and enjoy some well-earned rest!
With a new leadership team in place, including Lisa Carden-Doorey as Head of Sector Development and Corrina Parry as Sector Development Officer. Supported by the Healthy Young Mind Steering Group, the Alliance is poised to build on its strong foundations in Year 2. A five-year strategy will be developed in 2025/26, and members are encouraged to actively participate in shaping the future.
To join the Alliance or learn more, visit the Healthy Young Minds Alliance webpage.
