HYPE Young People’s Health Councils

This council work closely with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) leaders to support new initiatives and improve services. The council campaigns for mental health support at school, colleges and university especially for young people who are missing out on their education because of mental health.

The council have co-designed new services to support 16-18-year-olds and helped design the CAMHS website.

The council recognise how important an individual worker is in a young person’s recovery. The council campaigns for welcoming services that ensure young people receive the right support at the right time.

The council created ‘Bright Ideas’ a short film to show what a good experience of CAMHS could be like.

This council works with the autism hub and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to ensure young people’s voices are heard in new service developments for young people who are autistic or have ADHD.

The council has some key messages about how services should support neurodivergent young people:

• Be Aspirational - support us to build on our strengths.
• Mental Health for neurodiverse young people is a big concern - social inclusion and feeling valued is good for our mental health.
• Listen to us and include us in decision making.
• Involve young people in staff training.
• Being neurodivergent is a difference not a ‘disorder’ - language, culture and services need to change to reflect this.

In 2024 the council made a film to share their key messages with a focus on how waiting lists can be reduced.

Black and Brown Minds Matter campaign to improve black and brown young people’s access and experience of mental health services.

The council work with health service leaders to achieve their key priorities including:

• A more diverse workforce.
• Training for staff so that they understand different cultural perceptions of mental health.
• More support to explain mental health and wellbeing across the generations.
• Don’t make assumptions, stereotype or homogenise. If you don’t know, please ask.

The council have recently presented to the Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Board and have designed their own events and staff training programs.

In 2024 the council created a film to explain how mental health is seen differently in different communities and why it is so important that mental health services understand this.

This group has recently been set up by young people to campaign for more support and understanding of young people’s needs in school and college.

The group believes that schools should:

• Prioritise young people’s mental health.
• Recognise hidden disabilities including autism and ADHD.
• Be trauma informed.
• Change behaviour policies so that young people aren’t excluded or isolated.

The group works closely with the Integrated Care Board to reduce school avoidance and school exclusion.