Children will get a better understanding of how to look after their mental and physical health thanks to an activity pack which is being designed by young people and Barnardo’s.
The UK’s leading children’s charity has been commissioned by the NHS to design a pack of activities and challenges for children and young people to complete, relating to the NHS and health.
The NHS Young Person’s Health Challenge packs will be freely available to youth organisations and schools, sponsored by NHS England and NHS Improvement.
Aimed at seven-to-14-year-olds, the aim is to inspire young people to undertake social action to support their community or the NHS. This might be developing a presentation to explain a health issue to other young people or raising money for an NHS charity.
Those who take part will also be encouraged to consider working in the NHS in the future.
NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned Barnardo’s to design the NHS Young Person’s Health Challenge because of its expertise in working with, and supporting, young people from a wide range of backgrounds.
The packs have been designed through a series of consultation sessions with children and young people run by Barnardo’s and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).
Following the consultation sessions, Barnardo’s and RCPCH are now focusing on developing a range of activity packs that are suitable for children from diverse backgrounds, age appropriate and can be used for both face to face and online sessions.
These will then be piloted with the help of children from a range of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, and with different learning needs and disabilities; ensuring that the packs are as accessible as possible.
Once the finalised packs are ready, they will be quality checked and reviewed by the RCPCH Engagement Committee which includes young people, parents, and paediatricians, before they are delivered to NHS England and NHS Improvement.
Barnardo’s Director of Health Rukshana Kapasi said: “We are delighted to be working on this project with children and young people we support, and in partnership with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the NHS.
“This is a great initiative that will help children to learn about physical and mental health and support them to spread the word to their peers.
“We hope these new activity packs are a fun and informative way to help young people understand more about the role of the NHS, which will stay with them for years to come.”
Notes to editors:
About the NHS Young Person’s Health Challenge
The NHS Young Person’s Health Challenge is currently under development with the aim of to helping 7-14-year-olds understand how to use health services and encourage them to undertake social action activity to support their local community or the NHS. NHS England and NHS Improvement has commissioned Barnardo’s to design a fully accessible and inclusive challenge through discussions with its network of young people from a wide range of backgrounds.