A grant from The Pixel Fund is helping Blue Smile deliver 1:1 arts-based therapy for children in Cambridgeshire primary schools, providing prompt, specialist help to those who need it most. More children than ever are facing mental health difficulties with official figures from 2023 showing 1 in 5 children in England have a probable mental health disorder.
Our therapy teams spend one day a week in each Partner School we support, working closely with school staff to identify children most in need and intervene early, before problems escalate. We work with a child for up to 20 weeks, using proven arts-based therapies to help them come to terms with difficult feelings or experiences. Our therapists also advise and support teachers and parents to help them better understand and meet the child’s needs, and promote understanding of mental health across the school community through assemblies and group work.
Teachers and parents tell us that pressures on children’s mental health are greater than ever, but funding from The Pixel Fund will help us provide vital, accessible support to children aged 3-13 in Cambridgeshire.
At home, it has helped me to tell people how I am feeling inside. At school, I worry less about home.
Child supported by Blue Smile