News shared by Cllr Michael Lilley, in his own words, Ed
During Children’s Mental Health Week (6th-12th February 2023), Isle of Wight council’s Mental Health Champion, Cllr Michael Lilley, is calling for children’s mental well-being and particularly those living in poverty to be a priority.
Place2Be launched the first-ever Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015 to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health. The 2023 week started on Monday 6th and finishes Sunday 12th February.
Raising the issue at council meetings
Cllr Lilley has specifically focused on Children’s mental-well-being and poverty and raised questions at IW council’s Corporate Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet Committee meetings to raise the profile of the issue.
In January 2019, he successfully put forward a motion for IW Council to reduce child poverty on the Island in five years. Covid-19 and cost of living crisis have in fact now seen more children living in poverty and this is viewed as deep poverty.
The Rowntree Report (2023) states:
“The challenges faced, due to the cost of living crisis, by families with children is likely to affect young people’s learning and attainment. As families cut back on essentials as they struggle to keep up with rising costs, the number of children attending school hungry is likely to rise, affecting their ability to take part and engage at school.
“Parental stress and worry is also known to have a negative impact on young people’s ability to learn in school, and this is likely to increase as a growing number of families worry about making ends meet.”
New public health grant fund
Cllr Lilley has distributed the Joseph Rowntree’s latest report (2023) around the IW council during Children’s Mental Health Week to highlight the issue and promote a new IW council new public health grant fund to support young people’s and children’s mental-well-being.
Cllr Michael Lilley, IW council Mental Health Champion, states,
“Island children and their families have been through two years of extreme stress never experienced before and we this is clearly being seen across the Island in many ways whether it is the rise in school avoidance or family breakdown.
“We have to recognise this. IW council Public Health launched a specific Mental-Well-Being grant fund at the end of January which closes for applications on 12th February which coincided with Children’s Mental Health Week for mental well-being grass-root projects for children, young people and their families.
“I am hoping to see new projects across the Island that start to understand and support our children and their families through the natural stress of such a difficult two years and now the cost-of-living crisis. We cannot over emphasise the trauma that our children and grandchildren have experienced. I has to be an Isle of Wight and national priority.”
Find out more about the Small Grants Fund and how to apply on the council’s Website.
