Hearing their voices

Angela Neustatter

Many young people miss out on help because either they don’t realise they need it or don’t like where services are delivered. Hear Our Voice aims to deliver services to young people aged 16-25 in a friendly and informal environment. Young people can get guidance and support or join in activities with peers in. They do not need to be referred by other agencies as self-referrals are accepted. Active participation in the running of Hear Our Voice is also encouraged.

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Back in the saddle

Peter Wilson

Peter Wilson describes how he became involved with The Place2Be after his retirement from YoungMinds. The Place2Be works in schools to provide a comprehensive counselling system and early intervention for vulnerable children.

Dance to the music of time

William Geary

A young man describes how he became involved in the Dance United project and the positive benefits the programme has given him

Dancing across the divide

Angela Neustatter

This article is about a community dance project in Belfast that is helping to bring together young people from both communities. Young people with learning disabilities or excluded from school, work together on a dance project, which helps to improve self esteem and good health as well as providing a bridge between communities.

Inter-professional practice

Dinah Morley

City University and YoungMinds have collaborated to establish a MSc in child and adolescent mental health. This article has abstracts from the work of the first five graduates and the subjects include ADHD, self-harm and eating disorders.

Korczak’s ark

Reva Klein

The artist, Itzhak Belfer, spent his early childhood in an orphanage run by the paediatrician Janusz Korczak. Korczak adopted a child centred approach and the children were involved in all aspects of the running of the orphanage. 77 year later, Belfer reflects on how he found his time there life-enhancing, and responsible for the development of the resilience that would see him through hardships in later life.

Lost Innocents

Terry Philpot

Whilst the government and press concentrate on the criminal activities, there is much less information about children as victims of crime. Children under 16 do not appear in the data about victims in the British Crime Survey. There is however sufficient evidence to show that children under 16 are more likely than any other age group to be victims of crime. The fear and anxiety that crime can cause can have negative affects on their future.

Shooter from the hip

Terry Philpot

Dr Mike Shooter has taken over the role of Chairman of YoungMinds. This interview describes Dr Shooter’s career and what led him to child and adolescent psychiatry and eventually to YoungMinds.

Too much, too young

Daisy Sands

This article discusses the impact of “age-compression marketing”, the practice of targeting younger audiences with messages more usual for older audiences, on pre-teen girls. The author’s research showed that a significant proportion of those questioned displayed discontent with their external appearance and wanted to look like those they felt were famous

Amiss in the abyss

Howard Williamson

Shawnie is a first novel by an author who has a career in social work. It tells the story of Shawnie, aged 13, and taken into care. It tells of her life with her dysfunctional and violent family.

Babies and young children in care: life pathways, decision making and practice

Jim Richards

This book looks at the lives of 42 babies taken in care, examines the reasons why they are in care and for the decisions taken afterwards.

Disorganised children: a guide for parents and professionals

Stephanie Stace

This book is aimed at parents of and professionals who work with disorganised children. It encourages a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to help such children achieve their full potential. It has information about child development, disorders, various therapies and details of support organisations.