There are currently long waiting lists for young people needing mental health support in the UK. In a recent webinar organised by the National Academy of Social Prescribing (NASP) our team shared the latest learning from research exploring how social prescribing could help young people aged 11 – 18 while they are waiting to access CAMHS, by connecting them to non-medical forms of community support such as skills development, peer support, befriending and social or cultural activities.
Webinar summary
The webinar began with an introduction from Professor Daisy Fancourt, who outlined Wellbeing While Waiting (‘INSPYRE’), our three-year study launched in 2022 funded by the Prudence Trust. We then heard from our Research Assistants and Social Prescribers Lou Sticpewich, Joanna Page and Joely Wright. They shared how social prescribing has been working in practice for young people involved in the study and their learnings from doing this work day in day out. Lastly, Dr Daniel Hayes gave his reflections and then the webinar finished with a lively Q&A and discussion about what’s next for youth social prescribing.
Read on for some of our highlights and watch the full webinar recording below. You can also view the team’s presentation slides here.