KIDSTIME
Our fundraising page is: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/kidstimewirral
I am a child psychotherapist working with Wirral CAMHS and nearly four years ago a group of us from different statutory and voluntary agencies on Wirral (Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Adult Mental Health and Creative Youth Development team at Pilgrim St Arts achieved an NHS grant to set up and run Kidstime workshops, the workshops are for the whole family when parents have difficulties with their mental health. Barnardos/Action with Young Carers also joined the project. Unfortunately we have got to the end of that grant so we are now trying to get help with continuing the workshops.
Children in these families are often isolated young carers coping with some really difficult situations. They worry that they cause the stress their parents experience, they might catch the same illness their parents have and they don’t know what to do when their parents become more unwell.
Kidstime after school workshops are run as monthly events lasting 2.5 hours. Parents and children attend together for as long as they find the workshops useful.
Each session begins with some fun and games for the children and parents together, then an activity which introduces the topic for the session. Some aspect of mental illness, or questions about it, are discussed or demonstrated. Then we split into separate groups for the children and for the parents. The children’s group is based on drama, dance, art to explore what they think about the topic, this is videoed. The parents have a support group that helps them think about how to be effective parents when they are struggling with their mental health. The parents and children then come together for the remainder of the workshop. They have pizza together, they watch the children’s film and there is a group discussion of what the children have produced as well as feedback of learning from the parents’ group.
By explaining mental health problems in child friendly ways we hope to build up resilience on the children. This has proved very popular with all members of the families as it counters taboos, helps parents talk to their children about their mental health and helps children realise they are not the cause of their parents distress, they will not ‘catch it’ and they will know what to do if they realise a parent is in crisis or becoming unwell.
We have a booklet about the project here: http://cwpcamhscentre.mymind.org.uk/?p=9103
Kidstime is a national project and can be learnt about here: http://kidstimefoundation.org/
Our group was mentioned as an example of good practice in the recent Care Quality Commission inspection report.
I am trying to raise funds for this project so that it can continue with the input of skilled adult and child mental health workers.
Our fundraising page is: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/kidstimewirral
Dr Gabrielle Lorenz
Child Psychotherapist and Kidstime worker
