A PILOT project by the Children’s Society which offers free emotional support to children has been awarded £1 million from BBC Children in Need, it was announced this month.

The charity’s “Space to Grow” initiative supports children, aged eight to 13, who lack access to existing well-being services. It has a particular focus on young carers and UK minoritised-ethnic/global majority heritage and LGBT+ groups. Children using the service could be experiencing bullying, racism, abuse, problems at home or school, or other issues, the charity says.

Children’s mental health deteriorated during the pandemic, the mental-health charity Mind reports. In 2021, one in six children had a mental-health condition, up from one in nine before Covid.

The chief executive of the Children’s Society, Mark Russell, said that the goal was to reach children “before they reach crisis point”. He thanked BBC Children in Need for the funding, which, he said, would enable the project “to reach children who often miss out on early help. We look forward to supporting thousands more children, so that they are happier, healthier, and thriving.”

The initiative is running in Chelmsford, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, and the funding will support its expansion to other locations across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland over the next few months. Its target is to reach 6000 children in the next two years. It is being operated in partnership with the charity Children First in Scotland and MACS in Northern Ireland.

The initiative also supports parents, carers, and school staff.