My Child and Me

Course Description

My Child and Me is a 7-week programme for parents and carers of young children who are at an increased risk of poor mental health in adolescence and later life. Most of our participants are Global Majority parents in Southwark, who have recently migrated to the UK, have English as an additional language (EAL) and/or experience financial insecurity.

The methodology behind My Child and Me is based in 3 core principles to prevent and reduce the development of mental health issues in children from these families - early intervention, culturally competent practitioners and wrap around support. An overview of these three pillars are as follows:

Early Intervention

My Child and Me is primarily an early intervention programme. Early intervention in mental health is widely recognised across the UK as a crucial strategy for preventing the onset and development of mental health issues. Foundations (formerly known as The Early Intervention Foundation) highlights that intervening early can prevent the development of severe conditions and reduce the need for more intensive and costly treatments later in life. For example, effective early intervention programs can reduce the need for hospitalisation, special education services, and social care.

Culturally Competent Practitioners

My Child and Me routinely utilises volunteer parents to design and lead the programme. These leaders have also been on the programme themselves in previous cohorts and are oftentimes from the same cultural background as the participants. We recognise that adequate mental health support for our target group of low-income Global Majority communities requires robust cultural competency to understand and address the challenges that may present themselves when accessing mental health support.

Wrap Around Support

Effective mental health support often requires collaboration between various agencies, including health, education, and social services. Foundations advocates for integrated services that work together to provide comprehensive support to children and families. We also value this approach because though My Child and Me is a programme focused specifically on mental health interventions, often the parents we work with present with additional needs affecting their families, and so, wrap around support is vital to providing the best mental health outcomes for our participants.

What you’ll learn

• Mental health conditions in adults and children
• The roles of schools in the mental health of children
• The role of parents in mental health of their children
• The overall impact of mental health of their children
• Tools, services and support for families
• Search engine optimization tools

All areas are explored through a cultural lens