This World Mental Health Day, we’re reflecting on what young people across Humberside have said about accessing mental health support and what needs to change.
Insights explored through our Youth Connect project show that young people value consistent and non-judgemental support. They also highlight significant barriers, including long waiting lists, complicated referral pathways and having to repeat their experiences to different professionals.
For those at risk of or involved in violence, identifying needs earlier and providing trusted, accessible support can be an important part of preventing harm and helping them move towards a safer future.
When support comes too late
Practitioners and young people across Humberside describe a mental health system facing considerable pressure.
Around 71% of practitioners in East Riding of Yorkshire surveyed by The Smile Foundation said their organisations were affected by long CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) waiting lists and difficult referral pathways (Youth Voluntary & Community Sector Needs Assessment). These delays can leave young people without appropriate help when they first need it, allowing difficulties to worsen while they wait.
Young people have described being “pushed from pillar to post” between services that cannot meet their different or overlapping needs. They may also have to retell difficult experiences to several professionals, leaving them feeling that nobody is listening to or taking responsibility for their care.
Access can be particularly difficult for young people in rural and coastal communities, where specialist services may be located some distance away and transport can be limited, unreliable or unaffordable.
Early, effective support can help young people manage distress, develop healthy coping strategies and build trusted relationships before problems escalate.
Looking beyond behaviour
Insights from young people involved with Youth Justice Services show the importance of understanding what might sit beneath a young person’s behaviour.
Some young people reflected that trauma, bereavement, mental health needs or neurodivergence were not identified until they had reached a crisis or become involved with the justice system. Support could feel focused on controlling their behaviour rather than understanding what was driving it.
Others said that concerns had been minimised because of their age. They felt adults sometimes assumed that teenagers were not mature enough to understand or explain their own emotions.
Behaviour can be the most visible sign that a young person is struggling, but it rarely tells the whole story. A trauma-informed approach doesn’t just ask, “What has this young person done?” but also, “What has happened to them, what do they need and what might help?”
Recognising unmet needs does not remove accountability for harmful behaviour. It helps services respond in ways that reduce the likelihood of further harm.
Relationships make a difference
Young people consistently say that the quality of their relationship with a professional affects whether they feel able to engage with support.
They value adults who are:
- Warm and approachable
- Consistent and reliable
- Non-judgemental
- Willing to listen without making assumptions
- Able to communicate clearly
- Prepared to involve them in decisions about their care
Young people often describe wanting support from “real people” rather than feeling that they are interacting only with a system or clinical process.
Having the same trusted worker or point of contact can give a young person the confidence to share what is happening in their life. Warm handovers between services can help maintain that trust, rather than expecting them to begin again with somebody new.
Young people as experts by experience
Young people across the Humber region are actively helping to improve mental health services for others.
Members of the Humber Youth Action Group, known as HYAG, have shared their patient stories with junior doctors and nursing students, giving future professionals direct insight into young people’s experiences of children’s and adult mental health services.
Young people have also:
- Helped develop person-centred care plans for the CAMHS Hull and East Riding Children Looked After Team
- Contributed to projects improving Core CAMHS
- Co-delivered training on neurodiversity and autism for community CAMHS staff
- Helped shape communications for local services
- Shared ideas for making clinical environments more welcoming and accessible
One young person involved in training said a trainee had “listened to us more than any other professional before”. This involvement moves youth voice beyond consultation. Young people can help design, deliver and evaluate the services intended to support them.
Creating spaces where young people feel safe
The physical environment also shapes how young people experience mental health support.
Traditional clinical waiting rooms can feel unfamiliar, uncomfortable or overwhelming, particularly for neurodivergent young people. Bright lights, noise and a lack of sensory support can add to their anxiety before an appointment has even begun.
Young people’s feedback contributed to changes at Walker Street Centre, helping to create a more welcoming and neurodiverse-friendly environment. The redesigned space incorporated features such as softer lighting, inviting colours and sensory elements. One child described the transformed waiting room as “160% better” (Children’s and Adult Learning Disability Engagement Team).
Informal community spaces can also play an important role. Young people may feel more comfortable accessing support through a youth setting than attending a formal clinical appointment.
Initiatives such as the Youth Recovery and Wellbeing College provide person-centred and creative ways for 11 to 18-year-olds to improve their wellbeing. Other local organisations are developing quiet corners and sensory areas in youth spaces, where young people can regulate their emotions without pressure to talk.
These approaches recognise that the setting in which support is offered can be just as important as the support itself.
Mental health support as part of violence prevention
A public health approach to violence prevention looks beyond individual incidents and considers the wider circumstances that can increase or reduce vulnerability.
Accessible mental health support is one part of that picture. This is particularly important for young people affected by trauma, adversity, exploitation, substance use or involvement with the justice system.
Across Humberside, targeted and early-intervention services are working to address some of these overlapping needs. Examples include mental health support delivered alongside youth justice teams, the Jeff Project through Compass GO and ReFRESH in Hull, which provides early intervention for young people whose substance use may be connected to underlying emotional or family needs.
Young people say support should begin earlier, particularly around the transition from primary to secondary school at approximately 10 to 12 years old. They also want practical opportunities to learn about emotional regulation, stress, anger and healthy coping strategies before they reach crisis point.
Supporting mental health is not a single solution to violence. However, listening early, building trust and responding to underlying needs can strengthen the protective factors that help young people remain safe.
Building a more joined-up system
No single organisation can meet every young person’s needs.
Young people’s experiences point towards the value of a more coordinated system in which schools, health providers, youth services, voluntary organisations and violence prevention partners work together.
This could include:
- Locating specialist support within trusted youth and community settings
- Providing warm handovers between professionals and services
- Improving information sharing where it is appropriate and lawful
- Making services easier for young people and families to navigate
- Investing in outreach for young people who do not engage with formal services
- Making sure rural and coastal communities can access suitable provision
- Involving young people in the design, delivery and evaluation of services
Better coordination could reduce the need for young people to repeat their stories and help prevent them from falling through gaps between services.
This World Mental Health Day, young people’s message is clear: listen to us, take our concerns seriously and involve us in creating the support we need.
Turning youth voice into action
The insights in this blog were explored through the Youth Connect Gemini Notebook, which brings together reports, surveys and engagement findings from across the Humber region.
You can ask straightforward questions about subjects such as mental health, safety and violence, then receive clear, evidence-based summaries of what young people are saying. The Notebook identifies recurring themes and links its insights back to the original sources, helping practitioners and partners explore the evidence transparently.
Visit Youth Connect to discover what young people across the Humber region are saying and use their insights to inform your work.
