We will continue to invest in emotional wellbeing and resilience to help reduce poor outcomes for children and young people and families in Shetland.
The Scottish Government provided funding to Shetland Islands Council and NHS Shetland to provide mental health and wellbeing services to the community.
The council brought together various departments that deliver services to young people to map existing provision and any gaps in services against the needs of children and young people. As a result, the council and NHS Shetland jointly commissioned Mind Your Head to launch a new service, Well Youth, in March 2022. The service aims to support children and young people aged 10 to 25 years to look after their mental health and wellbeing.
A group of young people keen to be Well Youth advisors was also established, with opportunities for all young people to get involved in shaping the service. Sessions at junior high schools took place to start a conversation around promoting mental wellbeing with the message that everyone has mental health and wellbeing in the same way as they do physical health.
During summer 2022, Well Youth ran a series of free wellbeing taster sessions in partnership with the council’s Youth and Employability Services, which encouraged young people to try new activities beneficial to their wellbeing, learn new ways to take care of their wellbeing and make new links and connections in the community.