CHOICES: CHildren and young people’s Options In the Community for Enhancing wellbeing through Social prescribing.

The use of social prescribing and community-based wellbeing activities as a potential prevention and early intervention pathway to improve adolescent emotional and social development: CHOICES: children and young people’s Options In the Community for Enhancing wellbeing through Social prescribing. 

This project will extend the growing evidence base around social prescribing in the primary care and public health arenas by focussing on its use for children and young people (CYP), and in particular prevention and early intervention in mental health conditions, which are a key growing concern for primary care, public health and education services.

Background

There has been a rise in young people’smental health conditions in both primary and secondary care, with specialist services struggling to meet demand. While social prescribing initiatives aiming to connect individuals to community-based assets have received increased research and policy attention, schemes have mostly centred on adults. Very little social prescribing evidence, policy or provision has been applied to children and young people (CYP).

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