Children & Young People Community Mental Health Support Fund
This funding has been made available by NHS Norfolk & Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group to improve access to care and support in the community for children and young people in Norfolk and Waveney who have a mental health need and may experience health access inequalities.
It is recognised that the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) can play a vital role in understanding and responding to the wellbeing needs of the children and young people they support, often providing early intervention and prevention programmes that can reduce presentations of self-harm, suicidal behaviours, and serious mental health diagnosis.
This funding aims to support continuing care in community settings that plays an important role in sustaining children and young people’s wellbeing, and to strengthen collaboration between VCSE-led interventions and health services to prevent the ‘revolving door’ of mental health services.
Funding available
An allocation of £25,000 is available to each district locality in Norfolk and Waveney (North Norfolk, South Norfolk, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Breckland, Broadland, Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Waveney) to aid effective engagement with children and young people with an emerging mental health need and who may experience health access inequalities.
It is anticipated that the allocation for each district will be distributed as a number of smaller grants to multiple groups working in that district. Where sufficient geographic reach can be evidenced, the full £25,000 allocation for one district may be awarded to a single organisation.
The Fund will also consider applications from organisations working across multiple districts of Norfolk and Waveney. Partnership bids may also be considered.
Who can apply
The Fund aims to support organisations delivering intervention activity that supports children and young people who identify as having an emerging and/or mild-to-moderate mental health need. This might include (but not be limited to) low mood, anxiety, low self-esteem, or self-harm.
Applications are invited from VCSE organisations who have an existing track record of delivering impactful mental health interventions with appropriate safeguards to children and young people in the district(s) for which they are applying.
The Fund is also keen to benefit those who may experience health access inequalities, which could include children and young people who are:
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender
- Neurodiverse
- Black, Asian and minority ethnic
- Asylum seekers/ refugees
- Rurally isolated
- Gypsy Roma and Traveller
For the purpose of this Fund, a young person is defined up to their 25th birthday.
What the Fund can support
The Fund can support a wide range of community-based mental health interventions that may draw from a variety of biological, psychological, and social recovery methods. Examples might include youth work, evidence-based clinical work, or support through creative arts or sports activities.
The Fund can cover direct service delivery costs in providing support for children and young people, as well as their immediate carers. These can be existing costs, or costs to pilot or deliver a new project.
In addition to the above, strong applications will demonstrate:
- Knowledge of existing mental health services and community support within the district, and ideally demonstrate existing partnership working with these services – or a clear plan of how this could be put in place
- Quality processes for measuring and reporting on the impact of recovery interventions e.g. the use of outcomes stars, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) or The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS)
- Sustainability of service delivery
It is expected that grants will provide immediate benefit, and funded action will begin without delay. Grants should be fully spent within 12 months of award.
Successful applicants will be expected to participate in quarterly reporting outlining progress on outcomes and impact.
Exclusions
The Fund can only consider direct activity costs. Capital projects cannot be considered.
How to apply
Please use the ‘Apply Online’ link below to begin an online application via Norfolk Community Foundation.
If you wish to apply for activities that will cover multiple/ all eligible districts, please complete a single application form.
The £25,000 maximum grant request can be increased where the project works across multiple districts. The Fund is unlikely to commit all of the available funding to one organisation.
When to apply
The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Monday 14th March
Who can help
If you have any questions or would like to discuss an application, please contact Catrin Hamer on 01603 623958 or email catrinhamer@norfolkfoundation.com
Call for Applications
Closed
Maximum Grant
Deadline
14 March 2022 – 12:00pm
Who can apply?
Charity, Faith organisation, Social Enterprise/CIC, and Voluntary/Community Group
Eligible Area
Breckland, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Norwich, South Norfolk, and Waveney