A SERIES of short films has been released to promote young people’s mental wellbeing at home as part of Mental Health Awareness week.

Bath & North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group is behind the initiative to help families have healthy conversations around mental health.

The films contain tips and strategies from healthcare professionals and were created in collaboration with the team at Create Studios in Swindon.

Released to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, which started today, the project features real-life stories from young people talking about how the service they have accessed have supported them and improved their quality of life.

Young people aged between seven and 15 have described the films as inspirational, with some saying the videos have shown them there can be a happy ending.

CCG children’s commissioning lead Esther Schmidt said: “We are really excited to release these films as they will help young people understand what treatment options are available if they are struggling through difficult times.

“They are a great resource for parents and carers to watch again and again, to help guide the language they use in their interactions with young people."

National research has shows children and young people’s mental health is suffering more than ever.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists analysed data taken between April 2020 and December 2020, which showed a 28 per cent increase in the number of referrals to mental health services compared with the year before.

Alongside this, NHS England research has shown the experience of waiting for support from mental health services can cause young people to feel scared, alone, lost and confused.

Head of service at Banes adolescent mental health service James Fortune said: “We'd encourage young people and their parents or carers who are worried about their mental health and wellbeing to access these helpful resources, as well as make use of the materials available on our website.”

Executive director and senior film creative at Create Studios Gurch Singh said: “It has been our absolute pleasure to have worked with the CCG over the past year on these films, and to have contributed to the betterment of the community’s health and wellbeing.

“Our passion at Create Studios is to create worthwhile creative content that captures unique stories.

“We are privileged to be part of this timeless resource that we hope will be used by many.”

The films can be viewed online on the CCG’s YouTube channel.