An innovative new Children North East project which aims to build better mental health amongst young people using the virtual game, Minecraft, has received  funding from Comic Relief and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

The ‘Tech for Good’ project is the brainchild of one of our Young People’s Service counsellors, Paul Hedley, who saw that the game – which allows children to create a virtual version of almost anything they can imagine – from castles, to cities to their own house or school – could be a really useful way of delivering therapeutic counselling.

Paul said:

“Minecraft offers an open world for the client and therapist to explore and shape together as well as many possibilities for creative work and in game challenges. This project will run alongside our traditional counselling service, however it will not be a standard part of our service delivery.”

In the initial discovery phase, the views and ideas of young people will be sought and these will shape many aspects of the delivery which will also place safeguarding at the heart of the project.

The £38,000 plus funding will facilitate this initial planning stage when all virtual interaction will take place on secure servers owned by Children North East.

“Once these are operational, we will gradually roll out the service to suitable clients in early September,” Paul said. “Then the project will be fully evaluated to assess the value of using this platform to deliver therapeutic counselling in the future.”

Benefits for autistic children

Minecraft is proving particularly beneficial to children on the autism spectrum. For young people with autism, Minecraft provides a view on the world and the rules that frame it and teachers and autism specialists around the world report that when young people work in multiplayer mode, they figure out how to talk to each other and share ideas.

Children North East was one of only 20 out of 361 organisation who applied, to receive a grant through their digital development fund aimed at supporting charities to strengthen their services in light of the continued impact of Covid-19.

More than £1.3 million has been awarded as part of the new Tech for Good programme, ‘Build’, which was originally developed in response to the need for charities to use technology to explore different approaches to delivering better services.

Now, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the drive for organisations to explore how digital and design capabilities can help transform or maximise their work in supporting vulnerable people even further.

The programme allows Children North East to explore this new approach to therapeutic counselling and will give us access to technical support from experts and advisors at CAST ( the Centre for the Acceleration of Social Technology).

Moira Sinclair, Chief Executive of Paul Hamlyn Foundation, said:

“Over the last year, so many organisations have transformed the way they work to continue to provide vital support amidst unprecedented challenges. As we begin to think about building back, digital development has a critical role to play. We hope that Build will provide these projects with time and space to experiment, to learn from one another and to realise effective digital solutions to help meet pressing social needs. Together with Comic Relief and CAST, we look forward to learning alongside those we support and sharing their work.”

Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said:

“We are pleased to be able to support 20 organisations with Tech for Good funding over the next year, to take a user-informed approach to the digital development of their services. We hope the learning that will emerge from this year’s diverse portfolio of funding will contribute to strengthening the social tech ecosystem in the longer term, empowering more organisations to use digital, design, and data and work together in new ways to increase their impact.”

Our Young People’s Service Manager, Ricky Murray, added:

“I’m really excited about this project and truly believe that it will be fully embraced by those who wouldn’t otherwise engage in therapeutic services.”

Mum, Jane Johnson, who accessed therapy through our NEWPIP (Newcastle Parent Infant Partnership) Service talks here about the transformative effects it had on the relationship between herself and her precious daughter, Amy.

Jane and Amy today

How were you referred to our NEWPIP Service Jane?

I was referred by my health visitor as I’d had prenatal depression and she saw that I was still very down after Amy was born. Furthermore, they recognised I also needed some help bonding with Amy. I already had an 11-month-old baby boy at the time and I felt I needed to talk to someone.

What kind of help did you get from the Service?

Peter Toolan, my therapist, firstly came to my house and did a numbered questionnaire on how I was feeling and that gave him something to work on. He was a very friendly and approachable man who never made me feel like I had to talk or be a certain way, he just listened. He was always so comforting! He was also brilliant at interacting with Amy. Peter really seemed to care and made the session that much easier.

Amy just had her third birthday

Your interactions with Amy were filmed as part of your therapy, how did that feel?

I was very nervous when Peter first mentioned it and I didn’t know how to be but it made absolute sense when I saw the videos afterwards. The first one we did was quite early on. I remember I was talking and singing with Amy, but I hadn’t realised that she wasn’t responding to me and kept moving her head away – maybe feeling my feelings. It helped me understand that I wanted to put more energy into singing and interacting with her, and within a couple of weeks, at the next session, she was laughing with me and looking at me. This was only seen by being videoed and was a brilliant tool to be used!

How would you describe your state of mind/relationship with your baby before engaging with NEWPIP? 

I was looking after her physical needs but emotionally I wasn’t. I would sit for hours mentally exhausted, crying for ages, which wasn’t healthy for her. I didn’t know how to break the cycle and enjoy my baby.

How would you describe your relationship today? 

She’s my little angel! She was three years old at the beginning of June (it’s gone by very quickly)! She’s such a happy, delightful, intelligent little girl. She loves to sing and dance, and we are forever laughing together. We both love each other so much!

What would you say to other new parents who might be struggling? Would you recommend NEWPIP?

I’d tell them to please seek help. It’s so good just to talk to someone! Everything will get easier, and it’s all a phase. You will also sleep again! I’d also remind them to look after themselves as it’s not easy! I would highly recommend NEWPIP. They saved not only the bond with my daughter but also my life!

What do you think Amy would say, if she had the words, about how things are now?

She would tell me how happy she is, and how she loves seeing her mummy being happy! She loves mummy taking her to dance classes and swimming and going on special mum and daughter dates. Also, she would want me to forever forgive myself because the way I was feeling, it wasn’t my fault

Amy’s happy and confident

How important do you think it is that Infant Mental Health Services are properly funded? Do you think infant mental health is as recognised as older children’s and adult mental health?

It’s so very important, but it’s such a postcode lottery if you’re going to be offered any help. I remember other people saying, ‘You just need to cry…’ But it’s so misunderstood. It’s not that easy! There should be advertising on maternity wards with numbers you can call. They make you so aware of what to look out for with the baby’s health, but never the mum or the relationship with the baby. I know the importance of early relationships is not as well known (I certainly hadn’t thought about it before) but without some support it can have terrible consequences! I wish I could shout about the amazing work of NEWPIP from the rooftops because they can and will save many lives!

Find out more

A team of footballers from Whitley Bay took on the 2000km run from the North East town to Barcelona in an epic lockdown virtual challenge.

The 13 footballers from Whitley Bay Sporting Club U12 Lionesses, along with their families and coaches, took three months to virtually run to Nou Camp, the famous home of Barcelona FC.

Coaches Lewis Crane and Kevin Thomas set the girls the challenge to keep them fit and motivated when the country went into its third full lockdown in January 2021.  Kevin said, “It was a new thing for the girls, they usually train once a week and play matches once a week, so heading out for regular runs was something very different for them.  It was a really good way for them to stay active and connected with their friends during lockdown”.

Each of the team logged their miles and finally broke the 2000km barrier on 11 April this year on the beach at Whitley Bay.

The team cross the finish line on the beach at Whitley Bay.

Kevin went on to say, “A few of the girls have really found running enjoyable and have carried on running regularly even though we’re back to being able to train.

I’m so proud of the team and how they continued to stay engaged with this challenge.  Hopefully, we can take them to Barcelona for real one day, although we might take a shorter flight next time.”

The team have previously raised money for us with a New Year’s Day dip in January 2020, and chose to continue supporting us raising an amazing £569.00 to support babies, children and young people across the North East.

It’s Infant Mental Health Awareness Week and we are delighted to announce that the future of our unique specialist service, NEWPIP,  has been assured thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

NEWPIP (Newcastle Parent Infant Partnership), which provides parent infant psychotherapy and therapeutic help to parents to support the development of a sensitive bond, was launched five years ago with financial backing from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, but just last month it almost had to close its doors after funding ran out.

Stacey Wilson and her baby Skye benefited from NEWPIP

Thankfully, support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery will ensure that core elements of the service can continue. Since players of the lottery began supporting the charity 12 years ago, Children North East has received just over £3.1m to aid its mission helping the region’s babies, children and young people grow up to be healthy and happy.

Chief Executive of Children North East, Leigh Elliott, said she was delighted to announce the additional award thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery ahead of Infant Mental Health Awareness Week which runs from 7-13 June.

“We are so grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery as we know from our beneficiaries that the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the mental health problems some expectant and new mothers are facing,” she said.

“In the last year alone NEWPIP has helped 277 families so this ongoing support is really valuable. The importance of developing a strong bond in the first 1001 days of a child’s life cannot be underestimated. Research shows that early intervention provided by specialist parent infant teams helps babies to experience nurturing early relationships and to start school best equipped to be able to make friends and learn.  This increases the chances that they will achieve their potential in later life and contribute to society and the economy.”

Researchers at Newcastle University, who are part of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) for the North East and North Cumbria have produced an independent report featuring the views of parents who have recently used the service. It concluded that the NEWPIP approach “supports parents to build a better bond with their baby and provide a safe space for parents to heal through their relationships.”

One mother told the University’s researchers how engaging with her NEWPIP therapist helped her:

“I just used to just sit on the sofa in a dressing gown in a little ball and then, by the end of it, I felt more back to myself.”

Another commented:

“It has really fundamentally changed how I parent” whilst another said NEWPIP “felt like quite a safe space to just say all those things which you shouldn’t feel as a mother…”

Stacey Wilson, mum to baby Skye, received support from NEWPIP during Lockdown last year and featured on BBC Radio 4’s File on Four programme about being pregnant during the pandemic.

She said she was pleased for other parents in similar positions that funding had been found to continue the NEWPIP service:

“I was anxious, once the pandemic hit, about leaving the house or even going to the local supermarket. Most of the weeks of pregnancy I spent at home and didn’t even venture out of the garden.

“NEWPIP was invaluable for me, it helped calm my anxiety with impending motherhood. Also, once Skye was born and a whole new set of worries set in, the service continued to provide me with mental health support along with other help like food parcels.

“Skye and I are great now. We are very in sync with one another and happy in each other’s company. We’re looking forward to celebrating Skye’s first birthday which will be on the 16th of June! The year has flown by so quickly.”

Most families in the UK live in areas where there is little support like this for babies and their care givers but in Newcastle, Children North East runs the only parent infant relationship team in our region, the nearest other projects being in Leeds and Bradford. NEWPIP also provides high quality training for health and other professionals working with babies in the region.

The Parent Infant Foundation, the national body supporting the development, growth and quality of specialised parent-infant relationship teams, welcomed the news that NEWPIP’s work can continue.

Sally Hogg, Head of Policy and Campaigning at the Parent-Infant Foundation said:

“This Infant Mental Health Awareness Week we are calling on everyone to include infants in children and young people’s mental health. Children and young people’s mental health should refer to the mental health of all children from 0-18 and beyond, but too often it is focused on older children.

There is a ‘baby blindspot’ and more needs to be done to address this gap in policy, funding and services for our youngest members of society.

“Specialist parent-infant teams and services such as Children North East’s NEWPIP can help fill this gap and offer vital, highly-skilled services to support babies’ emotional development. The Parent-Infant Foundation believes that all parent-infant services should form a core part of public service provision. Until that is the case though we are very grateful for other funders, such as The People’s Postcode Lottery, who are stepping up and helping to ensure that local families will continue to get this critical support in order to give them and their babies the very best start in life.”

Read the evaluation report

It’s Volunteers’ Week this week and we want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the people who give their time freely to Children North East to help make things better for babies, children and young people in our region.

This year has highlighted the vital role volunteers play across the UK and we want to join other organisations in making sure everyone is aware that this is a week to recognise the impact of volunteering.

Today we’ve invited one of our trusted volunteers, Julia Ruane, to tell her story. When Julia returned to the North East after working in Spain, she decided to use her skills to help others. She joined us not long before the pandemic hit and spent much of last summer supporting staff putting together the thousands of activity packs that we sent out to children stuck at home during lockdown.

Now she is with our Families and Parenting Service at Cowgate – over to Julia:

Hi, I’m Julia and I have lived overseas for most of my adult life and when my partner decided to retire, we were able to come back to the North East. Over the years I have always been involved in volunteering in some form or other, so I was really pleased when Children North East offered to take me on and give me family support training. Since then, I have been able to get involved in some amazing learning experiences.

One example was around helping a mum and daughter set up a new home and make good choices. They have needed help with setting up accounts/direct debits/household utilities and budgeting. Mum has some learning/confidence difficulties which we work on weekly, and I feel she is coming along fabulously.

Time for mum

Also, I support a mum who is studying, has just had her fourth baby and her eldest boy has autism. Her husband works different days every week with early starts, so, when I’m needed, I help walking the boys to school, as sometimes her eldest would be difficult to handle along the busy road. I love doing the walk and using the tools I have been given to help. The boys are all doing fab as is mum. On the way back we can have a lovely catch up and it is time for mum.

In the past several months, I have been involved in helping another mum make better judgments and choices which ultimately resulted in her being cleared to take her baby home. This is an amazing achievement for all involved but most of all her baby. We will still be working along with them until she is happy and confident.

There are so many good things going on at Children North East and working here I learn more every day. Most of all, I see how many people care and want to help others. In fact, one of the hardest parts is letting people who need help and care, know that there are so many people and organisations out there for them.

One of the many things I have been involved in at our Families and Parenting Service is the rearranging and organising of the Cowgate centre. As we all know, the first lockdown was intensive and no one knew what was going to happen. With that came a lot of disruption, so the centre became a place for dropping off and picking up all manner of items – such as food and clothing – which a group of seven volunteers have been organising throughout. It is an ongoing task still. We are also setting up a new café area, doing weekly food deliveries and getting the activity groups up and running again for parents and babies/toddlers. So, watch this space as many new things are coming to Cowgate.

Volunteer with us