It’s Children’s Mental Health Week 2026 in the UK and the focus this year is on supporting children and young people to feel that they belong.
Started by UK charity Place2Be in 2015, Children’s Mental Health Week takes place every February to raise awareness of children’s mental health and wellbeing and give a voice to all children and young people.
Each year, Place2Be sets the focus theme for the week and, for 2026, it is ‘This is My Place’, which refers to their aim to “support the systems around children and young people to help them feel they belong.”
Foster a sense of belonging this Children’s Mental Health Week
A sense of belonging plays a vital role in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing for all of us.
That’s why, for Children’s Mental Health Week 2026, Place2Be will be helping people across the UK create inclusive and nurturing environments where children and young people feel that they belong and can say “This is My Place.”
A child’s family, peers, school and community can all play a part in helping them feel that they belong and have a safe space to call their own.
The charity explains:
“We know that our sense of belonging as individuals, in our friendships, in school, and in communities plays a vital role in our mental health and wellbeing.
“To know our place and really feel part of our environment is a basic human need. It can have powerful and long-lasting impacts in lots of areas of our lives, including our physical and mental health, education, employment and relationships. When we feel that we belong, it empowers us to contribute to the world and make a real difference.”
Get involved with Children’s Mental Health Week 2026
They provide a range of free resources to help people across the UK mark Children’s Mental Health Week, including assembly slides and class activities for schools, to resources for families and communities, and social media graphics and posters.
They also encourage schools, families, community groups and workplaces to fundraise during the awareness week to help support children and young people’s mental health, and provide a range of helpful fundraising resources.
All funds raised are used to help Place2Be provide counselling, mental health support and training in UK schools as well as support and training for parents and carers.
Helping your child feel that they belong
To support parents and carers during Children’s Mental Health Week and beyond, Place2Be have developed a new parenting smart article about helping your child feel as though they belong.
This includes some key tips and guidance, such as:
- Establish a loving, trusting relationship – ensure children feel valued and safe by listening to them without judgment, offering hugs and sharing smiles.
- Show them you know and value them – celebrate your child’s personality and talents and let them know you’re proud of them. Cheering on their efforts and achievements helps build their confidence.
- Be present and available – take time daily to connect with them.
- Encourage open communication – ensure it is safe for your child to share their thoughts and feelings without fear of being judged.
- Create family routines and rituals – children experience security and connection through shared routines and traditions; these can be as simple as ‘pizza and move night’ on a Friday or having a special greeting or goodbye.
- Celebrate heritage and identity – help your child to connect to their culture, traditions or roots to strengthen their sense of self and belonging.
- Talk to them about belonging – ask what belonging means to them, explain the difference between belonging and fitting in and encourage them to share their experiences.
- Show empathy and support when they feel excluded – Acknowledge and show understanding of their feelings and show them you see their worth.
- Remember that belonging is a journey – your child’s sense of belonging may change and evolve throughout their life.
Bafta are supporting the awareness week by sharing stories from stars of stage and screen which demonstrate how they have found belonging through creativity. They say that the creative industries “can be a great place for fostering a sense of belonging and community.”
Training and support for children’s mental health
Children’s Mental Health Week is an important campaign, which sheds light on children’s mental health and wellbeing, highlighting key facts such as:
- 1 in 5 children and young people have a probable mental health condition, and many continue to experience these problems into adulthood
- 50% of children and young people who experience lifelong mental health problems first experience their symptoms by the age of 14
- 1 in 10 boys aged 5-19 with a mental health condition are suspended in some form from school
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care, safeguarding and more.
They work with a large number of early years and childcare providers, as well as schools, colleges, and children’s services.
Their courses include Understanding Mental Health, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Anxiety Awareness, Self-Harm Awareness and Suicide Awareness.
Empower your team this Children’s Mental Health Week
A trainer from FRT says:
“Children’s Mental Health Week is a vital annual awareness campaign. It is crucial that we continue to have open conversations about mental health and wellbeing and that we focus on important related issues such as belonging and a strong sense of self.
“We must support children and young people and help them to talk about and process their thoughts, feelings and worries and to recognise their responses and reactions to these. We need to support their mental health and wellbeing and regularly check in with them.
“Anyone who works with children and young people needs a good understanding of mental health and to be able to spot the signs that someone may be struggling. They should also feel confident to offer appropriate early help and support.
“As we mark Children’s Mental Health Week 2026, why not contact us to arrange focused training to empower you and your team to provide the right support for the children and young people you work with.”
You can download FRT’s free Guide To Supporting Young Minds on their website.
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.