This Children’s Mental Health Week, M&S and YoungMinds are marking a significant milestone in their partnership to support young people’s mental health. They originally aimed to raise £5 million over three years, but they have exceeded this goal – raising £5.5 million in just two years, reaching their target a full year ahead of schedule.

Building on this momentum, the partnership now aims to raise a further £1.5 million over the coming year. This funding will enable YoungMinds to provide vital support and services to parents and carers throughout the year, ensuring more young people and families receive the help they need.

Parents can turn to YoungMinds for support and advice, such as Catherine, a parent who called YoungMinds Parents Helpline. Catherine says, “Before calling YoungMinds Parents Helpline, I felt I had nowhere else to turn. I have a great support network, but my child’s difficulties were scary, and no one knew what advice to give.

 “On the helpline, I spoke to a qualified professional who was able to address every one of my fears. She validated my experiences and made me feel like I wasn’t going mad. After this conversation, I was able to communicate with my child in a much clearer way, which led to a calmer approach from the whole family.

“Without YoungMinds Parents Helpline, I would have been absolutely lost, and I think both mine and my child’s mental health would have become significantly worse. That call was absolutely life-changing for my whole family.”

The top five concerns parents and carers called the YoungMinds Parents Helpline about last year were anxiety (14%), school problems (11%), anger/aggression (8%), autism spectrum disorder (7%) and behaviour management (6%).  

M&S’s commitment to raising £1.5 million will fund YoungMinds Helpline and online support for parents and carers for an entire year. The free helpline (0808 802 5544) delivers tailored and confidential information, advice, and support to parents and carers who have concerns about their child or young person’s mental health.

Jo Daniels, Head of Community at M&S, says: “Every young person deserves timely mental health support, yet we know too many are waiting far too long. That’s why our partnership with YoungMinds means so much to everyone at M&S – our colleagues and our customers alike. We are incredibly proud to have surpassed our original £5 million target a year early, and we’re determined to keep going.

“By committing to raise a further £1.5 million, we hope to help YoungMinds support more families during some of their most challenging moments. We believe no young person should be alone with their mental health, and no adult should feel lost when they want to support.”

Also commenting is Abigail Ampofo, Interim Chief Executive at YoungMinds.

“No young person should have to wait hundreds of days for mental health support, but this is the shocking reality for thousands of young people. We hear about the many different pressures young people are experiencing, and the calls YoungMinds advisers handle are often complex. It can be incredibly daunting and worrying for parents who are unsure about how to support their child, whether talking about it for the first time or being there for them while waiting to access services.

“We’re incredibly grateful to M&S for their support, which has helped us provide vital guidance and advice to young people and the adults in their lives. YoungMinds Parents Helpline supports parents and carers in some of their most difficult moments, and funding like this helps make sure we can be there for those who need us.”

Across Children’s Mental Health Week, M&S customers can donate to YoungMinds in-store or select YoungMinds as their chosen Sparks charity in the M&S app.