Big Umbrella is an early intervention project aimed at building young people’s resilience and equipping them with the skills to manage and maintain good mental wellbeing. The service supports young people in Oxfordshire.

Did you know?

• 1 in 6 children aged 5-16 are likely to have a mental health problem
• 5 children in a classroom of 30 are likely to have a mental health problem
• 50% of all mental health problems start by the age of 14

Source: Children’s Society

Big Umbrella is delivered in three ways across Oxfordshire:

Whole school assembly

This might be the first time a young person has heard about mental health and our aim is to raise awareness and talk openly about mental health.  Our assembly explores what mental health, emotional wellbeing and resilience is and provides a brief focus on coping mechanisms.

Resilience workshops

Children and young people might then be part of our workshop which is delivered to individual classes. Our workshop is open and friendly and we want to equip young people with the skills to help them talk about and deal with their emotions, as well as giving them an understanding of what resilience means and how they can build their own resilience.

One-to-one support sessions

If a young person meets the criteria for our service, we will offer them a session to talk to a trained professional to explore what is available and what might be helpful.  We’ll also agree together when and if we need to meet again for further sessions and plan what we might cover. Our one-to-one sessions are designed to support young people’s understanding of their own mental health and to give them the tools to stay well. We will also support schools by signposting them to other appropriate services if necessary.

Register your interest

Please complete the expression of interest form by clicking the button below and a member of the team will be in touch.