It’s Mental Health Awareness Week and our new research finds that parents are missing out on the mental health benefits of walking.
We’ve learned that:
* One in ten parents walk for pleasure less than once a month
* After a walk, parents say that their fitness and mental health are better
* Only 51 percent of children aged 5-10 in England walk to school (it was 70 percent in the 1970s)
Next week is Living Streets’ Walk to School Week (18-22 May) where families are encouraged to walk, wheel, cycle, scoot or ‘Park and Stride’ for the whole week to see the big differences that come from small steps, from healthier and happier children to fewer cars outside the school gates.
A Scottish charity is using a new delivery model to tackle shortages in access to therapeutic support.
Right There, which works across Scotland to prevent homelessness and support families, has widened its existing counselling provision to help more people access support earlier, before issues reach crisis point.
The approach uses a supervised placement model, with counselling delivered by postgraduate counselling students – initially from the University of Strathclyde, Queen Margaret College, Grounded Learning, and the Centre of Therapy – who are closely supported by an experienced Supervising Counsellor.
The announcement was made to help Right There to mark National Mental Health Awareness Week, 11th to 17th May.
The expanded service builds on Right There’s established counselling work, including its long running service in Orkney, and will offer young people and adults the option of in-person support delivered at hubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh, or online sessions for people in other parts of the country.
One young woman who accessed counselling through Right There’s service in Orkney, said: “Right There Counselling was the helping hand I needed to pull myself through some immensely difficult situations in my life.
“Having that support a message away, knowing I could talk unfiltered and receive not only strong in-person advice and support, but referrals to practical help for my situation.
“All this really gave me the leg up I needed to rebuild a new safer life for myself, as my true self, when I had few places to turn. This is an invaluable service for young people.”
The counselling service offers a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space for young people and adults to talk openly about what is affecting their lives and their mental health. Counselling helps to reduce isolation and prevents symptoms from worsening during lengthy waiting times.
Elvira Kesoglou, Supervising Counsellor at Right There, said: “We know that demand for counselling support has grown significantly across the country, but access has not kept pace.
“For some years now we have been funding a popular counselling service to people accessing our programmes in Orkney, but we are desperate to expand our care out to the rest of Scotland.
“This new model allows us to widen that access safely and affordably, while maintaining the quality, supervision and person-centred care that people deserve. It also helps us support the next generation of counsellors in a structured and ethical way.”
The initial service will only be available for people referred through Right There’s programmes. The charity plans to continue developing the service over the coming year, with scope to introduce additional therapeutic approaches as capacity grows.
Mental health in the UK is moving in the wrong direction. More people are experiencing distress, services are overwhelmed and demand continues to rise.
The need for action is clear. But what should that look like?
At the Mental Health Foundation, we believe that lasting change depends on acting earlier – we call it prevention.
Treatment and crisis services are vital and always will be, but they can’t carry the full weight of the mental health crisis.
If we want fewer people to reach crisis point, we have to address the conditions that harm mental health in the first place and strengthen those that protect it.
Around half of higher-risk mental health patients in Emergency Departments were not properly observed during their stay last year.
That’s according to a new data published by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) today, 11 May, which is the first day of UK Mental Health Awareness Week.
RCEM’s QIPs are designed to improve care and awareness of particular issues in Emergency Departments among clinicians, offer recommendations on practice and in turn drive improvements to patient care.
Today’s report is the final one for the QIP on Mental Health and Self Harm, which ran from 2022-2025 and tracked progress in the care for patients attending EDs across the UK at risk of self-harm and absconding.
It measured EDs against three standards:
Patients having a mental health triage by clinicians on arrival to gauge their risk of further adverse events, including self-harm or leaving without assessment.
Patients deemed medium or high-risk of further self-harm or absconding should be observed during their whole length of stay in the ED
Assessment of patients presenting with self-harm by an ED clinician should include a brief assessment of ongoing risk, the type of self-harm inflicted, the trigger for the episode, a brief social history and any current thoughts of further self-harm
The report found that an average of 48.6% of patients deemed medium or high risk of self-harm and absconding from the ED were appropriately observed last year.
This is a significant improvement on 2023, where the average was 29.1%, and a slight improvement on the 2024, when it was 42.8%.
Observation rates, the report found, dipped to an average of below 35% in early December 2025 – one of the busier times of year for EDs, which adds further barriers for staff in delivering high quality care including patient observation.
Almost three quarters (76.1%) of patients presenting with self-harm underwent a mental health triage, lower than in year 2 (81.7%) of the QIP, but slightly better than year 1 (74.6%). Meanwhile, mean average times to triage increased from 42 minutes in year 2 to 45 minutes in year 3 and may be indicative of increasing demands on ED services.
The report also found:
The vast majority (92.12%) of patients presenting with self-harm had the type of self-harm recorded
Meanwhile, just 45.6% had an adequate social history recorded, around half (51.8%) were asked about further self-harm plans or thoughts, and less than three-quarters (71.8%) had the trigger for the episode recorded
40% of patients, during the summer, were asked about all four of these areas. In early December 2025, only around 20% were asked.
The report noted that performance against the clinical standards was likely impacted by the high demand and pressures facing EDs, particularly in winter.
Evidence of compassionate and practical care for patients presenting with mental health needs was recorded in 40.7% of cases. The data shows an improvement on year 2 (38%) and year 1 (30%).
Based on these findings, the QIP report made a series of recommendations aimed at driving further improvements for each clinical standard for care of mental health patients in ED.
Dr Nirmal James, Topic Lead for the QIP, said: “This final report has shown an improvement in addressing certain key factors of health care quality including compassionate and practical care.
“However, the high demands facing EDs will likely have had an impact on delivery of some of key standards covered by the QIP.
“It is encouraging to see some of our most vulnerable patients are being observed throughout their stay in ED far more than they were before we embarked on this project.
“However, there is still scope for improvement, and I hope the findings and recommendations from this QIP can continue to drive improvement in patient care.”
Dr Ian Higginson, RCEM President, said: “The College thanks all sites and individuals who took part in this QIP for their contributions towards this important piece of work.
“The improvements made to care are a testament to the hard work of our staff who have been able to make positive changes despite an extremely challenging environment,
“However, today’s report shows how much still must be done to safeguard mental health patients in the ED.
“This final report has also further exposed just how difficult it is to drive improvements to patient care while our departments are overstretched, and staff are pushed over their limits.”
Next week (11-17 May) marks Mental Health Awareness Week 2026. Led by the Mental Health Foundation, it is focused on the theme “Take Action”, looking at what proactive steps individuals can take to promote good mental health.
This is a major, nation-wide initiative involving schools, workplaces, and communities.
The week also marks the first few days for our newly elected MSPs, and, as a collection of organisations that support vulnerable children and young people, we urge them to make mental health a key priority.
Parity of esteem is vital, ensuring mental health needs are addressed with the same urgency as physical ones. Placing mental health on an equal footing with physical health will ensure equal access to funding and quality of care. While recognised in policy, Scotland still fails to fully achieve this.
Our mental health services frequently face lower funding relative to their disease burden, and if unaddressed, those children and young people with mental health problems will carry this into adulthood.
The costs of failing to address mental health problems are well-established. For example, those affected are more likely to be unemployed, homeless, get caught up in the criminal justice system, or be in extremely costly long-term care.
Our new MSPs have an incredible responsibility, and we urge them to make tackling the mental health emergency their number one priority.
New Childline data shows the service delivered 2,895 counselling sessions to young people struggling with anger issues, a 6 per cent increase from the previous year
This Mental Health Awareness Week, the NSPCC is encouraging children to process their anger in a healthy way and contact Childline if they need to talk
Thousands of children and young people have received support from Childline for anger issues over the past year.
New data shows that the NSPCC-service delivered close to 3,000 counselling sessions to children and young people across the UK about the issue, online and over the phone, which is a 6 per cent increase on the previous 12 months.
The rise in contacts on the topic has made anger issues a top ten mental health concern for all genders contacting the service. This data gives insight into a generation increasingly struggling to manage and regulate their emotions in the face of a range of pressures at home, school, online and in the community.
This Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12 to 18), Childline is offering advice in dealing with these emotions in a healthy way.
One 13-year-old girl from Scotland told Childline: “I get so mad and annoyed about little things. It takes all my energy to control and hide it. I try shutting myself in my room when I feel it happening, but then mum thinks it’s her fault. Is there anything else I can try?”
Counselling sessions delivered by Childline reveal several recurring themes when children are discussing anger.
Some are aggressively criticising themselves, while some often experience frustration with parents and peers following disagreements. Others are struggling to regulate their emotions during challenging situations.
One boy from Scotland, aged 15, confided to Childline: “Games usually help me relax but lately I’m getting really frustrated with them. It makes me feel so stupid, being this angry about a game or wound up over laggy internet.”
Adeniyi Alade, Childline service head, based in the Aberdeen Childline centre, said: “At Childline, we hear from children every day about the emotional challenges and difficult situations they are facing. Sometimes they tell us they feel stressed and angry, and they need our support to help process their feelings in a constructive way.
“Young people face so many different pressures in today’s world – from family disagreements at home, to arguments with friends or classmates at school and online. As a result, they can struggle to manage and deal with difficult emotions.
“This Mental Health Awareness Week, we are here to let children know there are so many healthy ways to express their feelings and our counsellors are here to provide a safe and confidential space to help them to learn vital skills for their mental wellbeing.”
As well as encouraging children to contact Childline, the service has been working with children’s mental health charity, Place2Be, to release advice to both young people and parents on how to manage anger issues and look after their mental wellbeing.
Tips for Children on Looking After Their Mental Health:
1. Talk to someone you trust: Whether it’s a parent, teacher, friend or Childline (0800 1111), sharing how you feel can help.
2. Find healthy outlets for emotions: Try physical activities, creative expression, journaling, or relaxation techniques.
3. Take care of your body: Regular sleep, healthy food, and exercise all support good mental health.
4. Practice mindfulness: Take time each day to focus on your breathing and notice how you’re feeling.
5. Create a feel-good toolkit: Identify activities, people, and places that help you feel calm and happy when you’re struggling.
Tips for Parents on Supporting Children’s Mental Health:
1. Create regular check-in times: Establish consistent opportunities for conversations about feelings, perhaps during dinner, car rides, or before bedtime.
2. Use open-ended questions: Ask “How are you feeling today?” rather than questions that can be answered with just “yes” or “no.”
3. Model healthy emotional expression: Show children how you manage your own emotions in a constructive way.
4. Look for changes in behaviour: Notice shifts in sleeping patterns, appetite, social withdrawal, or increased irritability which may signal emotional struggles.
5. Normalise seeking help: Talk positively about therapy, counselling, and support services.
Dr Rebecca Kirkbride, Clinical Director at Place2Be, said:“At Place2Be, we know that learning to express and process emotions healthily during childhood builds resilience and establishes positive coping mechanisms that serve young people throughout their lives.
“The rise in children seeking support for issues related to anger, as highlighted by Childline’s data, demonstrates the importance of early intervention and teaching children healthy ways to process emotions.
“By creating safe spaces where young people feel heard and validated, we can help them develop the emotional vocabulary and self-regulation skills needed to navigate complex feelings, without expressing feelings through angry or aggressive behaviour – which may have implications for themselves or others around them.”
Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk.
Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can contact the NSPCC helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or by calling 0808 800 5000.
As Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May 2025) begins Scotland’s children’s charity is urging parents and carers across Edinburgh to call their support line if they are worried about their child’s mental health.
A recent survey commissioned by the charity showed a staggering 92% of children and young people aged 11-25 in Scotland were worried about mental health. The same survey showed less than one in four children believed childhood is better now than when their parents were young.
Last year more than two thirds of the people who contacted Children First’s national support line were worried about a child’s emotional wellbeing.
From mental health, money worries and online harm, to struggles at school, the charity’s support line offers emotional, practical and financial support to any family in Scotland.
Last year Children First’s support line gave expert, confidential advice to more than 2,500 families and supported over 9,400 people in 2024.
Simon McGowan, Assistant Director at Children First, said: “Every day our support line team are helping more and more families who are desperately worried about their child’s mental health.
“No family should struggle alone. Whatever your concern about your child, we are here to help. Our friendly team can provide expert support and advice that can make all the difference.
“Call us on the Children First support line on 08000 28 22 33 or start a webchat at childrenfirst.org.uk.”
One mum who called Children First’s support line in a desperate plea for help and worried sick about the mental health of her daughter, Orla*, said: “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without the Children First support line.”
Orla was only 14 when she tried to end her life. Support from Jess*, a recovery worker at Children First, has resulted in Orla feeling less anxious and more positive about the future.
If you live in Scotland call the Children First support line on 08000 28 22 33 free, visit www.childrenfirst.org.uk for advice and support, or start a webchat.
Scottish walking charity shines spotlight on walking and mental wellness
SCOTLAND’s walking charity is supporting the Scottish Health Walk Network (SHWN) to raise awareness of mental health and encourage open conversations during Mental Health Awareness Week.
Paths for All has been working closely with a group of SHWN members to design and deliver a mental health campaign.
The campaign will offer the network a range of useful tools and resources to acknowledge, celebrate and enable discussions around mental health during Health Walks in the East Renfrewshire area.
It is hoped that the campaign will inspire longer-term conversations beyond Mental Health Awareness Week to reduce stigma, and promote safe, welcoming and accessible opportunities to move more for wellbeing.
Kevin Lafferty, CEO of Paths for All, said: “Walking has numerous benefits for both physical and mental health, and these walks provide a supportive environment for open and honest conversations about mental wellbeing.”
“By equipping the network with resources and tools, we hope to encourage more discussions around mental health and further raise awareness of this important issue.
“With Mental Health Awareness week also happening during the National Walking Month of May, it’s relevant more than ever to encourage Scots to get out walking.”
The campaign is part of Paths for All’s ongoing collaboration with Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) on raising awareness and engagement of SHWN members with the Scottish Mental Health Charter. The Charter aims to change attitudes around mental health and encourage more organizations to promote mental wellbeing.
For the Scottish Health Walk Network, the Charter will support members to design and deliver Health Walks which are even more inclusive of those living with mental health problems.
Robert Nesbitt, Head of Physical Activity and Sport at SAMH said: “We are proud to work collaboratively with Paths for All to reduce barriers to walking for people and communities.
“Recognising the power of walking, together we are creating accessible tools and resources with the Scottish Health Walk Network, so they can continue to play their part in supporting the physical, mental and social health of the people of Scotland.“
The Scottish Health Walk Network is a membership network designed by Paths for All, accrediting and supporting Health Walk provider throughout Scotland. It brings together over 400 organisations with the common goal of creating supportive environments to offer safe, welcoming, accessible walks that meet best practice standards.
Elaine McWilliams is a Group Development Worker at Stepping Stones, a mental health charity supporting people across the West Dunbartonshire area and has been part of the co-working groups supporting Paths for All in developing the campaign.
Elaine said: “We get over 800 referrals every year and currently have 600 active cases and we understand that one size does not fit all when it comes to providing support.
“Walking groups have been part of our services for over 10 years and we have seen it play a massive role in allowing people to be part of a social group and connect with others, allowing people to build confidence.
“This campaign is extremely important to help Health Walk organisers to understand how they can help and start open conversations about mental health and wellbeing up and down the country.”
Paths for All’s mission is to create opportunities for everyone in Scotland to stay active through walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling, contributing to a happier, healthier, and greener Scotland.
For more information about Paths for All’s work with the Scottish Health Walk Network and the Scottish Mental Health Charter, visit: www.pathsforall.org.uk
St James Quarter marks Mental Health Awareness Week with a host of wellbeing activities
A Listening Space will open in Quarter to make mental health support accessible
The activities will fundraise for St James Quarter’s two charity partners, Edinburgh Women’s Aid and Health in Mind
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, St James Quarter is hosting a programme of wellbeing activities in partnership with Health in Mind and Edinburgh Women’s Aid to support the community in the capital.
Making mental health support and guidance more accessible for people living in Edinburgh, Listening Spaces will open in the Quarter from 16th May. Launched by Health in Mind, the space will offer guests one-to-one time with a trained expert to talk about their mental wellbeing and receive compassionate advice, support and resources.
The free, weekly sessions will initially run for a six week period and be delivered from 2pm to 4pm in the Guest Services Lounge.
On Wednesday 15 May, Everyman Cinema will transform into a calming haven with a free mindfulness experience. Hosted by Health and Mind, the session will explore the body and bodily sensations as a source of mindful awareness. This session will end with mood and energy-boosting tips from Neom Wellbeing, leaving guests feeling relaxed and in tune with their minds. There’s limited spots which can be booked at bit.ly/3JSVbor.
In a bid to brighten guests’ days during Mental Health Awareness Week, local magician, Grant Mitchell, will be sprinkling some magic in the Quarter with mood-boosting tricks that are guaranteed to put a smile on faces on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th May. Talented musician, Dan Collins, will also entertain guests with feel-good tracks on Thursday 16th May.
The team at St James Quarter continues to show its commitment to its charity partners. On Friday, 16 members of the team will put on their walking boots to climb Ben Chonzie in support of Mental Health Awareness Week, and to raise funds to support its two charity partners, Health in Mind and Edinburgh Women’s Aid.
Kerry Girdwood, Senior Services Manager (North) at Health in Mind, who will be managing the new drop-in Listening Space, said: “Around 1 in 3 people in Scotland are struggling with their mental health, and with added pressures like the cost-of-living crisis, the fallout from the Covid pandemic, pressure on public services, and conflict around the world, that number is only climbing.
“We’ve run Listening Spaces in communities around Scotland, where people can chat through their mental health difficulties, access resources, and get connected to services. Thanks to this new pilot with St James Quarter, we’ll be doing all that in one of Edinburgh’s busiest community hubs.”
Jennifer Laseen, Hospitality Director and CSR Committee Chair said, “We know how hard it can be to make the first step and reach out for support, and sometimes you just don’t know where to start.
“At St James Quarter, we’re perfectly positioned to make mental wellbeing support more accessible in the city centre and we’re really excited about this opportunity to offer a Listening Space with Health in Mind.
“The Quarter is a welcoming and supporting place for all our guests and however you’re feeling this Mental Health Awareness Week, I encourage you to join us for a mindfulness session, enjoy some feel-good entertainment, or meet the team from Health in Mind.
“It is a privilege to have two brilliant partner charities and every donation to Edinburgh Women’s Aid and Health in Mind supports them to provide valuable services in the city.”
To keep up to date with events happening throughout the Quarter, visit the St James Quarter website or download the St James Quarter App.
Activities taking place during Mental Health Awareness Week:
Monday 13 May – Magic from Grant Mitchell
Tuesday 14 May – Magic from Grant Mitchell
Wednesday 15 May – Mindfulness Session with Health in Mind
Thursday 16 May – Listening Spaces with Health in Mind & Music from Dan Collins
