TWO mums from Salford have set up Share, a group that aims to promote children’s positive mental by assisting carers and parents whose children are struggling.
Share, which meets for the first time next Wednesday May 9 at Hulton District Centre, aims to support, help and reassure parents and carers who have children struggling with mental health in Salford.
Each group has a topic so parents/carers can attend sessions they directly relate to and will take place fortnightly. The first session on May 9 will be focused on tackling anxiety and depression.
Quays News spoke to Alison Gresty, one of the mothers who has set up the group.
Ms Gresty, whose 12-year-old daughter suffers with severe anxiety, said: “My daughter is getting help, but how I see it is she’s in the middle and around her is the school, the doctors, CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and then me and her dad felt right outside that circle.
“We felt like we should be in the middle of that circle because we’re her parents and we know her better than anyone.”
The mum also volunteers with Society Inc, a befriending and mentoring group who will be working alongside Share and referring parents to one another.
Share is funded by Big Local and supported by 42nd Street, a local mental health charity supporting people aged 11 to 25 years old with their emotional well-being and mental health.
These sessions are a way for parents in Salford to support one another and communicate about the struggles their children are facing without feeling embarrassed. Talking about mental health can be very difficult so the sessions aim to be informal and relaxed and let parents know they aren’t alone at difficult times.
The level of child poverty in Salford is worse than the England average with 26.8 per cent of children aged under 16 living in poverty and has evidently meant that mental health in Salford is much more concerning than other areas in England.
About the importance of Share in areas like Little Hulton, she said: “When you look at statistics, we are second highest in the Greater Salford area for admissions to hospital for drug and alcohol problems. We’re also quite high on the scale of children with mental health problems.”
[pullquote] “As a parent you don’t want to admit our child has mental health problems because you feel like you’ve done something wrong.” [/pullquote]
“In Little Hulton we don’t have any mental health services, they were all shut down so the closest we have is Salford city centre.”
This map highlights a variety of places across Salford and Greater Manchester that offer support for those battling with mental health problems.
For more information, check out Share’s Facebook page by clicking here.
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