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  4. Mobilising young people to lead change in Havering via #BeeWell 

Mobilising young people to lead change in Havering via #BeeWell 

We are working with Havering council to roll-out the Havering Youth Wellbeing Census to measure and respond to young people’s wellbeing.

The #BeeWell programme was originally conceived and implemented in Greater Manchester Combined Local Authority in 2021.  The original programme was a collaboration between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and #BeeWell national founding partners; University of Manchester, Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families and the Gregson Family Foundation. Core to its aims is improving the understanding of youth mental wellbeing, including the structural factors that can cause worse outcomes for some young people, in order to inform local action both within schools and within wider communities.  The programme aims to empower young people to steer the response of communities to the findings.  

Central to the programme is the #BeeWell survey, a school well-being survey aimed at Year 8 and Year 10 pupils that has been co-designed with young people and a range of stakeholders and has been delivered at scale across Greater Manchester.  

The #BeeWell programme has since been adapted to drive action across Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. 

The Havering Youth Wellbeing Census  

Since 2022 we have been working with Havering Council to deliver the Havering Youth Wellbeing Census using the #BeeWell survey. We supported Havering Council to adapt, tailor and deliver the survey within their schools as part of their commitment to youth voice in the borough.  The survey has been tailored to meet locally identified needs as voiced by Havering’s young people and the local organisations and services that support them. For example items were added on school-related stress, crime, travel to school, and accessing support. We’re calling it a ‘census’ because it is the ambition that all of the young people in Havering who are eligible to take part will complete it, providing a complete picture of wellbeing across the borough. We’ve also been pioneering implementing the survey in such a way that it can be delivered by Havering Council in future years as part of sustainability planning.     

A total of 10 schools took part in the Havering Youth Wellbeing Census during June and July 2023. This involved 2,287 students across year groups 8 and 10, representing 36% coverage of the target demographic.  

Participating schools have each received an interactive report which allows them to compare the results for their school to those of the other schools. Each school has also been offered a 1:1 session with a consultant from the Child Outcomes Research Consortium to talk through their results and think about next steps. This feedback will inform and complement the work that schools are already undertaking to support the wellbeing of their pupils.

The neighbourhood dashboard has been published on the Havering Data Intelligence Hub. It allows people to view the results across Havering as a whole and split up by our three health localities (North, South and Central). The dashboard was designed by UCLPartners alongside Havering’s Insight team and includes intuitive data visualisations and the ability to explore the data at different levels (e.g. year group, gender, free school meal eligibility, special educational needs status).

The intention is that the data will be used to inspire a place-based response to young people’s wellbeing. This will require collective action across communities, businesses, the voluntary sector, the health sector, government and schools.

You can explore the dashboard here: https://www.haveringdata.net/youth-wellbeing-census/.

We spoke with Havering Council and one of the participating schools in the area, Sanders Draper, about their experience of taking part in the census. We asked young people, teachers and council staff to reflect on their highlights of the survey and advice for future adopters. Find out more in the video below.

More information about how UCLPartners can support #BeeWell

We are looking to support the continued spread and adoption of the #BeeWell model. If you are interested in adapting and using the #BeeWell survey in your area, please get in touch. 

For more information please contact Ilse Lee

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