Ms Karla Charles:

To add to the discussion on stigma, children in care face multiple stigma levels and they are often unwilling to share in schools or even with their friends that they are in care. This has come to the fore in many cases where advocates have worked with young people. It obviously impacts on their mental health to reveal this fact they are trying to hold something that has such a significant impact on their lives and is close to themselves. This plays out in their behaviour, in particular given the fact that half of all children in care in the UK meet the criteria for possible mental health disorders. That shows the significance of where we are coming from with regard to this issue.

One of the things we and many people acknowledge is that the schools are a great gateway to reduce stigma. There is a wide, captive audience, including those suffering from mental health issues, either themselves personally or within their families, and, therefore, we can really work through the school systems in supporting children and accessing those who may themselves be suffering from mental health difficulties or know somebody in their family who is.