By Kitty Nabarro, Chair of Nip in the Bud and recently recognised by the Prime Minister with a Points of Light Award.
The mental health awareness charity Nip in the Bud works with professionals to produce FREE online short films and fact sheets to help primary school teachers, parents and others working with children to recognise potential mental health conditions. Our founding ethos is based on the power of film. Our aim is to increase early intervention so these conditions can be ‘nipped in the bud’ and so reduce the risk of them becoming entrenched.
We launched the website in 2017 with six short films and fact sheets and now have about 80 films.
Our information films cover anxiety, ADHD, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, depression, eating disorders, OCD, PTSD, self-harm, autism spectrum condition and trauma. The content for our information films has been provided by experts from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Anna Freud, King’s College, Imperial College and others. They are accompanied by fact sheets.
Our real-life experience films show interviews with young people and parents who have been affected and who speak frankly and movingly about their experiences. Other films cover emotional well-being. We’ve produced an early intervention series of four short films starting with the importance of communicating with a child to build trust, the role of the school and SENCO, the GP and how to apply for an EHCP.
In the next few months, we’ll be releasing films on dyslexia, stigma and grief and loss.
We have recently started to work on producing podcasts, in addition to continuing the evidence-based production of short films, fact sheets and blogs.
We’ve decided that:
- Although we know that our resources are viewed and are helpful, not everyone has time to watch films – even short films – or time to read fact sheets. Many of us find it easier to get information from listening while doing our chores or exercising or driving.
- There is a lot more information that we need to share with our audiences that can’t easily be covered in our short films.
- We’d like to hear from a greater variety of contributors in various spheres of education, parenting/caring, mental health, special needs, neurodiversity.
The podcasts are being produced by our educational consultant Alis Rocca who was head of primary schools for nine years and continues to work for the DfE.
We’re keen to spread the word about the Nip in the Bud website and make all those caring for children aware of our evidence-based, sensitively produced short films and other free resources.
Go to www.nipinthebud.org to view films designed for parents / cares and teachers / professionals. You can also join our mailing list for term-time updates about our new resources.
