The Duchess of Cambridge's message to mark the Place2Be Children’s Mental Health Week 2020

For many children today, the world can feel a scary and daunting place. While we might not always feel brave inside, even the smallest act - such as sharing a worry or asking for help - can be incredibly courageous. Helping children to feel confident about seeking support can have a transformational impact on their lives.

Being able to try new things and push ourselves outside of our comfort zone are important skills that can build children’s resilience and self-esteem. Learning these skills early in life can give children tools to cope with future challenges they may face in adulthood.

I am therefore so pleased to once again support Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week, which is this year focused on bravery. Through all my interactions with the charity, I’m proud to have seen how its work is helping children, young people and adults to be more confident in looking after their mental health, but there is still much more to do.  The first step is talking about it, and recently I’ve launched a UK-wide survey on the under-fives in an attempt to get people to do just that.  Our long-term ambition is to bring about positive, lasting change for generations to come. 

I’d love schools and families across the country to take part in the week to help children and young people to ‘find their brave’.