Why we developed a Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme for primary schools

Worth-it is excited to announce that we have developed a new version of the popular Wellbeing Ambassadors programme, especially for primary schools. We worked with 14 primary schools who helped us and supported us to develop the programme.

What is the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme and how does it help?

The Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme is an early intervention initiative that helps increase primary schools' capacity to prevent the onset of mental health problems in children.

Through the delivery of the programme, groups of children – Wellbeing Ambassadors – are trained in a variety of wellbeing approaches and strategies for providing peer support. These include listening, communication, being supportive and sharing wellbeing strategies to help peers. The programme uses a coaching approach to help the children decide the best way to help the other children in their setting and develop an action plan to develop this peer-led support. 

The programme provides a practical workshop for a group of children to attend, the trained  children use their ambassadors skills and knowledge to develop and lead peer support projects that reduce mental health stigma, improve access to support for all pupils, and encourage the development of positive coping and stress management, increasing resources for wellbeing and helping prevent mental health problems developing

Every child needs someone to talk to. But not everyone has someone. Wellbeing Ambassadors offer vital peer-to-peer support for children. Campaigns run by Wellbeing Ambassadors give access to support for all pupils and promote conversations about how to be mentally healthy and have good wellbeing. Children benefit from developing more positive relationships, and an increased sense of belonging in their school or setting, (which is crucial, especially for children who may face difficulties at home), increased confidence and resilience and improved wellbeing.

By accessing the online resources and our wellbeing ambassadors train the trainer online course teachers and pastoral staff learn how to deliver this programme themselves to the children they work with. We call them ‘facilitators’. When schools join the programme online access is provided for 3 years for two facilitators per setting or school. 

The Wellbeing Ambassadors don’t replace adult-led intervention or support. However, they do help reduce some of the lower-level issues caused by a lack of positive relationships and interactions amongst peers or by a lack of personal resources for wellbeing that children can learn and share. They can also encourage children to access support for mental health issues earlier, by increasing awareness of support or reducing stigma.

Why run Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme in your primary school?

Developing a Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme in your primary school or setting has the potential to reduce behavioural issues and increase attendance.  The programme helps increase capacity to provide more wellbeing support to more children and through increasing, strategies for wellbeing reduce some mental health issues building up for children, while also freeing up adult, pastoral capacity to support more vulnerable pupils.

Through developing a voice lead early intervention programme in your primary school you will also be meeting the recommendations from the department of education for enabling pupil voice and the role pupils have in supporting a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.

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Why we developed a primary version of the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme?

Our Wellbeing Ambassadors programme is very popular, with 1000’s of young people benefiting from the intervention in schools and settings across the UK and beyond. 

The current programme is aimed at young people usually between the ages of 12-18. For the past few years have been regularly asked to develop a primary version, and some primary schools are already accessing the current version and making their own adaptations.  With the growing need for schools to provide pupil voice-led early prevention, we feel now is the right time to develop an age-appropriate and differentiated version for children aged 5-11. 

You’ve asked for it so we have listened. We now need you to help make it what it needs to be. You can join the programme now here.

What is co-production and why is it important?

The original Wellbeing Ambassadors programme was inspired by and co-produced by young people. Co-production is when children, schools and settings can influence the support and services they receive and when groups of children and school staff come together to influence the way that services are designed and delivered. Co-production and collaboration are really important to us to ensure the programmes we develop meet the needs of the children they are designed to support.

To make sure the programme met primary school children’s wellbeing needs we worked with 14 pilot primary schools, both state and independent across the UK that help us co-produce a programme, trial the materials and feedback on the programme development.

One of the primary schools, Abacus Primary in Essex have developed their own Wellbeing Ambassadors page on their school website.

Find out more about the impact to one of the primary schools involved in the pilot by watching the video below or fining more out about the benefits of the programme.

Join Wellbeing Ambassadors for primary schools

We are excited to announce that we now have now launched our Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme for primary schools. To Find out more read our in-depth Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme overview or join now.

Gain free wellbeing activities to share with children by accessing our Wellbeing Activity Leaflet. To find out more about the Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme join our upcoming free online workshop.