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HeadStart Learning Conference, 2018

HeadStart is a five-year programme set up by The National Lottery Community Fund which aims to improve the mental wellbeing of 10 to 16 year olds and prevent serious mental health issues before they develop.

Using National Lottery funding, HeadStart partnerships in Blackpool, Cornwall, Hull, Kent, Newham and Wolverhampton are piloting new approaches to build young people’s emotional resilience.




The Learning Team

Dr Jessica Deighton at the Evidence Based Practice Unit (EBPU) (a collaboration between UCL and the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families) is leading a consortium of partners to evaluate and share learning from HeadStart between 2016-23.

Partners include Common Room, The University of Manchester, the Child Outcomes Research Consortium (CORC) and LSE.

The team is using a mixture of questionnaire and interview methods.

Young people complete questionnaires every year to help track changes in how they are feeling and behaving over time. Professionals provide information regularly about what is being offered.

Professionals and young people take part in interviews annually to explore challenges and opportunities around delivery and what young people find helpful.

The Learning Team have developed with Wellbeing Measurement Framework (WMF), a suite of measurement booklets for primary school, secondary school and college students. Schools provide a key setting for support and intervention with regard to young people's mental wellbeing and problems, across all age groups, and each WMF is a comprehensive and practical package of validated measures that are designed to assess a range of mental health indices including positive wellbeing, behavioural or emotional difficulties, and the present and strength of protective factors.

HeadStart partnership approaches

Read about some of the approaches used by HeadStart partnerships to support children and young people across the country.


John is 10 years old and just moved into year 6, he lives in foster care and has told his teacher he is really quite scared of moving to high school and doesn't want to leave his friends behind. John is introduced to Patrick, a resilience coach, who meets regularly with John over the next 18 months, introduces him to lots of different ways to build his resilience and stays with him until he has settled into his new school and made new friends.


Shannon is 11 years old and an only child recently moved from a small primary school of just under 200 children to a big academy of over 1500. Shannon struggles to settle in as most of her friend from primary went to other schools. She is missing days and when her teacher talks to her she says she is being bullied. Her teacher teams her up with a peer mentor and tells here about the about “turn to us” drop ins in at the school where can talk to a youth worker. Shannon uses both the drop in and the peer mentor to help build her friendship group.


Ben is a 14 year old boy who is frequently having behavioural issues at school and missing school. There has been a domestic incident at home which led to the police getting called out and they notify the school (using an “early help notification). The participation worker meet with Ben and explores his strengths and opportunities. Over time Ben builds an ongoing  relationship with the worker to help him build confidence and find better ways of behaving in school.


Lucy is a  9 year old who is particularly badly affected by the death of her  grandad. Lucy is becoming increasingly isolated and has started to self harm by scratching herself on her forearms. Her  teaching assistant works with her offering 1-1 time to help her understand her feelings and talk and share so that she feels less isolated and can find better ways of managing her feelings that reduce the scratching on her arm.


Seema is a 12 year old who is  feeling isolated and is being bullied. Seema is referred by her teacher to tke part in the  supportive volunteering group. This term long group all work together to decide on  voluntary activity to undertake in school and also outside school. Through the group activity Seema builds new friendships and builds her confidence and support networks.


Jane is 13 and permanently excluded from mainstream school and on the edge of being excluded from her special school when she took part in a radio workshop as part of the Wolverhampton HeadStart programme. Jane was encouraged to join the HeadStart development tem an take on responsibilities for others, 1 year later she is an active member of the group, she supports other young people and is back in mainstream school.