Liverpool and Merseyside family and community mental health service receives prestigious award

The Life Rooms are celebrating a win at this year’s National Mental Health Awards.

Ran by Mersey Care, The Life Rooms’ Early Years wellbeing and resilience service was set up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and shaped in partnership with the council’s Public Health team.

Accessible via Children’s Centres it focuses heavily on preventative support, empowering residents to make positive changes within their lives and be in control of their own physical and mental wellbeing.

A key priority of the pilot was a preventative approach to reducing adverse childhood experiences – which can impact lifelong mental health and wellbeing.

Childrens centres are unique in their position and ability to help with many issues, as they are a trusted point of contact and offer important links with families – something which is particularly important due to the current cost of living crisis and ongoing recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The award was presented in the Children’s and Young People Category at the recent The Positive Practice MH Awards Ceremony – a multi-agency collaborative of seventy-five organisations across the UK, which includes NHS Trusts, CCGs, Police Forces, third sector providers, front line charities and service user groups.

Director of Public Health for Liverpool, Professor Matthew Ashton said: “Mental Health and wellbeing has been heavily affected by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis and families with children have been amongst the most impacted. I’m really pleased to have been a part of this innovative way of working to make a difference for families.”