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Who we are

Children’s mental health charity

Blue Smile is a children’s mental health charity dedicated to improving the wellbeing and life chances of children across Cambridgeshire.  We do this by providing specialist, arts-based mental health support to children aged 3-13 in Cambridgeshire schools.  

Our vision is a world where happier children have brighter futures. We believe every child should be able to access prompt, effective mental health support when they need it. This helps prevent problems from worsening and reduces long-term harm to children’s wellbeing, relationships and education.  

Our mental health support is delivered in schools and is free to families. While any child can experience mental health difficulties, children from low-income backgrounds are at greatest risk and face more barriers to access support. Over half of children accessing therapy with Blue Smile are eligible for Pupil Premium. 

Blue Smile therapists are highly qualified and experienced in working with children. Since the charity was founded in 2010, we have helped over 3000 children to enjoy happier childhoods and build brighter futures.  

Proud local history

Blue Smile was set up in 2010 by child and adolescent psychotherapist Amanda Langford. Working in Cambridgeshire schools, Amanda was concerned at the number of children struggling with emotional problems who were not able to access appropriate support.   

There was a significant gap between the pastoral care schools could offer and specialist NHS services, with children from disadvantaged backgrounds the most affected. So Amanda founded Blue Smile as a charity to deliver specialist, early intervention mental health support in schools.  

Bringing together a team of experts in children’s mental health and education, an initial pilot was launched. Dedicated local supporters and strong relationships with schools enabled the charity to grow. We now work with around 40 schools each year. We have long-term partnerships with many schools, who recognise the benefits of the Blue Smile approach for children and the whole school community.  

Children at the heart of our work

Nearly 500 children and young people were consulted in the development of Blue Smile in 2010. They advised us on what would work best for them and chose our name, which they felt to be friendly, accessible and stigma free.  

Today, sadly, more children than ever are struggling with their mental health. According to 2023 NHS data, 1 in 5 children have a probable mental health disorder, up from 1 in 7 in 2012. That’s equivalent to 6 children in every school class. 

Blue Smile is committed to listening to and empowering children. We encourage every child we support to set their own goals for our work together. We use children’s feedback, alongside input from their parents and teachers, to evaluate and improve our service. 

Experts in our field

Our support is delivered by highly qualified therapists and counsellors who are experienced in working with children.  

Blue Smile is committed to developing the therapists of tomorrow, and to promoting diversity and inclusion in the mental health workforce. In our Partner Schools, trainee therapists on clinical placement work alongside experienced therapists to develop their skills and experience. 

We provide regular, ongoing training for all our team to ensure Blue Smile can offer high quality support to all children and respond to emerging needs. 

Blue Smile is an organisational member of The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, a professional association for members of the counselling professions in the UK. All of our therapist are members of a relevant professional body such as BACP or UKCP. 

Working in partership

We can do more to support children when we work together. 

Blue Smile works hand-in-hand with schools and with families of children we support. Working in partnership with the “community around the child” is vital to creating long-term, positive change for children.  

As a member of the Fullscope coalition, we collaborate with other local organisations working for children and young people’s wellbeing in Cambridgeshire. Together, we can share learning, test innovative approaches, amplify voices of children and families, and influence local mental health and education policy and provision. 

We are a member of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition. As part of this collaborative network of over 300 organisations, we help promote systemic change to improve children’s mental health. 

Our future

We have ambitious plans to grow our support for children’s mental health in Cambridgeshire, responding to the increased need that we are seeing.  

In the coming years, we will: 

  1. Reach more children with the right support at the right time by delivering and growing our excellent mental service; 

    2. Enhance understanding of children’s mental health and practice, focusing on data and evidence, to support collaboration and innovation

    3. Build a diverse and inclusive community of staff, therapists, trainee therapists and volunteers who are empowered to support children.

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