Overview
There is growing evidence that spending time outdoors in nature is really important for the overall wellbeing of children and young people, as part of a healthy lifestyle, providing mental health resilience, and healthy cognitive development.
It is also known that the climate and nature crisis will disproportionately impact children and young people, particularly those from minoritised or disadvantaged backgrounds, including those already at risk of poor mental health.
Social prescribing for children and young people – particularly those accessing or waiting for mental health support – is becoming mainstream. However, there is currently limited evidence of what types of intervention or activity work for which young people, how, and under what circumstances.
Oxford Health, Oxfordshire’s local NHS Mental Health Trust, is championing nature-based practice to improve the wellbeing of both staff and patients. The Trust has recently employed a Greenspace Manager to offer in-house expertise and social and therapeutic horticulture sessions and is offering staff members specialist training as part of an established programme run by the Natural Academy.
What we’re doing
We have commissioned rapid research completed by a University of Oxford Local Policy Lab Fellow to understand current provision of ‘nature for wellbeing’ projects aimed at children and young people in Oxfordshire.
We have established a CAMHS Green Social Prescribing working group, together with partners from Oxford Health and the University of Oxford, to collaborate on projects that improve the evidence base for green prescribing whilst simultaneously delivering projects that actively support young people. This group is initially focusing on children and young people waiting for assessment from CAMHS services.
Find out more
Key evidence sources for this work include:
- Research paper: Bringing nature into CAMHS inpatient services
Related publications
Recognitional equity in access to and planning of urban green spaces
This research by Mattia Troiano looks at how fair access to parks and green spaces in Oxford is influenced by income and community backgrounds. It finds that poorer communities often struggle to have their voices heard in decisions about these spaces, making it harder for them to shape their local environment. Even when efforts are made to include them, a lack of trust and practical barriers can stop them from taking part. Without recognizing these challenges, attempts to improve access and involvement in planning may not work as intended and could even make inequalities worse.
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