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Funding available for non-mental health nurses

With waiting lists for mental health services for children and young people at record highs, the RCN Foundation is proud to partner with The Leathersellers’ Foundation in offering an education programme to support nursing interventions within non-specialist settings.

Need for support

Providing appropriate care to children and young people with mental health problems in the UK has been a growing challenge within healthcare. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly escalated this issue into a full-blown crisis.

Data from the Children Commissioners report 2022 shows that 1 in 6 children are currently demonstrating a probable mental health disorder. While waiting times for care are slowly improving, 10% of children referred for mental health support still had to wait longer than six weeks to access specialist care. 

Creating space for learning

The RCN Foundation Leathersellers Foundation Grant offers funding of up to £1,600 for non-mental health registered nurses to undertake a postgraduate level module in children and adolescent mental health.

Through these studies, participants will be equipped with the evidence-based knowledge, confidence and skills needed to provide early interventions that support children and young people’s mental health and emotional well-being. Crucially, the children and young people who receive this enhanced quality of care will experience improved health-related quality of life outcomes.

This education grants programme forms part of a wider RCN Foundation project focused on general mental health nursing for children and young people. Alongside this grants programme, we are funding the creation of an evidence-based toolkit designed for non-specialist nurses to use in the field with young patients.

Meet Chloe

Chloe was the 2025 winner of the RCN Foundation Leathersellers’ Award for outstanding achievement in supporting children and young people’s mental health.

Chloe is a Neonatal Sister and Neonatal Risk and Governance Lead in West Yorkshire, committed to supporting families with newborns in neonatal care. In 2024, Chloe received a grant to pursue a Trauma Informed Care course, designed to deepen her understanding of the emotional impact on families in neonatal care.

Through this course, she achieved accreditation, empowering her to integrate trauma-informed care into her practice and train her team to do the same. This approach addresses the psychological effects of neonatal care on both parents and children, aiming to reduce the lasting trauma many families experience.

                                Leathersellers Foundation logo 2025