Social prescribing for children and young people

What is social prescribing?

Social prescribing means connecting people to activities, groups and services that can improve their health and wellbeing. The concept was originally developed by GPs in England, who wanted to find ways of addressing the non-medical problems affecting their patients' health - including loneliness, money worries, housing problems or caring responsibilities.

Since 2019, social prescribing has become part of national NHS plans. There are now more than 3,300 Social Prescribing Link Workers (sometimes known as social prescribers) who work as part of GP teams. GPs and other health professionals can refer patients to link workers, who have the time to listen to people and understand the things that are affecting their physical and mental health. Link workers then connect people to support in their community - from debt advice to walk and talk sessions to arts projects to peer support groups.

A group of children of varying ethnicities walk through a forest path with two teachers

Helping children and young people through social prescribing

Social prescribing has enormous potential to support children and young people’s health and wellbeing. An estimated one in five children and young people have a probable mental health problem, but the specialist services designed to support them often have long waiting times and high thresholds for treatment.

Social prescribing is part of the solution. This means supporting young people based on what matters to them: connecting them to activities that benefit their health and wellbeing, or helping them find expert support with education, employment, housing or debt.

This is a way of tackling the problems affecting young people’s mental health head-on, addressing the root causes, and enabling children and young people to live the best lives they can. It can also help young people facing physical health problems, including diabetes or obesity.

A white and black woman sit on grey chairs. The black woman holds a tablet and comforts the white women by placing her hand on their shoulder.

How can I get support through social prescribing?

There are different ways that social prescribing works in practice, but typically, a young person is identified as requiring support by a GP, health professional or someone at their school or in their community.

They could then be referred to a Link Worker, who gets to know them, helps them develop a personalised plan, and connects them to support in their community.

While social prescribing is now well established as an NHS approach to supporting adults, it is less common for children and young people. You can ask your GP surgery about what is available in your area.

There are also many other people and services that take a similar 'social prescribing approach'. Schools, universities, community groups, youth centres, family hubs and faith organisations may all have roles who can connect young people to a wide range of local support.

How do I get involved in social prescribing for children and young people?

If you or your organisation would like to get involved in social prescribing for children and young people, there are a range of resources to support you. These include:

Children and Young People Social Prescribing Course: our free 45-minute online course is an introduction to social prescribing for children and young people, explaining what it is and how it works
Connecting the System: this flipbook includes lots of examples of social prescribing in action.
Best Practice Guidelines: these guidelines were developed in partnership with the Sociobiobehavioural Research Group at UCL
Children and Young People’s Social Prescribing Toolkit, developed by Streetgames and NHS England
Children and young people’s social prescribing: good practice guide, developed by the National Children’s Bureau
Social Prescribing Link Workers for young people: a Guide to Support Primary Care Networks
UCL’s Social Biobehavioural Research Group have also produced a Social Prescribing Guide for CAMHS practitioners, based on their research.
You can also join the Social Prescribing Youth Network for many more resources.

Three girls and a boy read books on the floor at the library

What is the evidence for children and young people’s social prescribing?

While social prescribing has historically been more focused on adults, there is growing evidence for its impact specifically on children and young people. Our 2023 evidence review suggested that social prescribing can:

Benefit personal and mental wellbeing and reduce lonelines
Provide a favourable return on investment

More recent research from Barnardo’s shows positive outcomes for young people participating in their LINK Cumbria social prescribing service, and suggests a benefit to the Government and wider economy of around £1.80 for every £1 invested.

We are supporting a range of academic research projects that will grow this evidence base.

University College London’s Wellbeing While Waiting project focused on social prescribing support for young people on mental health waiting lists. It showed that social prescribing can improve resilience and reduce total reported difficulties.

We are also supporting the INACT programme, which focuses on social prescribing in schools; and the University of Exeter’s Choices project, which looks at other pathways. 

More recent evidence:

Find out more about the evidence by watching our webinar

What is the future for social prescribing for children and young people?

Connected to Thrive is our vision for the future of social prescribing for children and young people.

The vision is based on extensive consultation with youth and mental health organisations, NHS leaders, Link Workers, researchers and experts, as well as young people themselves.

It sets out an ambitious plan for the future, in which far more children, young people and families would receive tailored, community-based support for the social factors affecting their mental health – from loneliness to family problems to homelessness or addiction.

The report’s recommendations include:

Including children and young people’s social prescribing in national strategies and partnerships. This would include establishing a national Children and Young People’s Social Prescribing partnership

Growing the workforce. Specialist Children and Young People’s Social Prescribing Link Workers should be available in every area, working closely with NHS primary care and mental health teams, as well as with charities, youth and community groups and schools. Link Workers would also be available to support children in hospitals and their families

Supporting the development of high-quality programmes and systems through training and standards. This would include establishing a new Learning Collaborative, and introducing a training programme for a wide range of professionals who work with children and young people in taking a “social prescribing approach”

Investing in “social prescriptions” – tailored, community-based activities and services designed to support children and young people’s mental health, free at the point of access

Raising awareness of the approach among professionals, young people and families.

Since the publication of the report, social prescribing has been included in the national Youth Strategy and in the Future Minds campaign's roadmap to transform children and young people's mental health.

Read the report