Publish date: 18 August 2023
Staff from the Mersey Cares charity are visiting projects funded by the former Dragons Den Scheme to understand the impact.
They visited St Helens Children In Care who are specialists in responding to the health and wellbeing needs of children in care. Pictured below: Tracy Hesketh, Hillary Macleod and Joanna Donnellan.
They were provided a grant through the Dragon’s Den initiative. As a team they have been able to purchase a range of educational books, comfort bears, audio-visual resources and other items to help children explore sensitive issues and support foster carers and parents to understand teenage emotions.
It funded items to give to children such as books and worry bears, worry dolls and items that promoted health and hygiene, understanding puberty and emotional wellbeing and the teenage brain, helped improve health and wellbeing and aided sleep.
The grant also funded iPads so each team could use them on their visits for sign posting to essential services, for health promotion and education. If achild isn't sleeping well; they have a collection of the recommended book ‘the elephant that can’t sleep’
Some are complex cases, some children are difficult to engage with and struggling with their wellbeing and these resources promote engagement.
Joanne Donnellan, Team Manager said “the team have now got resources to give to children and young people to support health promotion and education”.