Nip in the Bud

Nip in the Bud was set up to raise awareness about mental health conditions in young children and offer more support to the parents, carers and teachers in their lives. These relatively common problems which begin in childhood and adolescence can have wide-ranging and long-lasting effects, affecting a child’s relationships, their educational attainment and job opportunities.

If left untreated, they could also develop into serious mental and physical health problems and have significant economic and social costs not just to the individuals and their families, but later in life, to the health and criminal justice system too. With early intervention, things can be very different.

We work with mental health professionals to produce short films and fact sheets to help parents, families, primary school teachers and others caring for or working with children to recognise and respond to potential mental health conditions.

Our films illustrate the behaviours common in different conditions in children, along with explanations and information on how to follow up and get help. The films are accompanied by downloadable fact sheets explaining the symptoms to look out for, to spot early signs of distress that may require further monitoring.Our goal is to increase the prospects of early intervention and to reduce the risks of those conditions becoming more serious in later years.

Our resources cover Anxiety Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder, Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), Self Harm and Eating Disorders.

Our resources are for educators and carers of children aged 3-16 and are for Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Childminders, Home Educators, Parents, Families, Foster families, Carers, Social Workers, Children's health practitioners and anyone caring for or working with children.