Children, Wellbeing and Libraries

Thursday, 22 October, 2020 - 14:00

Education, primary care, and mental health experts are coming together to discuss the impact of the pandemic on children’s wellbeing and how public libraries could support recovery. The event is hosted by The Reading Agency and Libraries Connected.

Speakers:

  • Megan Dixon from The Aspirer Teaching Alliance highlighting the impact of school closures and return to school on children’s mental health
  • GP Claire Etherington looking at the children’s mental health landscape in primary care and the impact of Covid-19 and GPs commitment to social prescribing, community-based health provision and the support that public library and schemes can offer to health professionals as a value-added service
  • Dr Rina Bajaj from the Anna Freud Centre. Rina is head of Training for the Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools Programme at the Anna Freud Centre. Her clinical background is as a counselling psychologist.

The session will be chaired by Debbie Hicks MBE, Creative Director of The Reading Agency who has led the development of the national Reading Well programme, along with Sue Ball MBE, Lead of the Public Libraries Universal Health Offer Group and Sarah Mears MBE Programme Manager at Libraries Connected.

Watch the recording here.



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Reading Well case studies

The experience of Books on Prescription shows that arts and cultural organisations like libraries can play an invaluable role in delivering public health services. Three different libraries services reveal the the impact the scheme has had on their users.