The Voice of the Child: Helping Young People Feel "This is My Place"

Children's Mental Health Week 2026

During Children's Mental Health Week, we wanted to explore the key theme of this year's campaign, 'This is My Place' and the immeasurable ways that children can lose their place in their little worlds following catastrophic injury. The campaign aims to raise awareness for peers, families, communities and schools around how to create an environment that gives children and young people a sense of belonging.

For children and young people living with a catastrophic injury, their sense of belonging can be shaken, with their experience of their world being very different to their life pre-injury and their outlook and expectations sometimes being radically changed. Suddenly places, activities and home, that once felt comforting and familiar, can feel awkward and uncomfortable - families experience this feeling too.

School may feel daunting, friendships may change, independence is reduced and 'plan A' isn't possible anymore. Hopes and aspiration for the future feel impossible. At a time like this, feeling heard, included and understood becomes more important than ever.

When home no longer feels like home

One of our children's case managers and social worker, Jo Bamberger, often speaks about the moment families return home from hospital and say "That's not my home" and describes the feeling of loss, no sense of belonging and worry.

"After weeks or months in hospital, home should feel like the safest place to be. But for many families, the reality is more complex.

"Rooms may now be filled with equipment. Routines have changed. Parents are navigating new responsibilities. Siblings are adjusting. And the child themself may be processing physical, cognitive and emotional changes."

Families often describe a quiet but powerful shift:

• Is this still my house?
• Is this still my family?
• Is this still my child?
• Is this still my life?

These questions reflect more than practical change — they reflect a loss of familiarity and belonging at a time when stability matters most.

Jo's approach centres on listening first. Understanding not just what support is needed clinically, but what the family is experiencing emotionally, socially and practically. Early on, this may mean helping to ensure the home environment is safe and suitable, supporting access to therapies, equipment and care, and checking whether statutory support is sufficient. But equally important is understanding the wider picture — finances, education, mental health, family wellbeing, and the pace at which the family can realistically adapt.

Jo says "Over time, the focus gently shifts from crisis response to rebuilding a sense of normality. Helping families adjust to new routines. Supporting children as they rediscover who they are becoming. Making space for school, friendships, independence and future plans."

As Jo describes, this journey is not about returning to the old normal, but about helping families move towards a new one — where they can once again say:

• This is my house.
• This is my family.
• This is my child.
• This is my life.

And that is where belonging begins again.

Listening helps rebuild that sense of place

The key to creating a sense of belonging is to first listen to the voice of the child. Children and young people don't always express their emotions directly and instead it can show in a loss of confidence, being quiet, behaviour that is challenging to manage or withdrawal. But when we create space to listen, we can begin to understand what matters to them and their sense of belonging.

It might be:

• Wanting to return to school, even if part-time
• Staying connected to friends
• Feeling included in family activities
• Having a say in their therapy and goals
• Holding onto dreams for the future

When children are invited into conversations about their lives, they feel more secure, more confident and more in control.

And importantly, they begin to feel that they still have a place.

Ask the right questions

Creating that sense of belonging doesn't sit with one person or profession. It's built through the combined efforts of families, schools, rehabilitation teams and communities.

Spending time with the child or young person and taking the time to ask questions and actively listen to the responses. Questions like "what matters to you?" can be transformative for a child or young person.

When we listen, we don't just support recovery — we support identity, confidence and hope. And we help every child feel able to say, with certainty - "This is my place."