Let’s shine a light on a topic that often gets overlooked — the mental health of young children.

Despite their youth, children’s emotions are often big and very real. From navigating friendships and family dynamics to dealing with stress at school or home, kids experience a wide range of feelings — even if they can’t always express them in words. That’s why it’s so important to help them build emotional resilience early on.

Supporting children’s mental health isn’t just about addressing problems when they arise — it’s about creating an environment where emotions are talked about openly, feelings are validated, and help is always within reach. This is what we try and do in all our homes.

Simple things like active listening, creating routines, encouraging play, and modeling healthy coping skills can have a lifelong impact on a child’s emotional well-being.

We have used this week to advocate for more awareness, education, and support around children’s mental health — because every child deserves to grow up feeling seen, heard, and supported.

At United Children’s Services, we’re always looking for new ways to enrich the lives of the young people in our care — and we’re delighted to introduce the newest addition to one of our homes: a friendly, affectionate, and very curious cat!

This four-legged friend has already made a positive impact, bringing joy, companionship, and a comforting presence to the home. Animals in care settings can offer so much more than cuddles — they help build emotional connections, provide a sense of calm, and even encourage important life skills like empathy, responsibility, and routine.

Our young people are already bonding beautifully with their new companion, and we’re excited to see the positive experiences and memories that will continue to grow from this special relationship.

Happy Star Wars Day from all of us at United Children’s Services!

Today we’re celebrating imagination, positivity, and the power of working together — just like every great Jedi.

At United Children’s Services, we’re excited to make the most of the lovely weather forecasted for the week ahead!

Our young people will be enjoying the gardens and outdoor spaces during the evenings — with the possibility of a BBQ if the sunshine continues!

There’s nothing quite like relaxing outside, sharing laughter, and even completing homework in the fresh air.

Stay tuned for our weekly updates — we can’t wait to share what we’ve been up to!

Whether you’re hunting for hidden eggs or simply enjoying a sweet treat (or five), we hope your day is full of fun, togetherness, and springtime smiles.

From all of us at United Children’s Services – have a cracking Easter!

Many of the young people who we support suffer greatly from stress in one form or another. This may be the stress resulting from their lived experience or the stress and anxiety of wondering what their future holds for them. In both cases stress and consequent poor mental health can dramatically impact physical health as well.

This is why UCS are keen to highlight Stress Awareness Month, which has been held every April since 1992 to raise awareness of the causes and cures for our modern-day stress epidemic.

During this annual thirty day period, health care professionals and health promotion experts across the country will join forces to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic.

For our young children it is vitally important that they receive the support and care they need at an early age to deal with stress and its causes, before its effects become too severe. All our staff teams will be doing their upmost this month to make sure this is the case.