Kids Inspire & Impetus

Impetus’s expertise and funding will support Kids Inspire to grow in size and impact so that the ever-increasing mental health and social emotional needs of young people are met. Our creative trauma-informed therapeutic services help young people and the adults in their lives to recover from adverse childhood experiences so that they can engage fully in educational and social opportunities and go on to lead emotionally healthy, aspirational and fulfilling lives.

– Sue Bell OBE, CEO and Clinical Director, Kids Inspire

The need: Children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have, on average, weaker Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) skills at all ages than their better-off peers. Lower SEL skills are linked with poorer mental health, lower academic attainment, and poorer employment outcomes. There is strong evidence to suggest that interventions that promote the development of social and emotional skills can lead to gains in academic performance.

Our charity partner: Kids Inspire provides creative and therapeutic support to young people and their families affected by trauma, distress, or negative experiences. The organisation is dedicated to promoting self-awareness, self-resilience, and positive relationship building for young people aged 0-25, helping them to improve mental health and re-engage in education.

Our impact: We will support Kids Inspire to refine its impact strategy, including understanding their target
population and their impact on social and emotional development and school outcomes. We will help to
build on the operational foundations for growth, and develop a 5-year scale strategy.

My earliest memory of having anxiety was when I was just two or three, it’s been part of my whole life but it got to a point when I was in year 7 or 8, and I was like, ‘this isn't normal’...You never stop needing help when you've got mental illness and I know if I ever need help with anything, Kids Inspire will be there. They’re like my second family.

– Amelia, 19, Essex