A pioneering programme helping children and young people access mental health support in Norfolk has received international recognition after winning the inaugural Global Community Wellbeing Impact Award at the 21st YMCA World Council in Toronto.
The Professional Therapeutic Pathway (PTP), delivered by YMCA Norfolk and commissioned by NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (ICB), became the first programme in the world to receive the award, ahead of projects from Australia, Singapore and the United States.
The Global Community Wellbeing Impact Award recognises projects making an exceptional contribution to improving wellbeing within their communities. Judges praised the PTP for its innovative approach to providing timely support and its commitment to holistic, relationship-based care for children, young people and their families.
Since launching in 2023, the programme has supported more than 1,200 children and young people across Norfolk, providing additional capacity alongside existing services and helping young people access support sooner. Around 80% of those supported have reported an improvement in their wellbeing.
The pathway brings together more than 60 therapists offering a wide range of approaches, from talking and creative therapies to broader wellbeing support. This enables children and young people to be matched with support that reflects their individual needs, circumstances and preferences, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
Rather than operating as a traditional service based in one location with a fixed waiting list, the programme uses a flexible model that can respond to changing demand. YMCA Norfolk coordinates a wide network of appropriately qualified therapeutic professionals, helping children and young people access the support that best meets their needs while keeping waiting times to a minimum.
The ICB commissioned the Professional Therapeutic Pathway to increase access to timely, flexible therapeutic support and provide additional capacity alongside existing children and young people’s mental health services. Referrals are made through established children and young people’s mental health pathways, helping to ensure the programme complements the wider support already available across the system.
Andrea Bell, Senior Commissioning Lead at NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, said:
“This award is a testament to the power of partnership working and demonstrates what can be achieved when the NHS and voluntary sector come together with a shared ambition to improve lives.
“Having had the privilege of helping to take the Professional Therapeutic Pathway from an initial idea through development and mobilisation into a fully operational service, I am incredibly proud to see it receive international recognition.
“Most importantly, it recognises the difference the pathway is making for children, young people and their families every day.”
Richard Watson, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Strategy, Digital and Commissioning at NHS Norfolk and Suffolk ICB, said:
“The NHS 10 Year Health Plan sets a clear direction for how we need to work differently – strengthening partnerships, delivering more support in communities and making sure care is responsive to people’s individual needs.
“The Professional Therapeutic Pathway is a great example of the difference partnership working can make. By bringing together the NHS, YMCA Norfolk and a wide network of therapeutic professionals, it has provided additional capacity and helped children and young people access personalised support earlier, including while they may be waiting for other services.
“To see the impact of that work recognised internationally is a fantastic achievement and a real credit to everyone involved.”
During the awards ceremony, international leaders from the YMCA and the United Nations highlighted the programme as an inspiring example of community wellbeing in action, recognising the trust it has built within local communities and the difference it is making for children, young people and their families.
John Lee, Chief Executive of YMCA Norfolk, said:
“We are incredibly proud to be the first organisation in the world to receive the Global Community Wellbeing Impact Award. This international recognition reflects the outstanding work of our PTP team and therapists and recognises not just the therapy we provide, but our belief in relationships, supporting families, seeing the whole person and never giving up on a young person.
“It is hugely encouraging to see those values recognised on the world stage and to celebrate what partnership working in Norfolk can achieve for children and young people.”
More than 1,300 delegates from over 100 YMCAs attended the World Council in Toronto, putting an international spotlight on the partnership working taking place in Norfolk to improve children and young people’s mental health.