BESTIE a ground breaking implementation on the Wupwoo platform was created for the purpose of mental health in Worcester . This was aimed at helping children and young people in particular with mental health and different topics surrounding mental health in young people, such as Depression, Anxiety, Eating Disorders etc. It was intended to give children and young people a safe place to go to find resources about different mental health topics and to help improve their mental wellbeing.
CAMHS BESTIE running on the Wupwoo platform is perfect for use in CAMHS and other mental health services/charities which involve children and young people. With adaptation of the helpful resources in the app, it could also be used for adult mental health services/charities too.
The first of its kind implementation is called BESTIE and was collaboratively developed by Health and Care Worcestershire NHS Trust in collaboration with young people. They worked hard to create a safe online space, which supports young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. Funding for this project was from the NHS Digital programme Global Digital Exemplar.
Read the full story here: www.camhsbestie.co.uk
BESTIES Launch Press Release:
BESTIE is an exciting, interactive online platform, designed to help young people to find out more about emotional wellbeing and mental health and to get the right help when they need it. BESTIE’s virtual, interactive world combines digital media, instant messaging, built-in games and supportive online help and information, all within an anonymous, safe platform. BESTIE was created by a team of young people (with a little help from NHS mental health professionals from Worcestershire Health and Care Trust and online tech folk). BESTIE encourages users to engage in social, physical and health-related activities.
BESTIE – Balance. Energy. Support. Thrive. Interactive. Evolve.
The idea to create an online world to help young people manage their mental health came from a group of young people in Worcestershire. They wanted health professionals to use technology better and to understand the online world. Helpfully, the NHS decided to put some money into using digital tech better. They called it the Global Digital Exemplar (because the NHS likes important sounding names). The NHS knew that by using tech better, it could help to keep people stay healthy and to make sure that if they needed help, it could be the best help possible. This money helped to fund a project where young people could lead a team of mental health professionals and tech people, helping them to understand what young people need… The mental health professionals listened, understood and helped to include things that would support young people’s emotions. The tech people listened, understood and helped to bring the ideas to life. The team met after school (because taking time out of school isn’t always easy) in places designed for young people (because who wants to meet up in hospitals?) and ate pizza (because this helped their creativity). Each time new ideas were born, the whole team looked at them carefully and decided which ones would be used. One day, the team decided that their creation needed a name. A competition was held and the young people voted for their favourite: BESTIE.
BESTIE were awarded the MidTECH Award for Best NHS-Developed Innovation in July 2019.
