When I saw that the focus for World Mental Health Week this year was ‘Take Action’ with the tag line “while awareness is vital, real change comes when we take action too” I sat up and read some more. That’s an awareness campaign I can get behind!

Too often the mental health sector has focused just on awareness.

Usually that focus is from a clinical understanding and it does not make space for the social factors.

As a mental health clinician, pointing out to people that their experiences of mental ill health are not about what’s wrong with them, but about what’s happened to them or didn’t happen for them can be powerful. But it can also make people feel trapped; just another reminder of all the things beyond their power to control or change.

As a clinician, I’m powerless to change housing policy, to improve education or the economy. In a far-off clinic, I’m also unable to support social connections and help communities rebuild these where they have broken down.

We know from decades of research that around 80% of our health, including our mental health, is determined by social factors. That’s things like where we live, work, grow up and our social connections too.

Only about 20% of health outcomes are determined by clinical factors. So, it makes no sense to think that 100% of our mental health support should be delivered by clinicians. The balance needs to be right and so it must belong to all of us.

Much like the Wales 10-year Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy has described.

Our current approach has reached its limits and it’s time to evolve.

That’s why our mission here at Platfform is to campaign for social justice for better mental health. So that fewer people end up with mental ill health, but if they do then support is same day and focused on needs.

Recent public health data shows that around 1 in 5 children in Wales has a diagnosable mental health condition. This is an increase from 1 in 10 some 20 years ago. It’s not OK those children sit on waiting lists for long periods of time, sometimes for years. Ensuring we can meet the needs of these children means we must change our approach and recognise the important role getting it right outside of clinics plays too.

And so, as well as accessible and timely mental health care we also need to focus on ensuring Wales is full of healthy, thriving communities.

For good mental health we need to think about ourselves, others and the worlds we live in. This is why this years campaign focus on “action for yourself, for someone else, for all of us” is key.

This is why we’re partnering with people in sport.

The idea that sports clubs and teams can create thriving environments for good mental health and wellbeing has received growing interest over the past decade with a developing research base and lots of examples of putting it into practice. Sports sole focus isn’t performance, it’s also about well-being.

The short video shown last week by our partners at Cardiff City Community Foundation created with pupils Windsor Clive Primary School in Ely, is a brilliant example of supporting building up that 80% through providing opportunities for personal growth, social connections and being part of shaping Wales’ communities. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth watching.

These are interventions that will be sustained for life.

Safe secure nurturing relationships are fundamental healing tools for children and adults who have experienced difficulties, distress, trauma or mental ill health.  They provide us with relational health. And we know that good relational health is linked to many positive physical and mental health outcomes. It is a strong predictor of our health across our life, prevent mental ill health, and are key to recovery.

If we understand that good relationships need to be at the heart of everything then supporting more interventions like this just makes sense. The creation of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships that buffer adversity and build resilience are key to building that missing 80% of factors.

We look forward to deepening our partnership with Cardiff City Community Foundation. The club will face the challenges of the Championship, but we know their focus on relationships will serve them well in their push for back-to-back promotion. Come on you Bluebirds!