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During a week spent with our P3 teams in Hillingdon, we saw how our young people’s services provide stability, safety and a strong sense of belonging. From offering secure housing to providing tailored emotional and practical support, these services help young people feel rooted in a place where they are valued and understood. By offering consistent, trusted support, we aim to empower local young people to feel safe in their surroundings, supported in their wellbeing and confident in shaping their own futures.
This year’s Children’s Mental Health Week (9 – 15 February) has a clear aim: “Empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people across the UK”. The theme for 2026, This is My Place, encourages meaningful conversations about belonging, identity and the vital role that safe, supportive communities play in protecting children’s mental health.
At P3 Charity, we stand alongside Place2Be, the charity behind Children’s Mental Health Week, in recognising that “to know our place and really feel part of our environment is a basic human need.” Feeling accepted, valued and connected can shape how children see themselves and the world around them.
Esther Barrett, P3 Charity’s Director of Young People and Family Services, said:
“A lot of what we do is focused on safe accommodation and housing advice and support for young people. But we also run floating support services, wellbeing services, play schemes and after-school clubs.
“Many of the young people we support go on to further education, work or volunteer in their local communities. We encourage them to join community-led activities and meet local councillors, mayors and MPs. It gives them aspirations and a real voice, not only to speak up for what they believe in, but to give them a platform where they are truly listened to – and have hope for the future.
“When a young person has someone by their side asking, ‘What do you want to achieve?’, it shifts the focus from today to tomorrow. I want every child and young person at P3 Charity to be inspired and believe: ‘I can do this. I’ve got this.’ That attitude inspires local communities, too – that’s the real impact of youth support.”
At P3, we understand that accessing support can feel daunting for many young people, especially when moving into accommodation and starting life somewhere new. This can feel even more overwhelming for those with mental or physical health needs, or for young people who face language or accessibility barriers.
With this in mind, we’ve recently redeveloped our website to be more than just an informative and accessible space for people looking for support. It now also provides a secure, digital space for our young people’s handbooks.
A handbook is a guide designed to support young people living in P3 supported accommodation. It brings together key information about their accommodation, what to expect, the support available and how to get help when it’s needed. By hosting these handbooks through secure, hidden links on our website, we can keep information safe while making sure everything is easy to find, in one place and always to hand.
Using digital handbooks has been transformative within our young people’s services, as we can now include virtual tours and welcome videos that help young people familiarise themselves with their new surroundings before they arrive. This can ease anxiety, answer common questions and help young people feel more prepared and supported from the start.
Digital handbooks also work seamlessly with our website’s accessibility and translation tools. This means young people with additional accessibility needs, or those with limited English, can access the same information straight away – without having to wait for an adapted version.
By making information clearer, more accessible and easier to engage with, our digital handbooks help us do what matters most: reduce uncertainty, build confidence and support young people to feel safe, informed and welcomed as they begin their journey with P3.
Our digital handbooks reflect P3’s commitment to creating spaces where young people feel secure, supported and able to belong. By removing barriers to information and making support accessible from the very first moment, we help young people feel that their accommodation is not just somewhere to stay, but a place where they are understood, valued and able to take positive steps towards their wellbeing – where they can say “this is my place”.
Abdul was first introduced to the P3 team through his local community drop-in. He is now learning English to help him settle into life in the UK. Told through a mixture of English and Arabic, Abdul’s story is a reminder of the power of hope and perseverance.
Originally from Yemen, Abdul was 18 years old when he was forced to leave his country with the outbreak of war. He initially sought safety in Jordan, but due to border restrictions, he was forced to move to seek safety and stability elsewhere – that’s when he travelled to Turkey, and then the UK.
“I travelled to Turkey alone because my family couldn’t [afford] the costs”, Abdul says. “[Once there,] I studied Turkish but had problems with a language teacher. Once he failed me, I was exposed to problems that led me to prison where I was mistreated by the police. [It ended with me] trying to commit suicide inside the prison.”
To support his physical and mental health, Abdul was transferred to the UK to be closer to his father’s family, who were living in London. He says that having familiar people around him helped him cope with the trauma of war and his subsequent his journey to safety.
After arriving in the UK, Abdul spent nine months in a hotel while waiting for his asylum papers to be processed. With his asylum secured, Abdul needed to secure his own housing but struggled to find something safe and affordable – that’s when he turned to P3 for support. Abdul came to his local P3 hub, which offered housing advice, young people’s support services and wellbeing support, enabling him to get the wrap-around support he needed to get back on his feet.
Abdul says, “[I] felt lost and confused. I didn’t know where to start. The local council advised me to go to P3 Charity, where I could get help with housing and support. Although I initially found it difficult to communicate and adapt, I met people who helped me and supported me through each step.”
With P3’s support, Abdul managed to secure a place to stay through a local accommodation provider. This gave him some stability while he focused on engaging with the emotional and psychological support that was being put in place, largely to address his trauma around the war and his journey to the UK.
Abdul says, “[The P3 team] cared deeply and treated me with kindness and respect. Through their support, I began to feel safe and hopeful again, and I no longer felt alone.”
He continues to express his gratitude, especially to his support worker, who he says, “helped and supported me so much.”
Despite his continuing health and psychological challenges, Abdul feels that things are improving. He says that securing a safe place to stay has given him hope and helped restore his sense of independence.
He says, “I am striving to live a stable life, focus on developing myself and improve my skills. I hope to study psychology, and I dream of studying mental health at university. My goal is to get a qualification and study social sciences, especially mental health and counselling, so I can help others who face the same struggles I did.”
Abdul is committed to settling in as quickly as possible. His P3 support worker has been helping him to look for job opportunities while building his CV, and he’s continuing to work on his education and settling into life in the UK. Abdul takes things day by day but still keeps his eyes on what he sees as a positive future. He says, “[I want] to support myself and help others who suffer from mental and emotional difficulties.”
Through consistent support, Abdul managed to find safety and shelter, which drastically improved his mental wellbeing. Like many young people facing homelessness, his mental health struggles were a consequence of his housing insecurity. Using trauma-informed and psychologically informed approaches, we created a safe, supportive environment where Abdul felt understood, respected and like he belonged.
This Children’s Mental Health Week, join us in creating a safe space where young people can belong by listening with understanding, signposting to the right support and helping every young person feel safe enough to be themselves.
Young people at our Hillingdon young people’s accommodation created a map of their local community to celebrate this year’s “This is My Place” theme for Children’s Mental Health week. From places they like to walk and hang out, to places they go to school, practice faith or favourite places to eat, this activity brought the young people together to draw, connect and talk about mental health.
