Charity collaborative on mental health support in paediatric rheumatology

A group of JIA charities (CCAA, Juvenile Arthritis Research, JIA@NRAS, SNAC and Versus Arthritis), working collaboratively with the British Society for Rheumatology, is investigating access to mental health provision and support within paediatric rheumatology. 

In February 2022 CCAA sent out a survey to families which ran for three weeks and received just over 300 responses. The plan is to use the information gathered to help campaign for better services for children, young people and their families. CCAA is incredibly grateful to all those families who took time to respond and to share their experiences.

A working group comprising charity representatives and healthcare professionals has been established and are currently analysing the data to inform and shape the next steps. If other charities representing families living with paediatric rheumatological conditions would be keen to find out more about this work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email: emily@ccaa.org.uk.