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The Life Matters

Children’s Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention Charity
Registered Charity No: 1193469

“Every Child Deserves Hope. We’re Here to Help.”

No childhood suicide is ever acceptable — even one is one too many.

At The Life Matters, we are dedicated to preventing self-harm and suicide among children and young people by providing vital support, raising awareness, and empowering families and communities.

Our mission is to transform the lives of children, young people, and families by delivering high-quality, evidence-based services that promote emotional wellbeing and mental health across the entire family unit.

Central to our work is the unwavering belief that every child deserves to be heard—especially during times of crisis. We focus on prevention, early intervention, and empowerment by actively listening to children and providing them with the tools to understand, express, and manage their emotions.

Through direct support, educational resources, self-help programmes, and practical advice, we work to safeguard and strengthen the mental and physical health of young people and families.

We also deliver targeted training for educators, professionals, and corporations to enhance safeguarding and wellbeing practices.

Every Child Deserves Hope. We’re Here to Help.

Every Child Deserves a Voice. Every Child Deserves the A Child’s Voice 10-Week Self-Healing Programme Workbook.

Our Mission

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"Driving Change Through the Power of a Child’s Voice"

"I want my voice to be heard"

We listened to you and with your help designed a programme just for you.

1. Child-Led Development

The programme was co-created with young people who contributed ideas, feedback, and real-life experiences. For instance, 15-year-old Eliza helped shape the workbook, sharing that she wished she had such a resource during her own struggles with emotional well-being.

Her involvement exemplifies the programme’s commitment to empowering children to use their voices to guide its creation

2. Evidence-Based and Multi-Agency Framework

A Child’s Voice bridges clinical research with social work practices, aligning with UK safeguarding standards and safety planning protocols.

It also adopts a multi-agency approach, involving schools, social services, and mental health professionals to ensure comprehensive support for each child.

3. Engaging and Reflective Activities

The programme incorporates psychology experiments, educational games, brain teasers, and self-reflection exercises.

These activities are designed to help children build resilience, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness, fostering a deeper understanding of their mental health and well-being.

4. Measurable Impact

Well-being scales are used to track each child’s progress, allowing them to visualize improvements in their mental health over the course of the programme. This approach not only empowers children but also provides tangible evidence of the programme's effectiveness

5. Real-Life Testimonials

Young participants have reported significant positive changes. For example, Maggie-Mae, a 17-year-old who participated in the programme, shared that it helped her understand her emotions, stop self-harming, and inspired her to pursue a career in mental health nursing .kentonline.co.uk thelifematters.co.uk

A Child’s Voice was designed for children, by children, ensuring that their needs, voices, and experiences are at the heart of the programme. This approach has proven effective in supporting children and young people to navigate their mental health challenges and build a brighter future.

"Your voice is powerful. It deserves to be heard"

Children Are Our Future

We now turn to Maggie Mae for her thoughts on the 'A Child’s Voice' programme — a reminder that children and young people are, indeed, the foremost experts in their own experiences.

"My name is Maggie-Mae Darcy, and I started the A Childs Voice programme when I was seventeen, The Life Matters came to see me weekly at my school which is Chatham Grammar school.

Every child / young person should have access to this type of programme as schools do not have time or resources to offer to every child. Before this programme I was struggling with no way to cope with such feelings, but the programme helped me to break these down and understand myself in new ways.

Each week I had something to do, each day that helped me to broaden my understanding of my feelings and gain deeper knowledge of myself and why I think the way I do.

Before the programme I felt as though my voice didn’t matter, and that I was wrong in feeling the way that I did, but over the 10 weeks it has helped me to gain my confidence with the ability to share how I feel which helped me to validate my emotions, it also helped me to stop self-harming two weeks into the programme which was something I was struggling with.

I was lost before I started this programme at where I wanted to go in my future but after the first week of the programme, I realised my dream would be to help people. This will allow me to use my life experience to help others and that same week I started to apply for university for a placement studying mental health nursing".

07 February 2025

"I am so proud of my daughter achieving her CPD certificate for A Childs Voice.

So, I would like to say that when you started to see the wellbeing officer, you were probably at the most depressed and lowest point in your life, I had ever seen, with you being taken by me to the hospital due to fear of self - harm.

The course has proved to be everything you needed and more to understand your emotions. You have shown a real interest and understanding in every part of the course even passing on your knowledge to me.

I strongly believe this course has been invaluable and has taught you the tools in understanding your emotions going forward, to be able to cope with life’s challenges, I also believe it has given you clear direction on wanting to pursue a career in mental health to help other teens.

I’m so grateful to the charity and Mary for her kindness, understanding and professionalism throughout.

I’m not sure where Maggie would be now if this course had not been available, thank you for everything Mary and team".

What Maggie Mae's mother had to share

The school shares its reflections on the ‘A Child’s Voice’ programme.

Chatham Grammar school's voice

"Maggie has been more focused and it is transparent that she has been able has build her confidence and resilience whilst studying this course. She has not relied on the pastoral team at all throughout the 10-week programme and certainly has a new focus on her future with a new mindset. Maggie- Mae would be at our office every day on some weeks seeking emotional support.

Well done Maggie - Mae with your latest achievement, it is of my opinion that you will definitely be an amazing mental health nurse and we wish you all of the best for the future. A real credit to our school.

Thank you to The Life Matters for supporting our student"

07 Feb 2025

If you require urgent help, please see our Crisis Support page

Crisis Support