About Our Time
Our Time is the only UK charity focused on supporting children and young people whose parents have a mental illness – a group that numbers around four million across the country. The charity’s aim is to break the silence and stigma around parental mental illness, helping families and children build resilience, understanding, and hope for the future.
Central to Our Time’s work are its family-focused
KidsTime Workshops. These sessions offer a safe, welcoming space for children and their families to share their experiences, learn more about mental illness, and pick up practical coping strategies together.
Our Time also works to raise awareness and boost support for these children in schools, hospitals, and communities. The charity provides training for teachers and professionals, helping them spot and support young people affected by parental mental illness. In addition, Our Time is active in shaping public policy, making sure these children’s needs are recognised at both local and national levels.
“Having KidsTime, it’s been a really good thing. It’s given me a place where I can rebuild my relationship with my children. Our Time focuses on the humanity of mental health…and supporting people to be around their families...For me it’s been invaluable.”
- Parent attending
KidsTime Workshops
“The workshops have helped us talk more openly as a family and given my child confidence to express how they feel.”
- Parent attending
KidsTime Workshops
With a strong evidence base, a commitment to working alongside families, and a focus on both hands-on support and bigger-picture change, Our Time is a vital source of help for families dealing with the challenges of parental mental illness, helping children thrive and breaking cycles of harm for good.
Why we support Our Time
Growing up with a parent who has a mental illness is a recognised adverse childhood experience. It can be tough and complicated. It can affect how children and young people feel, how they get along with others, and even how they think and learn. They might feel confused, guilty, or worried, and sometimes they end up taking on more than they should for their age. However, when the family is well supported in creating a safe home environment, children and young people can be resilient and cope much better with their parent's mental illness and the impact it has on them.
The charity stands out for its unique focus on supporting children whose parents have a mental illness. Independent evaluations of the
KidsTime Workshops highlight the charity’s strong track record in delivering positive results for children and families. Despite being a medium-sized organisation, the charity consistently achieves impact well beyond its size.
Learn more about their work
here.
