The BeatBullying Group has today launched MindFull, a mental health charity for 11 to 17-year-olds which will give them access to free online professional counselling support and advice.

The service was launched at an event this morning, which numbered Labour leader Ed Miliband among its speakers, and where findings from a YouGov survey entitled Alone with my thoughts demonstrated the severity of the issue.

This included the statistics that one in five children have symptoms of depression and almost a third (32 per cent) have considered or attempted suicide by age 16.

Emma-Jane Cross, CEO and founder of MindFull, said that the new organisation was formed from the input of children themselves: "MindFull is a direct result of the feedback that we have been given by thousands of young people in the UK, who tell us they want the flexibility and convenience of an online service,” she said.

“Too many children who try to speak out about the way they’re feeling are being let down or simply ignored. Early intervention is proven to help prevent adult mental health problems, so swift action must be taken now if we are to avoid legacy of serious long-term mental illness.”

The new charity has attracted support from mental health charity YoungMinds, with director of campaigns and policy Lucie Russell saying that the “shocking” statistics only highlight what her own organisation has been saying for years.

“Children and young people’s mental health is a vital issue that must be prioritised,” she said. “We know from our extensive work with young people that the support they so desperately need when they aren’t coping is grossly lacking but we also know from services that they under huge funding pressures and are overwhelmed with demand.

"We very much welcome MindFull’s new online service for young people which will get support to young people where they are, when they need it and we hope MindFull will work with us to get the vital importance of children and young people’s metal health up the political agenda both locally and nationally.”

BeatBullying supports 152,000 young people a year through its range of online services such as digital fundraising, peer mentoring and online conferences.

The charity recently received a £1.52m share of the Department for Education’s £47m voluntary, community and social enterprise National Prospectus grant.

In May, it was announced that an entirely new mental health charity will launch in early 2014, backed by a £20m pledge from the Wellcome Trust. MQ will undertake mental health research and its chief executive intends for it to be “a mental health equivalent of Cancer Research UK”.

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