The Coat - A film about children’s mental health

Bringing our work to life and showing why early support matters

Watch our charity film

The Coat uses a striking visual metaphor: a coat bursting with handwritten negative thoughts. This film invites audiences to step into a child’s world, experiencing the weight of worries, some shaped by trauma - heavy, overwhelming, and often unseen. While also showing how the right specialist support can transform lives, helping children and families feel seen, heard, and more resilient.

Why now

The film comes at a time when one in five children in the UK are struggling with their mental health. Half of all mental health problems begin before the age of 14. Early support can change everything.

Kids Inspire is there to make sure no child struggles alone. The film reflects our trauma responsive approach supporting children’s mental health, and recognising the vital role families play in recovery.

Read our CEO and Clinical Director, Sue Bell OBE’s speech from our film premiere.

How you can help

Every day, children and families reach out to us for support. As a children’s mental health and trauma recovery charity, we couldn’t do what we do without our incredible supporters. In the past year, we’ve helped more than 4,500 children, young people and family members with therapy across Essex and Suffolk — but the need continues to grow.

Can you help us be there for even more children and families?

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Make a donation

Every donation makes a difference, contributing to support for children, young people, and families across Essex and Suffolk. Make a one-off or regular donation.

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Fundraise for us

There are lots of fun and meaningful ways to raise money for children’s mental health. From boot sales to taking on challenges, school events to workplace fundraisers, you can help us be there for more children who need support.

Three woman standing smiling outside on a patio, holding a 'we support Kids Inspire' circle board with logo. They are corporate volunteers.

Partner with us

Partnering with others help us create real change for young people. Whether you work with us, donate, fundraise as a business, or or get involved in campaigns, we’ll build something meaningful together.

 
“The Coat reflects the hidden emotional weight that many children carry every day. At Kids Inspire, we know how hard it can be for children to ask for help - especially when they don’t yet feel safe enough to do so. This film is our way of saying that support is here. Children deserve trauma-responsive care, understanding, and a place where they can be met with compassion, not judgement.”
— Sue Bell OBE, CEO, Kids Inspire
 

More about the film - FAQs

There are so many different elements to our film The Coat. We’ve put together a list of FAQs to help you learn more about it, how it explores children’s mental health, and how it connects to our work.

  • The Coat uses a striking visual metaphor: a coat bursting with handwritten negative thoughts.

    This film invites audiences to step into a child’s world, experiencing the weight of worries, some shaped by trauma - heavy, overwhelming, and often unseen - while also showing how the right specialist support can transform lives, helping children and families feel seen, heard, and more resilient.

  • The story for The Coat was inspired by the growing mental health challenges faced by children and young people today. In the UK, one in five children are struggling with their mental health, with half of all mental health problems starting before the age of 14.

    At Kids Inspire, we’ve seen a significant rise in the number of children coming to us with increasingly complex needs — especially around anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

    We wanted to create a film that raises awareness of the emotional weight many children are carrying. Things are much harder for young people than they were just a few years ago. The Coat is our way of helping people pause, notice, and understand why our support has never been more needed.

  • The film was written and produced by Kids Inspire and brought to life by our volunteer mentor and Essex filmmaker, Adam Cameron King. We had a cast of sixteen young people from local Essex acting schools; The Drama Centre, Mushroom Theatre Companyand Jigsaw Arts.

    • Main child - Imogen Cheshire

    • Parent - Leanne Johnson

    • Teacher - Elliott McMillan

    • Therapists - Kids Inspire therapists Helen Robins and Jasmine Martin

    We were also kindly donated uniform from Schoolwear Plus and Personalise Ltd, and Great Baddow High School allowed us to use their school as a location!

  • The coat symbolises the worries and feelings many children carry with them, often shaped by their experiences and sometimes by trauma. These feelings aren’t always visible to others, but they can feel heavy and overwhelming.

    The coat helps make children’s mental health visible, showing how much can be carried beneath the surface.

  • The film reflects Kids Inspire’s trauma-informed approach to supporting children’s mental health.

    Around 85% of the children who come to us are struggling with anxiety or related challenges.

    Our work isn’t about quick fixes - it involves working closely with families, with the child at the centre. We use creative therapies, as well as talking, to help children process emotions and feel supported both in sessions and at home.

  • Although Kids Inspire currently supports children and families across Essex and Suffolk, the challenges shown in The Coat are being felt by young people all over the UK. We wanted the film to reflect the wider picture and help raise understanding of what many children are carrying today.

    While our services are rooted locally, we have hopes to grow to become national, so we can reach more children and families across the UK.

  • Our charity film, The Coat is available to watch and share with others on our social channels:

    • Facebook

    • Instagram

    • LinkedIn

    • YouTube

    We hope to also share behind the scenes content on our TikTok channel!

  • Absolutely! We want the film to be shared far and wide. We are working on a specific workshop for schools based on The Coat. If you’re interested in learning more please email communications@kidsinspire.org.uk.

  • We would love for you to support us! There are many ways you can do this; making a donation, attending one of our fundraising events, or starting your own, or volunteering your time.

Group photo of the young cast and crew from the Kids Inspire film The Coat

Imogen talks about why Kids Inspire’s charity film matters

Colourful illustration of mixture of different children

Our approach, mission and values

All children and families deserve the mental health support they need to thrive.

Community Engagement

Learn more about our team’s work within the communities of Essex and Suffolk.

Colourful illustration of hands raised in the air.

Supporting mental health in schools

Schools play a vital role in the wellbeing of children, and Kids Inspire is here to help.

Page updated: 31 July 2026