Millennium Cohort Study a vital resource for children’s advocates, explains the Children’s Society in new film

Childhood and adolescent mental health are the focus of a new short film from the UCL Institute of Education (IOE), launched today, World Mental Health Day (10 October 2018).

The film highlights recent findings from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) that around one in seven 14-year-olds in the UK are suffering from depression. It features interviews with Professor Emla Fitzsimons, MCS director at the IOE and Larissa Pople, a senior researcher at the Children’s Society, who explains why the MCS is so important for charities trying to improve children’s welfare.

Ms Pople said: “The Millennium Cohort Study is one of the data sources we draw on the most to understand children’s lives. These are the kinds of studies that are really relevant for us. We help children that are in need, particularly those who may have run away from home, for example. We also do policy and research on related issues, particularly on children’s wellbeing and poverty.”

Further information

Read more about the MCS research featured in the film, Poor mental health is more prevalent among teenage girls from poorer backgrounds, new findings show and Mothers’ depression more harmful than poverty for children’s mental health, study finds.