Information for young people

Young people FAQs

What are Kailo and #BeeWell?

Kailo is a research project focussed on addressing the root causes of young people’s mental health and wellbeing, in the places they live. It is informed by good data, evidence and understanding of the local system and context in which young people live and grow up. One source of data is the Kailo #BeeWell survey. This survey is being completed by secondary school pupils across North Devon and Torridge. It focuses on young people’s wellbeing and the factors that influence it.

#BeeWell is a youth-centred programme to improve the wellbeing of young people across England which originated in Greater Manchester. Further information about #BeeWell is available on their website.

Who is involved in delivering the #BeeWell survey in Northern Devon?

The Kailo project in North Devon and Torridge is delivering the survey. There are lots of partners involved and supporting the work. In North Devon and Torridge, these include Dartington Service Design Lab, the University of Exeter and the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. Each of the schools who are involved are then committing to supporting their pupils to take part in the survey – which will then be fed back to the team who will bring together the information from every young person who takes part to understand the issues facing young people across North Devon and Torridge. The #BeeWell survey has been developed by the #BeeWell team in Greater Manchester but #BeeWell are not directly involved in delivering the survey in Northern Devon.

How many young people are taking part?

We want to involve every secondary school and education setting who wants to take part across all of North Devon and Torridge. The survey is also being run in other parts of the country. In Greater Manchester, the #BeeWell programme has run their survey for the last two years, and over 60,000 young people from over 185 schools have taken part.

Why am I being asked to fill in this survey?

This will help us to learn about young people’s mental health and wellbeing. In particular, it will help the research team and your school to find out what things make young people more likely to have good mental health and emotional wellbeing.

How do I complete the survey?

Young people complete the survey online in your school.

What does the #BeeWell survey measure?

The survey for mainstream schools measures drivers and domains of wellbeing which include:

• Six Drivers – Health and Routines, Hobbies and Entertainment, Relationships, School, Environment and Society, and Future
• Three Domains – Meaning, Purpose and Control, Understanding Yourself, and Emotions.

Non-mainstream schools have the option of delivering the symbol survey, which has 10 questions asking how you feel about things like your friends, home and future. For more information about the questions asked in each survey, see the survey page.

Who will see the answers I give?

The survey is anonymous. This means no one at your school, or your parents, will know what individual answers you gave. Your answers go to the research team. They put all young people’s answers together in a project file so that they can learn about how young people are feeling across the whole of North Devon and Torridge.  Although the research team may share the project file with others (e.g. other researchers, people at Devon County Council), it will not contain any information that would let people know who you are (for example, your name). 

As no one in your school will see your answers, if you need to talk to someone about your feelings, you need to speak to a teacher or another adult you trust in school.

Is the project just for young people with problems or for everyone?

This project is for all young people. We all need to look after our mental health and wellbeing, just like we need to look after our physical health.

Will the survey affect us?

Answering the survey won’t have immediate effects on you. But, we hope that the survey will help your school and the researchers to learn about how to improve support for young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Some of the questions are very similar – is that a trick?

Some questions may sound very similar, but it’s not a trick. Some questions may ask the same thing in different ways so that we can make sure we really understand how young people are feeling.

Is this a test?

No, this isn’t a test. There are no right or wrong answers. The questions in the survey are just about your thoughts and feelings.

Do I have to answer every question?

If you don’t want to answer a question, that’s ok. It’s your choice which questions you answer. If you don’t want to answer a question, just leave it blank and move onto the next one.

Do I have to take part?

You have the choice about whether or not you take part and complete the survey. If you do not want to take part, you do not have to. Your school should share information about the survey beforehand, so you have time to think about whether you want to take part. If you decide not to do the survey, alternative classroom activities should be planned for and provided. We can also delete your personal data after you have completed the survey – if you would like us to do so, please contact KailoBeewell@dartington.org.uk.