Kate's speech at the opening of Place2Be's new HQ

Thank you so much for your warm welcome and for inviting me to open Place2Be’s new home.

Through my work with patronages like Place2Be, The Art Room, and other organisations which I support with huge enthusiasm, I've had the opportunity to meet with many school leaders, teachers and school-based mental health professionals.

I have always been struck by their commitment to ensuring that children in their care receive the very best possible support.

Their dedication to integrating emotional understanding and wellbeing into all areas of the school environment is extraordinary.

We know that schools have a vital role to play in creating an emotionally healthy culture for children.

In spite of often-challenging circumstances, and the ever-present focus on academic achievement, I have witnessed the determination of many teachers and head teachers, in schools across the country, to prioritise the mental health and social development of children in their care: to help them build social skills; to help them build emotional skills; and ultimately to teach them life skills that will last a lifetime, and be the foundation for becoming mentally healthy adults.

Schools, however, cannot and should not have to manage all this alone. School leaders and teachers need expert guidance and training to develop their own approaches to supporting children’s mental wellbeing.

They also need access to a pool of experienced, well-trained mental health professionals, who can step in when things are more complex or serious.

As its Patron, I am incredibly proud of the contribution that Place2Be is making towards exactly this.

They are training and guiding thousands of counsellors, and many hundreds of school leaders, teachers and staff, based on the evidence and experience gathered from their frontline work.

In my years of working with all of you at Place2Be, I have seen at first hand the leadership you provide: you are at the forefront of efforts to give every child the very best start in life.

That's why this new Centre of Excellence is so crucial, not only for Place2Be to continue their outstanding work, but for all the school leaders, teachers and children it helps now, and undoubtedly will help in the future years to come.

I congratulate Benny, Catherine and all of you who have contributed to making it such a success.

This Centre of Excellence is a new, and significant, step to helping those who will raise the next generation of mentally healthy children.

Thank you.

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The Duchess of Cambridge, 36, is officially opening the new headquarters of children's mental health charity Place2Be in London.