Programmes and projects

The Welsh Government has made mental wellbeing a national priority. Recognising its crucial role in helping people face life’s challenges. Aligning with this, we’re looking at how to embed mental health support into sport. 

Our approach focuses on: 

• building strong, supportive relationships between coaches, volunteers and athletes 
• creating safe environments where individuals feel valued and heard 
• making mental wellbeing part of everyday practice 

We understand that people’s experiences, relationships and environments shape their mental health. This is what’s called a relational approach to mental health. Rather than focusing on diagnosis and treatment. 

Engaging partners 

So far, we’ve worked with 19 national governing bodies and national partners. Including Hockey Wales, Badminton Wales and Colegau Cymru. Engaging them through workshops, tailored support and ongoing collaboration.  

The workshops were a collaboration with the mental health charity Platfform and the University of Portsmouth. They explored: 

• mental wellbeing and connection 
• creating safe and inclusive sporting environments 
• supporting coaches and leaders to have open conversations 
• building healthy cultures within sport 

80% of the organisations involved have identified new priorities for mental health support. And more than half have begun embedding relational approaches into their work. 

Challenges 

The main challenges we’ve seen so far are: 

• a resistance to shifting from a medical model of mental health to a relational one 
• limited capacity in organisations to put in place long-term mental health strategies 

We’ll be continuing to work with our partners to combat these barriers. We’re also aware of the need for: 

• clear and actionable plans for embedding mental health strategies within sporting environments 
• cross-sport collaboration 
• working alongside safeguarding measures, not replacing them 

Ongoing work 

Our ongoing mental health work is focusing on 3 core areas: 

• developing educational resources and strategies 
• supporting cultural shifts 
• ensuring all sporting environments make people feel a sense of belonging 

We want to ensure that female athletes can reach their full potential. Our experts at the Sport Wales Institute include sport scientists, medical experts and performance advisors. They’ve developed strategies and support for female athletes. These include advice about: 

• the menstrual cycle 
• body image 
• training during different stages of life – including puberty, pregnancy and the menopause 
• nutrition 
• pelvic health 

For more information, see our female athlete health support section. 

The Welsh Government’s healthy weight strategy aims to prevent obesity. It’s supporting a pilot programme called ‘Healthy children, healthy weight in Wales’. Known as ‘Pipyn’, from the Welsh name of the programme: ‘Pwysau Iach plant yng Nghymru’. The initiative, led by Public Health Wales, aims to reduce childhood obesity rates. 

We’re collaborating on the programme to design and deliver engaging and safe physical activities. Aimed at families with children aged 3 to 7 years old who are at risk of obesity. After a 2-year pilot, the ‘Pipyn Actif’ project is running in 3 areas across Wales: 

• Anglesey – led by Môn Actif 
• South Cardiff – led by Cardiff Met Sport 
• Merthyr Tydfil – led by StreetGames 

We selected these locations to represent a diverse range of communities in Wales. They provide a mix of: 

• rural and urban settings 
• ethnic diversity 
• Welsh language accessibility

Each lead organisation is collaborating with local partners to reach the right groups of people. All delivery staff on the project have attended training for teaching young children physical skills. Helping children be confident and motivated movers in an inclusive, play-based approach. 

An external team is evaluating the impact of Pipyn. Hearing from the children and families involved and capturing learning from project leaders. This family-centred approach aims to create long-term behavioural change. Reducing obesity rates across Wales. 

The 60-plus Active Leisure Scheme has been running since early 2021 for older people across Wales. It offers free or discounted sports and fitness sessions for people aged 60 and over. Available at leisure centres, outdoor spaces and community venues across Wales. Sports and activities include:

• tai chi 
• yoga 
• pickleball 
• climbing 
• Nordic walking 
• strength training 
• swimming and aqua aerobics 

We jointly fund the scheme with the Welsh Government. It’s delivered by all 22 local authorities, in collaboration with local communities. Since 2021, there have been over 150,000 attendances recorded. 

The scheme aims to target groups which are less likely to be active. Collaborating with local community organisations is helping increase uptake in these groups. The scheme has also shown significant social benefits for those taking part. 

We know that only offering activities is not enough to engage the most inactive and disinterested people in communities. The scheme needs to be part of wider efforts to engage older members of our local communities. 

To take advantage of the scheme, contact your local council or leisure centre. 

We manage Free Swimming in Wales, which provides free and discounted swim sessions. For people aged 16 years old and under, or over 60 years old. Aiming to improve health and wellbeing of younger and older people. It also targets people from deprived communities. 

The scheme is delivered by the 22 local authorities and their delivery partners, such as leisure trusts. Each local authority decides how best to use their given budget for the scheme. They aim to: 

• prioritise people who face barriers to being active 
• promote swimming as a life skill 
• help young people and older adults to lead active lifestyles 

To take advantage of the scheme, contact your local council or leisure centre. 

The idea of physical literacy is key to our approach. It’s about giving children and young people everything they need lead active lives. Whether that’s skills, confidence, motivation, knowledge or understanding. 

We support education programmes, partnerships and resources that aim to: 

• build strong foundations for physical activity 
• support health, wellbeing and positive attitudes to movement 
• include for all learners 
• encourage lifelong participation in sport and physical activity 

Anyone delivering physical education and activities needs to meet the needs of all learners. To do this, they need to feel confident, capable and supported. 

Citbag, our free online platform for schools and educators, provides this support. It includes hundreds of high-quality resources developed by education and sport specialists. 

We've aligned all resources on Citbag to the Curriculum for Wales. With a clear focus on the health and wellbeing area of the curriculum. We've designed the resources to support learning across progression steps. Helping schools plan and deliver lessons that support development from ages 3 to 16. 

Citbag helps schools to: 

• develop learners’ physical abilities, confidence and motivation 
• support wellbeing and positive relationships with movement 
• plan purposeful, inclusive and developmental learning 
• embed physical literacy as part of a whole school approach 

Sign up for a free Citbag account. 

Daily Active is a collaboration with Welsh Government and Public Health Wales. It’s a framework we’re developing for schools to create active learning environments. For any learners aged 3 to 16. Its focus is on embedding physical activity across the school day. As well as in the wider school environment.  

The approach aligns with the health and wellbeing area of the Curriculum for Wales. It recognises how important physical activity is for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. 

We're developing the framework around 8 key influences on physical activity in schools. These are: 

• physical education 
• active lessons and outdoor learning 
• active breaks 
• active travel 
• extracurricular activity 
• engaging families and communities 
• shared use of facilities 
• the physical school environment 

Daily Active will support schools to: 

• reflect on their current practice 
• identify opportunities for improvement 
• take a whole-school approach to embedding physical activity - in a meaningful, inclusive and sustainable way 

We fund and support the Young Ambassadors programme, led by the Youth Sport Trust. It’s a youth leadership movement which aims to help young people: 

• develop into future leaders through sport, physical activity and play 
• get the chance to ‘learn through leadership’ 
• influence what health and active opportunities are available 

Find out more about the Young Ambassadors programme on the Youth Sport Trust website.