ALT Image: A young Asian girl is smiling at her Mother, she has long brown hair and is wearing an orange beanie and green hoodie reading 'Always cute'. They appear to be in a garden together. Her Mother has short brown hair and a mustard shirt. Text: Beyond words: Why language matters for social security and mental health. By Nick Treloar and Andy Bell

ALT Text: In the run up to the election on 4 July, we saw an unwelcome return to the demonisation of people receiving benefits. Sadly, this is nothing new: age-old notions of the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving poor’ continue to colour debates around social security, with people who receive benefits accused of being ‘scroungers’, idle, or ‘taking the easy option’ of not working.

ALT Text: Such minimising of people’s illnesses and distress, while met with significant pushback, not only harms those who are in receipt of some form of benefit but also poisons the wider conversation around how the state should help those who need vital support. The language we use about people directly affects the way we treat them: dismissive language which belittles people’s experience of distress will result in more punitive and uncompassionate policy measures.

ALT Text: A more compassionate benefits system, built on the evidence of what works and coupled with better mental health support and mentally healthier workplaces, are all essential building blocks for reducing poverty and boosting mental health. Shifting the narratives about poverty, social security, work and mental health is a critical first step to building prosperity and health.

ALT The racist and Islamophobic violence we’ve seen across the country over the last week is profoundly distressing. We stand in solidarity with people from racialised communities and all those who have been impacted by this violence. Racist and anti-immigration rhetoric has real consequences. Public discourses that dehumanise people who are seeking asylum in the UK or who come from minoritised backgrounds have contributed to racist violence historically. It’s our duty today to address this. We call on politicians, the media and others in public office to take the lead in countering racist and Islamophobic narratives. Being and feeling safe is a fundamental foundation for good mental health. It’s vital that people are protected from this violence and that we learn as a society about what has caused it. - Andy Bell

ALT Title: The impact of poverty on children & parents' mental health. Icon: Four teal icons beside one yellow icon. Text: Children from the poorest 20% of households are four times as likely to have serious mental health difficulties by the age of 11 as those from the wealthiest 20%. (Morrison Gutman et al., 2015)

ALT Title: The impact of poverty on children & parents' mental health. Icon: Four yellow icons with a teal icon in the centre. Text: 1 in 5 children and young people has a mental health difficulty. (NHS Digital, 2023)

ALT A young Black girl wearing a red fleece and holding a school bag is smiling on her way to school with her parent. Text: A dual crisis: The hidden link between poverty and children’s mental health

ALT Five 'people' graphics, with a teal speech bubble reading 'Mentally Healthier Councils Network'