Wendy Minhinnett

Wendy has a passion and drive both professionally and personally to improve children and young people’s mental health by working with parents, families, and communities.

Wendy loves developing ideas for creative engagement and believes whole heartedly in cocreating, she loves using her creative skills to help others. Wendy is a parent who has had a personal journey of supporting her daughter with mental health issues. This experience led Wendy to set up Rollercoaster Parent Support Project which was delivered in partnership with Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Trust (TEWV) based in County Durham. The project ran for 9 years promoting a parent led, professionally supported model and won a National Positive Practice in Mental Health Award in 2017.

Wendy has been involved in a variety of initiatives locally and nationally to promote the role parents can play in improving children and young people’s mental health. She worked as the Parent lived experience lead at the Charlie Waller Trust for 6 years which involved helping other areas set up parent carer peer support, developing the PLACE National Network and co-developing the first national parent carer peer support training. She is a parent co-author for MindEd for Families, has worked as a parent/carer representative for the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, Royal College of Psychiatrists and has held a variety of PPV roles in NHS England.

Wendy has worked on a number of projects to develop resources for parents and carers which include This May Help Film Project and The Getting Through Guides. Wendy was awarded a BEM in 2022 for services to parents of children with mental health needs and has cowritten a chapter on parent involvement for the book: Participation in Children and Young People’s Mental Health

Wendy lives in County Durham with her daughter and grandog Minnie! She loves family time, cuppas, cake, reading and is learning how to meditate.