Transforming early support for children in crisis with Three Nines charity Emotional First Aid Kit

Every day, first responders encounter children who are frightened, confused or overwhelmed in the moments after an incident or crime situation. Yet, despite their best efforts, emergency teams often lack simple, safe tools to comfort and reassure young people at the scene.

The Three Nines Children’s Charity is working to change that. Their vision is clear: ensure that no child faces the aftermath of an emergency without immediate emotional support, reassurance and a pathway to continued help.

Supporting Children When They Need It Most

As part of this mission, the charity is developing an innovative "Emotional First Aid Kit", a compact, safety‑led resource designed to help responders offer calm, comfort and connection in the first 10–15 minutes after an incident or crime situation. BMT is proud to support the charity through the first phase of this project to help shape and validate the concept through research, study groups, and clinical insight. 

A Charity Driven by Compassion and Early Support

The Three Nines Children’s Charity was created to support children and young people up to 18 who have experienced crime, are at risk of harm or a result of an incident. With a growing network and more than 300 services delivered in its first year, the charity is already making a meaningful difference in communities across the UK.

Their new Emotional First Aid Kit concept builds on this mission. Positioned as British APCO’s chosen charity until 2027, Three Nines Children's Charity is uniquely placed to collaborate with emergency services nationwide and create practical solutions that meet real frontline need. 

The Emotional First Aid Kit: Small in Size, Big in Impact

Through a series of workshops with police officers, coastguards, NHS staff, psychologists and other frontline professionals, a consistent message emerged: children need safety, reassurance and calm before anything else.

The kit aims to provide exactly that. Insights gathered during the Discovery Phase shaped a set of principles that keep children’s wellbeing and dignity at the centre of their priority. These insights have shaped a kit that is not only compassionate, but also operationally realistic, reflecting the constraints and pressures responders face every day.

How BMT & Learning Resources UK Supported the Charity

The Three Nines Children's Charity, in collaboration with BMT, and Learning Resources UK, a global leader in educational and social‑emotional learning toys and tools, successfully collaborated during the initial design phase of the concept to ensure the kit is grounded in evidence, operational reality and safeguarding best practice. With the additional input from various professional services, we were able to build upon the knowledge and agree an initial design of the two Level kits for prototype. 

Learning Resources UK, supported the project by contributing insight and a carefully curated selection of social and emotional learning resources, helping to ensure the solution was both appropriate and practical to use. The focus throughout has been on creating a kit that can be easily deployed at the scene to support emotional regulation and reassurance, while also ensuring there is a pathway to follow‑up support beyond the initial response.

Looking Ahead: A Small Kit With Big Potential

The Emotional First Aid Kit is more than a bag of items. It is a promise:

• that children’s emotional needs are recognised,
• that responders are supported with practical tools, and
• that families have a clear route to follow‑up support when they need it most.

With continued collaboration, testing and community engagement, Three Nines Children’s Charity is moving closer to delivering a national resource that could transform early support for children in crisis.

BMT and Learning Resources UK are proud to stand alongside them as this vital initiative moves into its next phase.