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Read more: Princess Kate comforts mom as she steps out to awards evening for kids' mental health awardsPrincess Kate reached out to comfort a mom who was overcome by emotion at a children’s charity event in London today.
Kate hugged Ceri Knapton after her son, Ethan, 13, told Kate how he used his battle with Autism and Asperger Syndrome to raise awareness of the condition to benefit others.
His mom told reporters, “I vowed that I wouldn’t cry but was just overcome listening to Ethan. The Duchess just leant over and said to me ‘I’ve got to give you a hug as a mum’. I couldn’t believe it. It was such a kind gesture.”
Read more: The Duchess of Cambridge will visit Anna Freud National Centre for Children and FamiliesThe Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families, will visit the Centre to learn more about some of our work with families with children under five years old and the visit is being hosted at our Early Years Parenting Unit (EYPU). This visit marks The Duchess' continued desire to draw attention to child mental health issues and the importance early intervention, and working with the whole family, can make to those in vulnerable situations.
The EYPU opened in April 2011 and offers an assessment and treatment programme for groups of parents with personality disorders, and their children under five years, who are at risk of being taken into care. The treatment seeks to address the parents’ personality disorders; children's developmental needs; and the parent-child relationship. The ultimate aim is to keep families together, and help parents become more aware of, and responsive to, their children's needs, leading to more emotionally attuned parenting.
Read more: 'Parenting is tough,' says Kate as she visits early years unit - HEY TodayThe Duchess of Cambridge has praised the efforts of mothers with emotional issues who have turned their lives around, despite parenting being “tough”.
Kate heard the stories of women who have battled problems like depression or difficult upbringings during a visit to a specialist unit run by the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families.
For the past five years the centre’s early years parenting unit in Holloway, north London has been supporting families who are at risk of their children being taken into care.
The Duchess met mothers who had completed its intensive treatment programme and she paid tribute to women telling them “parenting is tough” but despite the “experiences you’ve all witnessed” and initially not receiving support “I find it extraordinary how you’ve managed actually, so really well done”.
Read more: Kate Middleton Bonds with Mothers at Mental Health EventPrincess Kate is behind a positive shift in the commitment to children’s mental health, a leading expert said today.
On Wednesday, the royal mother of two sympathized with other young moms about the challenges of parenting during a visit to the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.
“She knew exactly what these mums were talking about — about children not sleeping and how stressful it is to try and bring up small children,” Peter Fonagy, chief executive of the charity, tells PEOPLE. “All the mums said how much she talked to them as just another mum.”
And she is helping shape the national conversation: This week, British Prime Minister Teresa May laid out her hopes for greater help on kids’ mental health.
“I don’t think the Prime Minister would be where she is if it weren’t for the royal family’s Heads Together program, which I think was the brainchild of Her Royal Highness,” Fonagy says of Kate. “She has caused a national shift in terms of the acceptability of mental health as a problem that we all need to deal with.”
Read more: How Kate Middleton Is Helping Champion Kids' Mental HealthPrincess Kate is sparking a “sea change” in how kids’ mental health is being addressed, a charity leader tells PEOPLE.
The royal mom’s involvement is bringing about a “major shift in attitudes to mental health, with greater understanding that [it] is just as important as our physical health,” says Catherine Roche, the chief executive of one of Kate’s charities, Place2Be.
“We can see how this is becoming an issue that is being publicly discussed — which is a real sea change,” adds Roche. Kate’s “commitment and understanding is making a huge difference to the level of interest that this previously neglected area is now receiving.”
Roche says that Kate “shares our passion and commitment for our cause,” and adds, “It is clear that [she] has a genuine passion for, and truly understands, the importance of providing early intervention mental health support to children and young people, and the positive impact this can have on a child’s personal development.”
Read more: Princess Kate's Takes Over for Queen to Help KidsPrincess Kate has spoken of her pride in taking over from Queen Elizabeth in her latest royal role.
Kate stepped out for her first engagement as patron of Action for Children since the Queen handed down some of her associations late last year.
Action for Children very much fits in with Kate’s mission in her public work to help improve early intervention for children suffering with difficulties because of challenging family circumstances.
“The Duchess of Cambridge is incredibly proud to follow Her Majesty The Queen as Patron of Action for Children,” a spokesman for the mother of two tells PEOPLE. “The Duchess firmly believes that every child who needs it should be given the best support at the earliest opportunity, and is pleased to support their important work.
“She is looking forward to getting to know the people that make Action for Children such a success and meeting the young people they work with.”