Services for Young People
Services that are available for young people who may need extra support for their emotional wellbeing and resilience are shown below, including local, national and charity run servcies. Whilst many of these services require a referral, some can be accessed directly by young people and others as group programmes.
We also have a SWAY that you can access which has collated all the information about emotional wellbeing and mental health services available to children and young people in Kent delivered by commissioned providers.
|
Please note these services are shown in alphabetical order.
-
Action for Children: Parent Talk
Action for children offer a free and confidential live chat with a qualified parenting coach. They can talk about anything that supports family life, caring for children or managing their own wellbeing.
-
Anti-Bullying Alliance: All Together Programme
A whole-school anti-bullying programme offered free to schools across England including questionnaires, resources and CPD opportunities for staff.
-
Be Free Positive Relationships
The BeFree programme is for 10–18 year old girls and trans individuals, living in Kent, who are at risk of experiencing unhealthy or abusive relationships.
-
Beat: Eating Disorders
Around 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from eating disorders, many in secret. Beat's national helpline exists to encourage and empower people to get help quickly, because we know the sooner someone starts treatment, the greater their chance of recovery.
-
Befriending for Children in Care
Young Lives Foundation befriending programme is designed for young people in care. Volunteer Independent Visitors can be a consistent adult who take a long term interest in the young person’s life when they may experience multiple changes of placement, carer and social worker.
-
Bereavement Support for Children and Young People
Information and guidance on how you can help a child or young person who is grieving.
-
ChatHealth
If you are worried or concerned about a health issue and need advice, text the ChatHealth service on 07520 618850.
-
Child Bereavement UK
Help for children and young people (up to age 25), parents, and families, to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.
-
Children and Young People’s Counselling Service
We can offer up to six counselling sessions for young people aged 11-19. These sessions can help a young person gain understanding and develop strategies to help them feel better. For primary school-aged children, we can offer the child six sessions with a counsellor, or if more appropriate, we can offer parents six weekly sessions with advice on practical, easy to use strategies to support your child.
-
CHUMS – Bereavement Support
CHUMS offer specialist bereavement support to children and young people from 3½ up until their 26th birthday in Kent and Medway.
-
Digital Kent’s Hardware Access Scheme
Digital Kent, Helping Hands and Kent County Council have developed the Hardware Access Scheme, providing digital equipment to young people who may be excluded from accessing online services.
-
Early Help and Preventative Services
Early Help and Preventative Services offer a wide range of support services to children, young people and families across different levels of need including intensive, targeted and additional support.
-
Emerge Advocacy Service
Emerge volunteers are there to support young people aged 10 – 25 when they come into hospital because of self-harm, a suicide attempt or because of an emotional crisis.
-
Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health: Kent Services Resource
A breakdown of emotional wellbeing and mental health services available in Kent for individual children and young people, groups or whole schools/settings.
-
Fegans: Targeted Counselling for Young People
Fegans is working with the Violence Reduction Unit to offer counselling to young people in Kent who are involved in violence, have the potential to become involved in violence or have suffered trauma from violence or violent home situations.
-
Hope Again – Bereavement Support for Young People
Hope Again is the youth website of Cruse Bereavement Support. It is a safe place where young people can learn from other young people, how to cope with grief, and feel less alone. Here you will find information about our services, a listening ear from other young people and advice for any young person dealing with the loss of a loved one.
-
iCAN
The iCan programme is a one-to-one and/or group work, trauma informed programme which focuses on male adolescents aged 13-16 (school year 9-11) who are disengaging in their communities. This could be because they live, or have lived, in a home that lacks stability, have been traumatised by domestic abuse or have unhealthy relationships with their peers or families.
-
iCan programme
Kent Domestic Abuse Consortium have developed the iCan programme to support male adolescents aged 13-16 who have been traumatised by domestic abuse or have unhealthy relationships with their peers or families.
-
Intensive Mentoring
Through HeadStart Kent, Salus are able to offer an Intensive Mentoring Service to children and young people.
-
KCHFT: The Pod children’s therapies
The Pod has been developed by the Kent and East Sussex Integrated Children’s Therapies teams, provided by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust. We support children and young people to develop their skills to their full potential, so they can participate in everyday activities.
-
Kent and Medway Mental Wellbeing Information Hub
Kent and Medway Mental Wellbeing Information Hub provides help, support, advice and services information for anyone of any age around mental health and wellbeing.
-
Kent and Medway Safe Havens
Safe Havens are a walk in service to anyone, aged 16+ who may be feeling distressed, frightened, overwhelmed, or that things are too much. Open 6pm - 11pm every evening, including weekends and bank holidays from 4 locations in Kent - Canterbury, Thanet, Medway and Maidstone.
-
Kent Children and Young Peoples Mental Health Service
Find the most appropriate contact details if you are concerned about a young person’s thoughts, feelings or behaviour's. Including single point of access (SPA), locality teams, neurodevelopmental and learning disabilities service, all age eating disorder service and crisis support information.
-
Kooth.com online support and counselling
Free online support and counselling for young people in Kent.
-
Legends
Young Lives Foundation Legends Programme provides a fun, supportive and safe setting for young people to engage in new, exciting opportunities and experiences.
-
Managing Stress Workshops for Year 10 -13 Students
Managing exam stress workshops for classes of young people in years 10-13 supporting them to recognise when they are feeling stressed and identify helpful ways to cope.
-
Mermaids: transgender support and information
This website has a number of resources for school and community settings, parents, young people and professionals to support, embrace and celebrate transgender diverse young people.
-
NELFT All Ages Eating Disorder Service
Specialist help and support for those experiencing disturbances in eating behaviour, as well as feelings of distress or extreme concern about body shape and /or weight.
-
Our Time: Helping young people affected by parental mental illness
Over 2.9 million young people in the UK live with or care for a parent with a mental illness. 'Our Time' helps young people dealing with parental mental illness. They make sure they get the support they need and have their voices heard.
-
Porchlight Adolescent Wellbeing Service PAWS
This service is for 10-17 year olds in Thanet who are experiencing anxiety or similar issues, a breakdown in family communication, or a breakdown in relationships with their school or peers.
-
Reconnect
Reconnect will help Kent’s children and young people get back to enjoying the activities and opportunities they took part in before the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
Samaritans
Every seven seconds, Samaritans respond to a call for help. No judgement. No pressure. They're there for anyone who needs someone.
-
School Public Health support for young people
The School Public Health team provide emotional and wellbeing support for young people including a confidential texting service and counselling.
-
Selfharm: Alumina
Alumina is a free, online 7 week course for young people struggling with self-harm. Each course has up to 8 young people, all accessing the sessions from their own phones, tablets or laptops across the UK.
-
SHOUT
Get help. If you are struggling to cope and need to talk, our trained Shout Volunteers are here for you, day or night. If your life is at imminent risk, please call 999 for immediate help. Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, anonymous text support service. You can text from wherever you are in the UK.
-
Spark UK – Resources and Educational Tools to support Mental Health for all ages
relatable, easy-to-use and educational resources for all ages to support mental health. From lesson plans to videos to assemblies, we have a wide range of resources suitable for everyone.
-
Support for Young People accessing Mental Health Services
Changing Minds and EYEs (Exploring Your Emotions) are small and friendly groups, set up to ensure that young people aged 13 – 23 have an opportunity to get their voices heard where it matters most.
-
The BeYou Project
The BeYou Project connects young people in Kent and Medway who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary or are questioning their sexual orientation and / or gender identity. Offering a safe, welcoming and non-judgmental space where young LGBT+ people can meet to socialise, have fun and help each other.
-
The Fantastic FRED Experience
The Fantastic Fred Experience is part of the Good Mental Health Matters campaign, launched by NHS Kent in 2019, to help raise awareness of mental health among young people in Kent, and equip children at a very early age to improve their lifelong emotional resilience.
-
Understanding Your Brain
Find out what happens to the brain as a child hits adolescence. See how this explains some of the changes in the way you feel and behave that you may have noticed.
-
We Are With You: Mind and Body Programme
Mind and Body accept referrals from young people, parents/carers and professionals. We Are With You can offer 1:1, group and in school support to young people aged 13-25 who may be struggling with self – harm or their mental health, where they have not taken any steps to end their own life in the last 3 months.
-
Young Lives Foundation
Through HeadStart Kent Young Lives Foundation Mentoring offers one-to-one support for young people because they are considered to be in need of support in developing their resilience at school or in the community, who are at risk of being socially excluded or of offending.