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Support and resources for COVID-19

Local support for young people

Some children and young people are at greater risk of experiencing poorer mental health. Delays in identifying and meeting emotional wellbeing and mental health needs can have far reaching effects. Below are local and national organisations offering information and support.

Schools and communities > Supporting young people > Local support for young people

#DontDoItAlone campaign

New for 2021 - Kooth's #DontDoItAlone campaign including resources and a video with famous faces, to encourage young people to reach out when they are struggling
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. They are of all ages, genders and backgrounds – eating disorders do not discriminate. 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.
Bereavement support for children and young people

Information and guidance on how you can help a child or young person who is grieving.
Brain in Hand

Brain in Hand gives easy access to personalised support from an app on your phone. It’s packed with features to help you remember activities, reduce anxiety and feel supported.
Core skills resource book: supporting practitioners to engage with children and young people

This resource book is intended to support practitioners to engage children and young people in their assessment and future interventions in a supportive and enabling way.
Depression: a guide for parents and carers

Depression is a mental health condition that results in persistent feelings of sadness and/or hopelessness. Anyone can be diagnosed with depression. The symptoms are the same for anyone regardless of whether they are autistic or not. Research however suggests that autistic people may be more likely to experience depression than the general population.
Domestic abuse support

Information, advice and support for victims of domestic abuse, friends and family and perpetrators.
Down’s Syndrome Association: Emotional wellbeing resources

The Down's Syndrome Association have created an innovative set of resources to support the emotional wellbeing of children and adults with Down’s syndrome, and their parents and family-carers. There is also a wealth of information and advice on their website covering lots of aspects of family life.
Early Help and Preventative Services

Information for schools and practitioners on supporting children and young people in Kent.
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.
Information for families on autism and ADHD in children: a support handbook and films

This handbook is for Kent families who would like to know more about autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.
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. They work in partnership with you, your child and any other important people in their life.
Kooth.com online support and counselling

Free online support and counselling for young people aged 10 - 16 in Kent
Mental health and behaviour in schools

How schools can support pupils whose mental health problems manifest themselves in behaviour, including how to create a whole school culture and how to understand the link between mental health and behaviour.
Mental Health Foundation: Fundamental facts about mental health (2016)

A comprehensive summary of mental health research, providing a unique handbook of key facts and figures, covering all key areas of mental health.
Mental health services in Kent for young people flowchart

Visual tool (flowchart) for navigating mental health services in Kent for young people.
nasen: Helping everyone achieve

nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs) is a charitable membership organisation that supports all education practitioners by providing relevant Continuing Professional Development and Learning (CPDL), resources, advice, information and much more to enable staff to meet the needs of all pupils including pupils with learning differences.
National Autistic Society

The National Autistic Society help the 700,000 Autistic people in the UK and their families. Since 1962, they have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for Autistic people.
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.
Resilience Conversations

There are six areas in our lives where we can promote resilience. Two tools have been developed to assess a young person’s resilience, a Self-Reflection tool and a Resilience Conversation tool.
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.
SEND Information HUB – Kent’s Local Offer

A local offer gives children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities and their families information about what support services are available in their area.
Supporting young people who self harm

Guidance for working with young people who self harm
Why is it so important to address anxiety?

Many autistic children and adults experience anxiety. It can affect a person psychologically and physically. Constant anxiety can be extremely distressing for autistic people. It can lead to meltdowns, self-harm and depression. It is important to identify what is causing a person’s anxiety and then to take steps to reduce it. Our guides talks about the different ways to manage anxiety.