Services and Support for Young People

Amparo

Liaison workers provide practical and emotional support to anyone bereaved by suicide.

Beat: Eating Disorders

National organisation offering support and information in relation to eating disorders. Formal diagnosis is not needed to seek help. Calls to the helpline are free from landlines and mobile phones within the UK and do not appear on itemised bills.

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.

Big Deal? Gambling information, advice and support for young people

The Young People’s Service (YPS) is a dedicated team that helps young people between the ages of 11-18 who are experiencing harm because of gambling or gaming. The team can help if you are struggling with gambling/ gaming yourself or if you are affected by someone else’s gambling/gaming

Building Connections

Building Connections is an online service for young people up to the age of 19, empowering them to find a way through loneliness. Young people work with a trained befriender, who guides them and champions them each step of the way. Building Connections gives young people tools that can help them build their confidence and better equip them to manage loneliness.

Chat Health

Young people can text with a member of the school nursing team about any physical or emotional health concerns they have. This service is confidential and anonymous.

Childrens Health and Wellbeing Navigators via GP surgeries

Children’s Health and Wellbeing Navigators help support children, young people (aged up to 18, or 24 for those with SEND), and their families, with a long term health condition, neurodevelopment or sensory disabilities (e.g. ASD and ADHD), or mental health issues such as low mood, anxiety, or lack of social networks. Only available in specific GP practices.

CHUMS – Bereavement Support

CHUMS offers specialist evidence based interventions to children and young people who are experiencing acute grieving distress linked to one or multiple bereavements, the most recent of which has occurred no less than 6 months ago.

Compass Programme in Family Hubs

The Compass Programme within Kent County Council Family Hubs is a wellbeing program for young people, particularly those aged 11-18, that uses Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) principles. It aims to teach skills for managing emotions, improving relationships, and coping with stress in a group setting.

Cruse – Bereavement Support and Information

Support and information to help people through one of the most painful times in life. Learning more about the grieving process can help you understand what you or someone close to you is going through. The Cruse website has a range of information and resources to help.

Dandelion Time

Dandelion Time is a Kent based charity offering nature-based therapy to families who child/children may be experiencing mental health challenges.

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 Team in Primary & Secondary Schools

EWT's are specifically trained to help children at school with their emotional wellbeing and mental health. They offer evidence based, targeted support for difficulties such as low mood, worry and anxiety.

Grief Encounter

Offers specialist one-to-one help and support from a qualified therapist, for CYP who have experienced the death of parent or sibling (including sibling figure) or who have experienced the death of a family member who was their main carer (the person they lived with). Must be bereaved not less than 4 months ago, and not receiving therapy from another service.

Healthy Empowering Relationships Advisory (HERA)

The Healthy Empowering Relationships Advisory (HERA) service is for 10-18 year old girls, young women, and those who are gender diverse. The HERA service is designed to support and empower young people to make informed choices about the emotional and physical relationships that they have and give them the confidence and emotional resilience to enact them. Anyone can refer to HERA, including parents, professionals and the young person themselves.

Holding On Letting Go

Supports bereaved CYP, and their families both pre and post bereavement. Provides 1:1 & groups sessions to develop peer support, the offer of support is dependent on individual assessed needs.

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 Family Hub

Family Hubs offer a one-stop shop for advice, support and help to navigate local services for CYP and their families.

Kent Young Carers

One in ten young people living in the UK are thought to be a Young Carer – that’s approximately 3 Young Carers per classroom! Kent Young Carers supports those aged 5-18 yrs who are providing care, support or supervision to any family member that may have; a long-term illness, physical or neurodevelopmental disability, suffering with poor mental health or substance misuse issue.

Kooth.com online support and counselling

Free online support and counselling for young people in Kent.

Mental Health Service for Kent Children and Young People

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.

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.

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.

Primary Community Network Mental Health Practitioners

Primary Community Network Mental Health Practitioners (PCN MHP) are specially trained clinicians embedded in specified GP surgeries across Kent to help children and young people who may be experiencing low to moderate mental health and emotional wellbeing issues which present as low mood, self harming behaviors, anxiety, school refusal, behavioural difficulties, or sleep difficulties. Offers direct 1:1 work with CYP, or parent led support.

Release the pressure

Don’t suffer in silence: Phone 0800 107 0160 or Text SHOUT to 85258 or for free confidential support at any time.

Samaritans

Every seven seconds, Samaritans respond to a call for help. No judgement. No pressure. They're there for anyone who needs someone.

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.

Short Intervention Therapy

Mind North Kent provide Short Intervention Therapy (SIT) for children and young people in Medway aged 5-18 with a social worker supporting them and those 18-25 with Special Educational Needs or Care leavers experiencing emotional dysregulation and associated behaviours.

Slide Away

Offers support to parent/carers, schools and other professionals to help them to support a breaved child in their care. Offers Workshops for those bereaved of a parent or sibling, and Memory days for those . Also offers support to CYP who have a parent or sibling with life limiting illness.

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 Mix – Counselling service

If you’re looking for short-term support with your mental health and emotional wellbeing, The Mix Counselling service could be right for you. Our free counselling is open to any young person aged 13 to 25. In a confidential, safe space, our trained counsellors are here to listen, understand what you’re going through and help you find ways to cope.

Therapeutic Support Service

The Children and Young People’s Therapeutic Support Service can offer support to children and young people, aged 4-19, experiencing mild to moderate emotional wellbeing challenges. The service offers brief, flexible support in groups or 1:1.

We are with you – Drug & Alcohol Support

Free, confidential 1:1 (or optional group) support for CYP in Kent who are worried about their drug or alcohol use.

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 13-17 who may be struggling with self-harm or their mental health, where they have not taken any steps to end their own life within the past month.

Young Lives Foundation- Mentoring Programme

Mentoring programme for young people who are considered to be at risk of offending, socially excluded or in need of support. A volunteer mentor will work with a young person over a set period of time to work towards achievable goals to build self-esteem, improve relationships and attainment or engage in positive activities in the community.