Children and Young People's Mental Health
Supporting the mental health of children and young people is essential for their overall well-being and development. Early identification and intervention can make a significant difference in their lives. This page offers valuable resources and links to organizations that specialize in children’s mental health, providing guidance on how to talk to children about their mental health and where to find professional help. By staying informed and equipped with the latest knowledge, we can better assist children and young people in navigating their mental health journeys.
Use the links below to access resources available to help support children and young people with their mental health and extend the knowledge of professionals working with them.
Resources for Children, Young People, Parents, Carers and People Working with them:
Place2Be (Improving children’s and young peoples mental health – Place2Be)
Place2Be offer training, resources and support for school staff, parents, carers, and pupils. Within their partner schools, some services they can provide include one-to-one counselling services, CBT-informed therapy, and group work, as well as the free resources on their website.
Young Minds (YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People | YoungMinds)
Young Minds provides a range of free online resources for young people, their parents and carers and those that work with young people, providing information, advice, and tips on how to seek help. They offer a variety of training courses for those who work with young people, including bespoke training and consultancy for organisations. Young minds work alongside young people to tailor their resources to best support young people and represent their voice and experience.
Kent Resilience Hub (Kent Resilience Hub - Kent Resilience Hub)
The Kent Resilience Hub provides resources and webinars for parents, carers and people working with children and young people. They offer training for People working with children and young people as well as advice on a whole school approach, wellbeing of schools and staff.
Chums (Kent Bereavement Service | CHUMS)
Chums is a specialist bereavement support service for children and young people aged 3.5 to 26 years, they provide group sessions, one-to-one sessions and other resources including guidance for parents and carers.
Resources for Young People:
The Mix (The Mix - Essential support for under 25s)
The Mix provides support with a multitude of subjects for young people ages 11-25 including free online counselling, a 24/7 text crisis line, online discussion boards and online support groups (13years+). Ther website holds a host of information including lived experiences of young people, articles, and videos.
Mood Spark (Home - Moodspark)
Mood Spark has been created by young people for young people, it provides resources to help navigate emotions and suggests other helpful websites and apps.
Kooth (Home - Kooth)
Kooth is a message-based support system, they offer free, one-to-one, anonymous, safe space for children and young people to talk to one of their mental health professionals. The live chat option allows you to have a conversation in real time, while with the messaging service, your message will be received and then replied to later.
Shout 85358 (Shout: the UK's free, confidential and 24/7 mental health text service for crisis support | Shout 85258 (giveusashout.org))
Shout is working along side The Mix to provide digital mental health support for young people. Shout is a text-based support system, it is free, anonymous and will not appear on a phone bill. Shout has trained volunteers available 24/7 to help you to reach a calm place, plan and provide resources going forward, encouraging reflection on the conversation.
NHS Community Health Children and young peoples counselling service (Children and Young People’s Counselling Service - Kent family (kentcht.nhs.uk))
The NHS Community Health Counselling service is available for people ages 4-19 who are showing signs of struggling with their mental health. Their website provides an insight into what to expect from the service and you can self-refer into the service using the online form.
Papyrus (Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide (papyrus-uk.org))
Papyrus is dedicated to the prevention of young suicide and the promotion of positive mental health, they have a dedicated 24/7 helpline, HOPELINE247 to support people under the age of 35 and to support those who are concerned that someone they know might be at risk of suicide. They provide information for children, young people, parents, carers, and professions, as well as training courses and app suggestions.
In the Event of Emergency or Urgency:
If you believe a child or young person’s life is at risk for example, they have taken an overdose, contact 999.
For urgent mental health support for people under 18 you can contact the Single Point of Access on 0800 011 3474 available 24/7.