SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES

There are many external sources of support available to families:

THIS MAY HELP

This May Help is a new national initiative providing mental health advice to parents and carers.  This advice was developed by NHS professionals and parents who’ve been through their own child’s mental health journey. Parents and carers have shared advice that helped them and that may also help other families.  The advice covered on This May Help includes: self-harm, gaming and online activity, teenagers' safety, eating disorders, school avoidance, understanding mental health, understanding teenagers, online threats, building rapport, building resilience, building a support network, self-care tips, managing an emergency, managing in a crisis, and preparing for a children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) appointment.

CAMHS

CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS are the NHS services that assesses and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.

CAMHS support covers depression, problems with food, self-harm, abuse, violence or anger, bipolar, schizophrenia and anxiety, to name a few.

There are local NHS CAMHS services around the UK, with teams made up of nurses, therapists, psychologists, support workers and social workers, as well as other professionals.

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/your-guide-to-support/guide-to-camhs/ 

MIND

Mind understand mental health and wellbeing. There available if you need  support and advice. They help everyone understand mental health problems, so no one has to feel alone.

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/for-children-and-young-people/

Samaritans

Emotional health is about the way we think and feel, and the ability to manage our feelings and deal with difficulties. Having good emotional health is not the same thing as being happy all the time. Everyone experiences difficult feelings from time to time, and often we don’t know what to do to help us get back on track.

Anyone can contact Samaritans, no matter how old you are.

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/schools/young-people/

Young Minds

The YoungMinds Crisis Messenger text service provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need support, you can text YM to 85258.

We know that finding the right support is important, especially if you need someone to talk to right  now. We aim to connect every texter to a trained volunteer promptly to provide crisis help. They will  listen to you and help you think more clearly, enabling you to know that you can take the next step to feeling better.

It is free and confidential to text the service from the following major networks: 

EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.