Resources and support to help your child’s emotional health and wellbeing

The Onside Children, Adolescents & Families (CAF) Team support children, young people and their families with a whole range of issues and problems that may be affecting their health and wellbeing. These include low level mental health, family relationships, education & training, health & wellbeing, special education needs & disabilities, and traumatic life events. Support is person-centred and tailored to your individual needs. Please note that a referral is needed to this service - please contact your GP who can make a referral.

Onside are working in partnership with GPs and Primary Care Networks across Worcestershire providing their Social Prescribing Services. Social Prescribing: Onside Advocacy, Worcestershire are based within GP practices and link patients with non-medical support to address people’s needs in a holistic way. They can support you to deal with issues including family, wellbeing, health, depression, loneliness etc. The referral can be made by your GP surgery or you can fill in a Self-Referral Form.

As a parent, you may find it useful to look at the Mental and emotional wellbeing page, though this isn’t SEND specific. It contains links to organisations who can help and support children and young people with their emotional and mental wellbeing, including self-help guides.

Mental and emotional wellbeing support and resources contains extra support for mental and emotional wellbeing.

ActOnIt  is a local school-based service run by Onside, available in some schools.  It is designed to provide children and young people with the skills and techniques to better manage their own emotional wellbeing and improve their confidence and self-esteem. This can be delivered one to one or in group work through their Blues and Bouncing Back programmes.  All referrals for ActOnIt should come directly from each individual school – please contact your school if you feel your child/young person would benefit from the ActOnIt service.

Onside Youth Support offers young people weekly one to one support sessions at specific Worcester locations. Young people have the opportunity to learn skills and techniques to better manage their own emotional wellbeing and improve their confidence and self-esteem, in a confidential safe space. 

Herefordshire and Worcestershire CAMHS provides a range of wellbeing and mental health support to children, young people and their families across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

You can visit their website to get more information about the services they offer:

The Reach4Wellbeing team supports and promotes the emotional wellbeing of young people and parent/carers through evidence based interactive online group programmes.

The Wellbeing and Emotional Support Teams (WEST) in schools service is designed to help children and young people aged 5-18 years access mental health and wellbeing support early on in educational settings.  Referrals into this service can be made through the mental health lead within the specific education setting, the child or young person can also self-refer via the school staff, who will then discuss it with the Mental Health Lead.  Parents/carers can also refer to the service via the designated Mental Health Lead within the school. Please note that this service is not available in all schools.

NHS Herefordshire & Worcestershire Talk Therapie provides a range of free, confidential support to people aged 16 and over across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. All services will have their own specific criteria, so we recommend contacting the service for further information. This includes: 

• Online therapy
• Groups and courses
• 1:1 support

YourSpace is a free access to Mental Health & Wellbeing Hubs across the county for young people aged 11 to 25 years. For those aged 16 and over you can refer yourself or just turn up. Those under 16 will need a parental/professional referral and parental consent. Parent/professional and self-referral forms are available on the Onside website.  Hubs are located in Redditch, Worcester, Droitwich, Evesham and Malvern.

Wellbeing Works: Onside Advocacy, Worcestershire reflects an understanding that mental and physical wellness are essential components of work and career readiness.  There is a strong focus on creating a warm, welcoming and supportive environment where young people, aged between 16 and 24, can build trust and confidence in both the service and in themselves. 

They offer 1:1s, group support and peer support. Support is delivered in the heart of communities within youth hubs in Bromsgrove, Malvern and Evesham. 

This service accepts drop ins and you are also able to Self Refer

Herefordshire & Worcestershire ICB have commissioned Lumi Nova, a digital therapy platform aimed at CYP aged 7-12 with anxiety and phobia issues. The platform is primarily self-led and/or parent supported. This is an unlimited offer from 1^st October 2024 available to anyone living in, or attending a school in, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Special Educational Needs Disabilities (SEND) Information Advice and Support service (SENDIASS) provides impartial information advice and support on all matters relating to children and young people with SEND.

It’s a statutory service, which means it must be provided by law. Every local authority in England has this type of service and what they provide is shaped by chapter 2 of the SEND Code of Practice and the National Minimum Standards for IAS Services.

This service is free, accessible, confidential, impartial and provided at arm’s length from the Local Authority.  

SENDIASS aims to represent the views of parents, carers, children and young people to feedback to the Local Authority to help shape local policy and practice.

Worcestershire Here4YOUth is a children and young person’s alcohol and drug service for anyone up to the age of 18 living in Worcestershire. If you are the concerned parent of a young person, please contact them directly – Tel: 0300 303 8200 or email cranstounworcsreferrals@cranstoun.org.uk