Children and young people in need of emotional support will get new help begining this month
Leading UK charity Action for Children has been commissioned by Staffordshire County Council to deliver its emotional health and wellbeing service across from 1st April. The charity will be helping children between the ages of five and 18. Those who have been in care, or had an Education Health and Care Plan, will be eligible until their 25th birthday if it’s the best option.
Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Children and Young People, said: “We’re determined to give young people the best start in life so they can go on to lead healthy, happy, independent lives.
“Action for Children helps more than 380,000 a year across the country and its staff are very experienced in working with young people and their families to deliver positive results. Having one provider across the whole of Staffordshire will make the service more consistent and easier to contact for families and professionals so that if a child or young person needs help, they will receive it.”
Some of the help offered by Action for Children will be face-to-face in Staffordshire and some will be through a new digital therapy service, depending on the type of support a family or individual needs. In particular the charity offers a range of therapies and intervention programmes, peer support groups, a digital support platform and an e-therapy programme for those aged 11 and over.
The service begins immediately and will focus on digital, phone and online support until the Coronavirus crisis passes.
John Egan, National Director for England at Action for Children, said: “Our frontline services see children and young people struggling with their mental health in Staffordshire and around the UK.
“Many children and teens are dealing with the intense pressure of current events, schoolwork and having to navigate an increasingly complex 24/7 world with constant stimulation from social media. Through this new service we can step in early to support children, teenagers and their families before mental health issues spiral out of control and prepare them to deal with the challenges of life to ensure a safe and happy childhood.”
Arrangements are in place for any existing cases to be transferred to the Action for Children. As before, children needing more intensive support will be referred to Staffordshire’s Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
More information can be found at https://www.staffordshire-ewb.actionforchildren.org.uk .
