If you are a parent or you care for a child or young person and are concerned about their mental health and wellbeing, there are specific services available in Kent and Medway to support you and them.
The services are provided by both NHS organisations and local authorities, so that will be Kent County Council or Medway Council, depending on where you live.
Details of websites with online tools for parents to help you look after your family’s mental health and wellbeing, can be found in the Online Help section below.
If you are not sure what mental health and wellbeing help the child or young person you care for may need, phone the Single Point of Access (also referred to as SPA) on 0800 011 3474.
Good Mental Health Matters
Good Mental Health Matters is a free, NHS-initiated resource that offers information for parents, including taking you through five positive steps for good mental health for your family.
Every Mind Matters
Every Mind Matters has a range of dedicated support and resources to help parents look after the mental wellbeing of their children and for young people to care for their own mental health.
Action for Children
Action for Children offers advice and activities to support children and parents with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
MindEd for Families
MindEd for Families is a website full of advice about young people’s mental health, which was created by experts and parents together.
NELFT provides eating disorder services for children and adolescent (up to age 18) and mental health services for people living in Kent and Medway. You can find out more about these services on the NELFT website.
(NELFT stands for the North East London NHS Foundation Trust. As well as providing children and young people’s services in Kent and Medway, the trust also provides integrated adult community and mental health services for parts of both London and Essex, hence its name.)
Pregnancy and the early weeks with a new baby can be overwhelming. You can find out more about perinatal mental health services via the Kent and Medway Local Maternity System’s website Bump, Birth and Beyond or speak to your GP or midwife.
It's very common to experience the 'baby blues' after giving birth, feeling more emotional than usual.
These feelings usually go away after a few days but if they carry on and start to affect your day-to-day life, it might be a sign you need more support. Around one in five women and one in ten dads or partners develop perinatal mental health problems such as anxiety or depression.
Mental health issues don't mean you don't love your baby, but they can make it harder to enjoy time with them. Reaching out to your GP or health visitor is a brave step and one of the best things you can do for you and your baby.
Health visitors are trained to support you and will not judge you. They'll start by asking you some questions about how you feel to make sure you get the best support for you.
Kent School Health supports young people aged four to nineteen in Kent Schools. You can contact the Kent School Health Service at any time - we really want to hear from you if you feel you need more support for you and your child and can offer one-to-one support if needed for healthy weight, emotional health, toileting, parenting and behaviour.
If you have any concerns, you don’t need to wait for us to visit your child’s school, you can contact us at any time. You can also use our services if your child is not attending school.
If you, or a member of your family, are under the age of 25 and have special educational needs and disabilities, support is available through the Local Offer in Kent or Medway, depending on where you live.
Free expert advice from trained counsellors is available for every mental health concern.
