The Emotional Wellbeing Hub Service which provides access to mental health services for children and young people aged 0-25, in East and West Suffolk, are working with Barnardo’s to provide a new phoneline service to help guide families and young people to emotional wellbeing and mental health support.
The new phoneline service which went live on Wednesday 23rd February, has been commissioned by NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk and NHS West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Groups.
It will see Barnardo’s working with the Emotional Wellbeing Hub to help respond to families looking for general wellbeing information, which could be on common mental health issues like stress and anxiety, help with signposting to support services and useful resources. As well as supporting callers with some referrals into services. Allowing the Emotional Wellbeing Hub to focus on the high-level case callers.
The new partnership with Barnardo’s is being trialled and is in response to feedback from parents and carers who are waiting too long for support.
Barnardo’s provides a range of support services to families, from across the UK, such as, one-to-one counselling and school-based programmes. They work with organisations and professionals so that children get the best start in life.
It is hoped that this new trial phoneline service, and new way of working will relieve some of the demand felt by the Emotional Wellbeing Hub, to deliver a quicker, more resourceful service to parents and carers so that they can support their young person at an earlier stage that might prevent the need for specialist mental health support later.
Parents, carers, and young people can access the new Barnardo’s phoneline service by calling the Emotional Wellbeing Hub helpline on 0345 600 2090 and pressing option 2.
For more information visit www.emotionalwellbeinggateway.org.uk
School staff should continue to contact their Primary Mental Health Worker if they are concerned about a young person’s mental health.
Schools and educational settings can also go to the ‘Wellbeing in Education’ website for mental health advice and training resources to help them support pupils.