We are a leading West Yorkshire based charity supporting over 6000 children and young people up to age 25 every year who experience disadvantage and/or difficulties due to mental health challenges or related issues. We support their parents, carers and siblings too.

We want all children and young people to have good mental health most of the time and have the support and relationships that help them recover quickly when they experience mental health challenges.

We're here for you and your family

We understand that caring for a child or young person who is having emotional or mental health difficulties is one of the most difficult things anyone does. It can be difficult to keep a balance between providing consistent and reliable love and care while making changes which help their children be safe and get back to health.  To support young people effectively, many adults in a caring role will need some support themselves, to learn and reflect, to relax and recharge.  

We can support you in a number of different ways, from mental health support, workshops to help you understand more about what you're going through as well as meeting parents in similar situations with our Chill and Chat sessions. We're also here if you want to talk. 

How do I ask for help and what happens next?

You can either call us on 0300 304 555 or contact us online. 

We'll chat to you about how you've been feeling and ask about school, family, friendships, eating and sleeping habits as well as any worries you may have.

We will also ask for some details:

• Name, address, date of birth, ethnicity, telephone number and any disability
• Who the young person lives with and where
• A description of how the young person and you are feeling and how it impacts (we'll ask to speak to the young person too)
• Who is aware of the difficulties and who we can talk to
• Which doctor they are registered with and whether we can share information with them
• Which is your school and whether we can share information with them
• Details of any other organisations that are involved in your life i.e. Social Care, Family Support etc.

We will ask about suicide and self harm

We know sometimes this makes people uncomfortable but our priority is to make sure everyone's safe. If your young person's not feeling suicidal or self harming, they'll still get the support you need. If they are, it's safe to talk to us. These conversations are confidential unless we feel there's a significant risk to them or someone else. We will always try and speak to them before we speak to someone else. We have no other agendas.

There's no pressure, it doesn’t matter if you can’t answer all our questions. Do the best you can.

Help has been requested, what happens next?

Info & Self Help - A Wellbeing Support Worker will gather information about the situation and feelings.
They will call other key adults such as teachers - if they have permission. They'll call the young person too, if aged 11+

Support - Once we have all the information, we'll work out what we can do to help and send you a letter offering support. Click here to see the types of support we offer. If you are waiting for support, you'll also receive our CHEWS News newsletter, which includes wellbeing tips as well as information on upcoming, free workshops.
Your Wellbeing Support Worker can also provide advice, such as tips for better sleep and other resources to help you improve emotional health.