Improving young people’s mental health to help them thrive is the focus of a new service that will launch in the new year in the Tees Valley area.
The ‘Getting Advice and Getting Help’ children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing service comes following a 7 year, £27million investment by the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB).
The new service builds on the current support available for children and young people. It will support children and young people by providing earlier mental health support as and when difficulties arise, providing them, and their families, with a range of evidence-based advice, support and signposting, helping us to get it right the first time.
It will be delivered by Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) and key partners Alliance Psychological Services, The Link CiC, Teesside Mind, Changing Futures North East and The Junction Foundation under one service, meaning it’s simpler for children, young people and their families to access advice and early support, and for partners to make requests for help when needed.
The service will be available for all children and young people aged from 5-18 years that are registered with a GP practice in the Tees Valley area. It will also support young people up to and including the age of 25 where there are special educational needs or disabilities and an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Martin Short, director of delivery for Tees Valley with the ICB said: “Over recent years children and young people’s mental health services have undergone significant changes. This means we offer our children and young people support much earlier. Through this new service we want to empower our young people to have more say in their healthcare, improve access, provide appropriate support during times of adversity, help to build resilience and ultimately support them to thrive.”
The new service is in line with one of the ICB’s key priorities of giving children the best start in life. It also reflects the priorities of the NHS 10-year Health Plan by focusing on preventative, community-based services that embrace digital technology.
How to access the service
Children, young people and their families in Tees Valley will be able to do this through a few simple ways:
1.Wysa App – for self-help and self-monitoring of mental health and wellbeing.
This is a free confidential NHS-approved mental health app for young people aged 13 to 18 years old (11+with parental support). It includes an AI driven chatbot, mood tracking and resilience tools. Young people can download the App by accessing the QR Code below or by searching Wysa in the App Store and using the referral code tsidecyp2025. Requesting further help and access to our service is also available through the App.
- Tees Valley Getting Helpwebsite. On-line access to advice and information is available as is an option for digital requests for help and support. All requests will be reviewed, and we’ll contact individuals directly.
- By speaking to the mental health support team in schools or by calling us directly on 0300 2000 000
We’d appreciate it if you could share this briefing with your colleagues.
If you have any questions, please contact the team at tewv.TVGHpartnership@nhs.net
Published: January 12