Emotional wellbeing and mental health support for children and young people

If you need support for a young person now, here’s what to do:

If your concern is not urgent, but you want to find the right support for a young person’s
emotional wellbeing:

Online support
If a child or young person needs support with life’s ups and downs outside of their regular support system, try Kooth which offers a free, safe, anonymous online support for young people (kooth.com) or Chat Health which offers confidential text support with a qualified nurse (chathealth.nhs.uk).

Self help tools & resources
A range of resources, strategies, and tools developed by professionals are available on the resources section.

Workshops and groups
Mindworks offers free workshops and groups for children, young people, and families - no request for support or diagnosis needed. More information on our Early Support pages.

CYP Haven
A welcoming space for 10–18s to talk about worries and mental health in confidence. Provided by Surrey County Council. More info at: www.surreycc.gov.uk/children/support-and-advice/families/support-and-advice/young-people/cyp-haven

Support in schools
Children and young people should be encouraged to talk to the Mental Health Lead in their school, who can discuss with Mindworks school-based staff whether a referral to Mindworks is appropriate, what Mindworks service is best placed to meet their needs or what other services might better support them. If a child is not in a Surrey state school or is not able to access support via school, then a professional working with them can make a request for support via https://mindworksrequestforsupport.sabp.nhs.uk/. GPs can also use e-RS.

Specialist support
We provide specialist mental health support for: Eating disorders, sexual trauma, children in care, care leavers, adoptees, and those under Special Guardianship Orders affected by trauma and attachment difficulties, Learning disabilities and young people who are isolated and/or vulnerable. A request for support can be made on https://mindworksrequestforsupport.sabp.nhs.uk/. GPs can also use e-RS.

Neurodevelopmental support
The Mindworks website offers advice for families navigating traits or needs which may be associated with neurodivergency, including details on workshops, support groups, and the diagnosis pathway. A dedicated helpline for parents and carers of children with suspected or diagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)/Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is available daily from 5–11 PM at 0300 222 5755. More information can be found on our Neurodevelopmental support pages.

Help us improve our website

Please take a moment to share your thoughts and help us enhance our website by completing our short survey here.