If you are looking for help for a child, teen or student with mental health issues, then you’ve come to the right place. This is where you’ll find tonnes of organisations with information, advice and support for children's mental health.
Finding Help for Child & Teen Mental Health
We know that it’s vital that you and your whole family get the right support at the right time when a child or young person is struggling with mental health problems.
That’s why the Sky Badger team have been working tirelessly to gathering some of the very best mental health charities & organisations available to help you in the UK.
This is where you’ll find out how to help children, teens and students with mental health issues.
Many of these charities and organisations also support family members and friends too. You can find advice, information, counselling, helplines and much, much more.
OTHER SPECIFIC MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
Keep scrolling down to find lots of mental health support. However, if you're looking for information and advice about a specific condition such as anorexia, self-harming or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, then click the links below.
EATING DISORDERS
DO IT NOW
SELF HARM
OCD
Find Mental Health Advice & Support
Most of these organisations work with children and young people of all ages although some also specialise in supporting students. Please take your time and don't forget to check out our massive mental health directory for loads more places to find support.
Here are some of our favourites charities working with anxiety in children, teen mental health and student mental health to get you started...
ANXIETY IN CHILDREN & TEEN MENTAL HEALTH
YOUNG MINDS
Young Minds has lots of ways to help children and young people who are experiencing any kind of mental health problem. They run a range of schemes to help promote good mental health in schools across the UK as well as guidance towards more 1 to 1 support. There is also a managed service by young people for young people to be able to talk with someone who understands their problems.
You can also call the Young Minds Parent's Helpline on: 0808 802 5544 (Monday to Friday 9.30am – 4pm, free for mobiles and landlines)
CHILDLINE
Childline is here to help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they’re going through. Whether it’s something big or small, their trained counsellors are here to support you.
Childline is free, confidential and available any time, day or night. You can talk to them by calling 0800 1111 or by email using this LINK or you can chat 1-2-1 with a counsellor. Whatever feels best for you.
MIND
Mind provides advice and support for anyone experiencing a mental health problem in the UK. They support young people and you can contact them through their helpline or drop in centres around the country. They offer a range of other services including help with housing or employment concerns and also host training schemes for schools and employers.
STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH
STUDENTS AGAINST DEPRESSION
Students Against Depression is a website offering advice, information, guidance and resources to those affected by low mood, depression and suicidal thinking. Alongside clinically-validated information and resources it presents the experiences, strategies and advice of students themselves – after all, who better to speak to their peers about how depression can be overcome.
STUDENT MINDS
Student Minds run groups so that students experiencing mental health difficulties have access to a supportive environment in which they can talk about life, university and what they are doing to keep their lives on track.
CAMHS
(child and adolecent mental health service)
Your Guide to CAMHS
A beginner's guide to the NHS's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for young people and parents.
Need to talk?
There are lots of ways to get support. Talking it through is one of them.
This list of useful contacts will point you in the right direction.
What is CAMHS?
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS are the NHS services that assesses and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
CAMHS support covers depression, problems with food, self-harm, abuse, violence or anger, bipolar, schizophrenia and anxiety, to name a few.
There are local NHS CAMHS services around the UK, with teams made up of nurses, therapists, pyschologists, support workers and social workers, as well as other professionals.
Find Your Nearest CAMHS Service
How do I get help from CAMHS?
Someone, usually your parents, teacher, GP, or yourself if old enough, can refer you for an assessment with CAMHS to see what help you could get.
If you're being supported by social care, a youth offending team or a service at your school, they might also be able to refer you.
It's important to tell the person referring you as much as you can so you can get the help you need.
Most CAMHS have a website where you can look up how to get access to their service.
Does CAMHS help parents and carers too?
Most CAMHS services work with the whole family to support a young person's health.
This might include coming along to assessment and treatment appointments, depending on the child's age and what level of involvement they want.
How do people move from CAMHS to adult services?
Teenagers need to move from CAMHS to adult mental health services (AMHS) when they reach a certain age. It’s usually 18 but can vary depending on where you live. Your CAMHS worker should talk to you about this move 3 to 6 months before it’s due to happen.
Transition to adult services is a big change, so it's important to get as much information and support as you can from friends and family. First, your CAMHS case worker or care coordinator should help you arrange an appointment with AMHS and come along with you if you need support. If you don’t hear anything about this, don’t be afraid to ask.
You'll have an assessment with both CAMHS and adult services to decide what kind of help you can get from the NHS. You may not be eligible for the level of care adult services provide, but either way you’ll develop a plan for what happens next.
Make sure you also ask about non-NHS support like local youth counselling, charities or school programmes.
If you are eligible for adult services, your CAMHS worker should help you through the process of moving from one service to the other. The two services are quite different, so don’t worry about asking for as much help as you need to make the change.
If you’re well enough to leave CAMHS without moving into adult services, your CAMHS worker, therapist or counsellor can help you make a plan so you know what to do if you ever need help again. This will include details of crisis teams and helplines you can contact whenever you feel in need of support.
Tip: Make sure you ask your GP for as much information as possible about non-NHS support like local youth counselling, charities (such as mental health charity MIND) or school programmes, so you get the support you need. If you’re in education, speak to your college or university counselling service for support and connections to low-cost or free young adult counselling.
Taking Control of Your Treatment
Mental health conditions can make you feel out of control, but when it comes to treatment you should always be in the driving seat
Need to talk?
There are lots of ways to get support. Talking it through is one of them.
This list of useful contacts will point you in the right direction.
What you should expect
Understanding your rights is the first step to feeling in charge of your own treatment.
You should always:
if you’re able, be asked for your consent before treatment options are agreed
be given what you need to make decisions, for example an interpreter if you or your family need one
know how to complain and what the process is
be given access to an independent advocate if you need to complain
Under the UN's Rights of the Child laws, your opinion must always be taken seriously when decisions are made about your treatment.
Read more about your rights under the UN laws
What about being sectioned?
If someone (a child or an adult) is sectioned, it's because they're not well enough to make decisions for themselves at that time. Usually they are taken into hospital.
Sectioning is designed to keep you safe if your behaviour or thoughts show signs of extreme distress, or you might be at risk of hurting yourself or someone else.
When you're sectioned, your rights about treatment change, but you should still be involved in the decisions about your treatment.
How to take control
Making your voice heard is important, and it's your right to speak up. Here are some tips to help you take charge.
Before you see your doctor or health care provider, make a list of things you want to talk about
At the start of the session, set out what you want to discuss (or just hand over your list if you've made one)
Ask for a staff member you feel comfortable with to come to the meeting. Talk to them beforehand about what you want to say
Keep a diary between sessions so you can share what's been happening more easily
If you don't want to take your medication, it's your choice. But it's important to speak to your doctor before you decide to stop.
They can help you explore alternative treatments or dosage options. They'll also help you plan to stop gradually and avoid any withdrawal effects.
If you want a second opinion, you can ask your clinician or GP to recommend someone else who will assess you.
Before deciding to get a second opinion, it's best to speak to your clinician about your reasons, as they may be able to sort things out so you can keep working together.
Complaints and how to make them
To make a complaint about treatment in the NHS, including CAMHS, hospitals, GPs and social services, follow these steps.
If you're unhappy with how your treatment is going but you don't want to make a formal complaint, speak to the clinician treating you, or contact your local PALS (patient advice liaison service) at your hospital for confidential advice and support.
Check the complaints process. Every NHS organisation has its own process, but they must all follow the same NHS rules. If you can't see the complaints process online, call or email the complaints department.
Find out who to complain to. It will either be the service you used, or the commissioning group who paid for the service. The gov.uk website can help you find out where to send your complaint
Send your complaint and wait for a response. Your complaint should be acknowledged within 3 days, with details of what happens next.
Need to take it further? If you're not happy with the results of your complaint, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
If none of this works
You can write to your MP who can complain on your behalf.