Early help and support

If you're concerned that a child or young person is showing signs of emotional or mental ill health, you should in the first instance talk to school and your GP. By sharing your concerns with school, they may be able to offer some advice and support whilst also keeping an eye on things in the school environment.

Your GP is able to offer advice and support, but also can look at your child / young person in a more holistic way, using their medical history as background, and will be able to offer medical advice and support where appropriate. They may also be able to signpost/refer you on to services that could help further.

Children and young people can also visit the Bee-U website for information and online advice, including details of drop-in sessions delivered by the Children’s Society. Bee U is the emotional health and wellbeing service for people, up to the age of 25, living in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

To access further help and support, you can also contact the Young People and Families Mental Health Service on 0808 196 4501 who will be able to support you to access the right service for your needs.

If you want to look at ways that you can ‘self-support’ through areas of challenge or difficult times, the following services may be able to help, and they don't require a referral:

• The Children’s Society - you'll be able to access this service as a family, a parent carer or sibling, or as a child / young person (aged 5-18)
  
• Kooth - providing one to one and group support via a social platform for children and young people aged 11-25
  

If at any point a child / young person or a family demonstrate a need for further help and support that can't be met by these service providers, they're able to refer on to the next level of help.