School Based Support

   Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs)

ELSAs are usually teaching assistants in school who have received training and participate in on-going supervision. ELSAs help children recognise, understand, and manage emotions to increase success. ELSAs plan and deliver individual (and small group) support programmes. We believe every school should have an ELSA and there is ongoing training and supervision programme.

For more information contact:

Mental Health Toolkit

The Mental Health Toolkit provides a range of information, guidance and resources across multiple aspects of mental health and wellbeing, e.g. self-injury, eating disorders and Emotionally-based School Avoidance.

Directory of VCFSE        (Voluntary, Community, Faith, Social Enterprise) Organisations

COMING SOON

School Nursing Service

School nurses are public health nurses who will work with 5 to 19 year olds. Their primary aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of this age group and identify those who need early help. They can assist in managing interaction between health and education. The school nurse service also provides ChatHealth.

For more info, click here - School nurses

Targeted Support - External Agencies

Educational Psychology Service Involvement (Traded)

Assess Plan Do Review - Educational Psychologists can support accurate identification of social, emotional, and mental health needs and are skilled in a wide range of assessment approaches, to ensure that support meets the specific needs of the pupil.

Bespoke Interventions - Assistant Educational Psychologists can offer bespoke packages of support and intervention for individual children and young people.

Mental Health Support Team (MHST) – CAMHS and Young Somerset

This service is a partnership between Young Somerset and CAMHS and is available through MHST schools for children and young people aged 5-16, providing low intensity CBT interventions and support to schools to adopt a Whole School Approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) offer short-term support to children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with things like anxiety, worries and low mood.

EMHPs will carry out an initial assessment prior to treatment to see if low intensity CBT is the right support. If it is offered, interventions are weekly over 6-8 weeks.

The service is accessible via a request for help through the school’s Senior Mental Health Lead. If you are a young person/parent/carer and you are interested in receiving support, you can talk to someone at school about this.

Community Wellbeing Service – Young Somerset

Young Somerset’s Community Wellbeing Service provides low-intensity CBT to meet the therapeutic needs of young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties across Somerset. Young people, parents/guardians and professionals can request support to Young Somerset's Wellbeing Service via an online referral form on Young Somerset.

Young Somerset also provide Targeted Youth Support (TYS) for schools across some of the County areas.

LGBTQ+ Youth Support (2BU)

At 2BU we're dedicated to creating safe, affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ young people which fosters a sense of belonging and connection. Our support includes, group sessions, community outreach and events encouraging LGBTQ+ young people to engage with peers in their local communities. Through our peer mentor approach, you can share experiences and build meaningful relationships with others who understand your journey.

No matter where you live in Somerset, we work to ensure there are support options available to you. Home | 2BU Somerset

Drug and alcohol services for young people

Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service Young Person’s Team supports young people across Somerset who want to make changes to their drug or alcohol use.

Whether you are a young person who is beginning to experiment and would like some support, advice, information and guidance, or a young person whose drug or alcohol use has increased, causing you problems – we will support you to make the changes you want to make.

We work with young people who want to make changes to their substance use. We take referrals up to the age of 18, or 25 if you are a care leaver or you have special educational needs (SEN). Drug and alcohol services for young people (SDAS)

Somerset Wide Integrated Sexual Health (SWISH)

At Swish we provide free, accessible and confidential sexual health services in Somerset including all types of contraception, and STI testing and treatment.

Our service is non-judgmental and for people of all ages, genders and orientations. Everyone is welcome, and you don’t need to see a GP first.

Swish services are delivered by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and is commissioned by Somerset Council. Welcome to Swish - Swish Services

Kooth

Kooth is an online platform to help young people with their mental health and wellbeing.

It’s a welcoming space for young people to safely explore their feelings.

Young people can anonymously talk to others their own age on moderated discussion forums, and chat to mental health professionals via messaging.

Kooth is a BACP-accredited digital mental health service and provided free through the NHS. Home - Kooth

Specialist Support (CAMHS)

Offer support for: moderate to severe mental illness which includes

Specialist Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

anxiety-based disorders (OCD, social anxiety, panic attacks, phobias); depression; significant self-harm and suicidal thoughts/behaviours; ADHD; post-traumatic stress disorder. This service will also offer support for children and young people who have a co-morbid learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum condition.

Referrals can be made to CAMHS SPA by telephone 0300 1245 012

    or email:  

Provides brief interventions to young people when they are most

unwell with a range of mental health difficulties, acute mental

CAMHS Enhanced Outreach Team

(EOT) and Psychiatric Liaison

distress, high levels of complex risk, self-injury, suicidal thoughts, and intent. Criteria for emergency assessment may include; symptoms of severe depressions with current suicidal thoughts and/or intention; severe psychotic symptoms. They work with

young people who are at risk of requiring hospital treatment. This

may also mean that they are currently admitted to, are due to leave,

or have just left hospital or a CAMHS inpatient unit.

Children's Eating Disorder Service (CEDS)

Provide support for eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and eating disorder not otherwise specified) with referrals screened on a daily basis for urgency. Emergency referrals seen in 24 hours; urgent referrals seen in 1 weeks and routine referrals within 4 weeks.

Forensic CAMHS (FCAMHS)

South West

A specialist team that aim to enhance support for young people that present a risk of harm to others (and likely put themselves at risk).

We provide advice, signposting and consultation to professionals, families and carers, in addition to some direct specialist assessment or interventions for complex cases.

National Deaf CAMHS

We are a specialist mental health team for deaf children, young people and their families and carers. We can help you if you are deaf or have hearing loss and you are finding it hard to deal with your emotions and behaviour. This means you might be feeling scared, fed up, angry, sad, confused, or depressed, or all of these at once.

Somerset

Phoenix

Project

A specialist service supporting children, young people and their families who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. We also support the professional development of the workforce across Somerset through consultation & training.
Our goal is to empower others to join us in mitigating the negative impact of child sexual abuse on the lives of children and families living in Somerset, so they can rebuild & thrive. Somerset Phoenix Project