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There are three ways for children and young people to access support for their emotional wellbeing and mental health in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan:

  1. Through your school
  2. Through your local early help service
  3. Through the Single Point of Access

No type of support is better than another – it all depends on what best meets your family’s needs and what the child or young person wants to achieve.

These entry points are all connected. If you seek help for your family through one pathway but another one may suit you and your situation better, we will make sure you are able to access this with no extra effort from you – we call this the ‘no wrong door’ approach.

Children and young people have the right to be listened to and their voices valued. We promise to listen to children and young people and to include their views in decisions that matter to them. We will keep them updated of what is happening and what to expect.

 

Support through your school

Teachers and other school staff in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan are being trained to understand mental health better so that they are able to support and listen to children and young people. These individuals see children and young people every day and know them well, so they can support them on their wellbeing journey (if this would be helpful).

  • Every school has a school nurse.  You can speak to your school nurse about anything you want – including your emotional wellbeing.
  • Young people aged 11-19 can also text a school nurse on 07520 615 718 during school hours with Chat Health
  • Each secondary school will also have a school counsellor.
  • All secondary schools will have time with a mental health practitioner each week. These practitioners give advice to school staff but can also work with young people directly. This will either be a one to one session or a group session depending on the needs of the young people in the school.

If you have any questions about receiving support through your school, speak to your school’s Wellbeing Lead to find out more.

Support through your local early help service

Early Help services in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan provide children, young people, families and professionals with information and support on a range of topics that could affect you and your family.

Examples include low self-esteem, relationships with your family and the loss of an important person in your life.

These are different as they are ran by the two different councils – but they offer the same service.

Wherever you live, the early help service will listen to you and assess your needs. They will either support you and your family directly or point you in the direction of a service that can help you with specific needs.

There are mental health practitioners working with early help staff to advise them and to provide children and young people with support for their emotional wellbeing if this is what they need.

Support through the Single Point of Access

The Single Point of Access is how children and young people can access specialist Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health services run by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

Currently, only certain types of professionals can make a referral to the Single Point of Access, including:

  • your GP
  • your family’s Health Visitor
  • your social worker

After we receive a child or young person’s referral, a team of professionals such as counsellors, nurses and therapists will then meet to decide which team is best placed to give you the help you need. They may contact you to find out more about what is going on and what the child or young person would like to achieve to help make this decision.

There are many services across Cardiff and the Vale that support children and young people with their emotional wellbeing. It may be that a child or young person can receive support better suited for their needs at their school, local early help service or with another organisation – if that is the case then we will provide you with information to contact them, or we will ask you whether we can make a referral to them on the young person’s behalf.

If your circumstances change, we will take this into account and ensure that the support the child or young person is receiving will help them to achieve their goals.