Mental Health for Children and Young People

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Covid-19

The Coronavirus is a worrying time for everyone, but can be particularly unsettling for children and young people. For advice on helping young people during the Covid-19 pandemic visit this very helpful link to Young Devon's Coronavirus Webpage.

General Advice

Helping children and young people deal with the mental and emotional challenges they encounter growing up.

This section is all about the services available to children, young people and their parents / guardians. Growing up in modern times can bring some really difficult situations. We are here to help support our young people through this time in their life; developing coping strategies for now, but also skills for the future.

Below are links to local support services and how you can access them:

Young Devon

Young Devon offers advice and support about the following:  

• work and study;
• health and well-being;
• leaving care support;
• housing and welfare rights;
• sex and relationships;
• alcohol and drugs;
• travel;
• and much more.

Kooth - XenZone

XenZone is a provider of online mental health services for children, young people and adults.

Kooth, from XenZone, is an online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop and free at the point of use.

Haven - Open Door – Exmouth

Haven is a safe space for young people to meet, a peer support group to learn coping strategies, to be listened to, and to realise that they are not alone.

Parent Support
Haven offers a monthly informative and relaxed parent session to inform ad empower parents to feel better equipped to support their child with their emotional well-being. 

Children and Family Health Devon

A single point of access to get help with:

• Specialist School Nurses
• Autism Spectrum Assessment Service
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Children in Care Service
• Community Children’s Nursing Service
• Devon’s Family Information Service for Children with Additional Needs (SIGNPOSTplus)
• Learning Disability Team
• Occupational Therapy
• Palliative Care
• Public Health Nursing
• Rehabilitation Officers for Visually Impaired Children (ROVIC)
• Social Services – Children with Additional Needs
• Specialist Children’s Assessment Centres (SCAC)
• Speech and Language Therapy

CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)

No need to wait for a referral, click on the link below to self -refer for specialist assessment and treatment for mental health problems.

CAMHS – Conditions assessed / treated include:

• ADHD with associated mental health difficulty
• Anxiety
• Attachment disorders
• Autistic spectrum disorder with associated mental health difficulty
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Enduring emotional and behavioural problems
• Mental health problems associated with learning disability
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Prolonged adjustment disorders (i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder or abnormal grief reaction)
• Psychosis
• Self-harm
• Suicidal ideation
• Tourette’s and complex tic disorder

Autistic Spectrum Assessment

For those parents / guardians who are concerned that their child might be on the autistic spectrum and would like to requests an assessment.

Headspace

Learn to meditate and live mindfully

• Hundreds of themed sessions on everything from stress and sleep to focus and anxiety
• Bite-sized guided meditations for busy schedules
• SOS exercises in case of sudden meltdowns 

Frank

Helpful information about drugs and drug misuse.