Support & Advice
Anxiety & Panic Attacks
Mind’s Guide to Understanding Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
This is a reliable source of information about anxiety disorders in children and teenagers.
Contains a page specifically for Family, Friends and Carers.
Here you can find a Mental Health and Growing Up leaflet.
Bereavement
Grief Encounter is one of the UK’s leading bereaved child charities, providing free, pioneering services and support to bereaved children, young people and their families.
HopeAgain is the youth website of Cruse Bereavement Care, a national charity providing support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone close to them dies.
County Lines/Criminal Exploitation
SPACE - Stop & Prevent Adolescent Criminal Exploitation - Campaigning to raise awareness of County Lines (Child Criminal Exploitation) and to keep all children and young people safe from criminal and violent harm.
Depression
Mind’s Guide to Understanding Depression.
Students Against Depression is a website offering advice, information, guidance and resources to those affected by low mood, depression and suicidal thinking, including the experiences and strategies of students themselves.
Exam stress
Advice for parents and carers from the NHS.
The exam stress advice from Student Minds is targeted towards university students but is still relevant to 16-18 year olds.
Papyrus, the national charity for the prevention of young suicide, has helpful tips for both students and parents.
Family Relationships
Capa – First Response: is an online platform for parents/grandparents/carers and professionals dealing with a child or adolescent who is using violent or abusive behaviour in the home.
Capa – (Children or Adolescent to Parent Abuse) launched its new website to help breakdown the isolation many parents or carers talk to us about, when their child is abusive or violent towards them. We have resources and strategies available for those who cannot access local support as well as provide professionals working with families support and advice.
Relate have a Family Life and Parenting section on their website with lots of practical advice on how to tackle common teen issues, including drugs and alcohol, sex and relationships and mental health. They also offer free, instant online chat with a counsellor.
Family Mediation at YAC is a supportive services to mend relationships and restore communication for 14-18 year olds and their parent(s)/carer(s).
The Young Carers Project – support for any young person who cares for someone else.
Internet Safety
ThinkUKnow is an educational programme from the National Crime Agency’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). Information, advice, resources and a reporting function are all available via their parents/carers page.
Cyberbulling advice for parents and carers
LGBTU
Allsorts Youth Project provides a range of services for LGBTU young people and supports them to take in lead in raising awareness of, and challenging, prejudice and discrimination. The Parents and Carers section of their website contains information, resources and details of a support group for parents and carers. Please see the new LGBTQ Online Safety Guide it aims to empower young people and give them the tools to protect themselves online.
Loneliness / Isolation
Mind’s Tips for Living with Loneliness.
Self Harm
Talking about Self Harm, the guide produced by Right Here is available both online and as a download.
The National Self Harm Network provides a 24/7, closely monitored online forum which aims to reduce the emotional stress and improve the quality of life for people who self-harm. The forum provides crisis-support, information, resources, advice, discussion and distraction.
Self Harm UK is a project dedicated to support young people who self harm, including a 6 week online programme for anyone aged 14-18 who would like the opportunity to engage with trained staff and be challenged to think differently about self harm. Young people can self-refer and participation is completely free of charge. Self Harm UK is also currently working to develop practical resources for parents.
LifeSIGNS (Self Injury Guidance & Network Support) is an online, user-led organisation providing information and support to people of all ages who are affected by self harm, including guidance for family and friends.
Calm Harm is an NHS-approved app that helps people self-harm less often or not at all. The app was developed for teenage mental health charity stem4 by Dr Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, using the basic principles of an evidence-based therapy called Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). Calm Harm provides tasks to help you resist or manage the urge to self-harm. You can make it private by setting a password, and personalise the app if you so wish. You will be able to track your progress and notice change.
BlueIce is a prescribed evidence-based app to help young people manage their emotions and to reduce urges to self-harm. It includes a mood diary, toolbox of evidence based techniques to reduce distress and automatic routing to emergency numbers if urges to harm continue. BueIce was developed by Paul Stallard from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and co–produced by young people with lived experience of self-harm.
Sexual Health & Relationships
SWISH provides information for young people about sex, sexual health and relationships. There is information about staying safe and a guide to local services, as well as a page specifically for parents and carers.
Sleep Hygiene
These NHS links are both good if your young person is having sleeping issues:-
Substance Misuse
ru-ok? Young People's Substance Misuse Service works with under 18’s whose lives are affected by substance misuse, including support for parents and carers to effectively engage with and support young people in this situation.
Keep Calm and Talk Campaign created to encourage parents and carers to start conversations with their young people around smoking, drinking and drugs, and to provide them with tools to make this easier and so help reduce the harm caused by substance misuse. You can find facts, tips and ideas for how to start the conversation and see what other parents and carers have said.
Suicide Prevention
Papyrus offers advice and support to people who are worried about someone feeling suicidal
Grassroots Suicide Prevention is a Brighton based charity who work locally and nationally with individuals, organisations and communities to support people at risk of suicide. The resources section of their website is excellent and has lots of links to further information and support.
The Samaritans are available 24/7, every day of the year.