In this section:

Local support for young people
Other websites and resources
Further information

Emotional Health & Wellbeing

Understanding mental health can be hard. Everyone feels down or a bit low sometimes or stressed or anxious but if negative feelings don’t go away or are too much for you to cope with then it may help to talk to someone. Nobody chooses to have mental health issues but with the right support you can get better.

There are lots of different organisations that can help you with the way you feel. Please see below for local services and further down for national organisations.

Partners in Suffolk - NHS West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk CCG, GPs, Suffolk County Council, charities, schools, young people, parents and carers have created a plan to help children, young people and families with their emotional, behavioural and mental health needs. Read more about the Emotional Wellbeing Plan.

Suffolk County Council launched the Emotional Wellbeing Hub in May 2018, during Mental Health Awareness Week.

The Emotional Wellbeing Hub is free and provides information, advice, and guidance if you are a young person who needs emotional wellbeing support or if you are concerned about the emotional wellbeing and mental health of a child or young person aged 0-25 years. This may include feeling low or anxious, or you may want to talk about self-harm or bullying. The hub is there to support you.

A team of Emotional Wellbeing Practitioners will identify the right course of action to help a child or young person experiencing poor mental health. Providing a simple process for GPs, health practitioners, professionals, parents or carers to refer a child or young person to a mental health support service.

You can find more information on the Suffolk Infolink website or call the helpline: 0345 600 2090 open Monday to Friday 8am – 7.30pm.

East and West Suffolk Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Ten Year Strategy 2019-2029

Local Support for Children and Young People

Suffolk’s Children & Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing Hub

Emotional wellbeing support services

  • The Source is a website for young people to access information, advice, and guidance on issues they may face in their everyday lives.

  • Chat Health is a confidential text service provided by the school nursing team during term time, Monday to Friday 9am – 4.30pm for help about a range of issues.

    Text a school nurse on 07507 333356.

  • Suffolk Young People's Health Project (also known as 4YP), is a local charity which provides and co-ordinates services that improve the social, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing of young people in Suffolk aged 12-25.

    They work from a drop-in centre in Lower Brook Street in Ipswich and also throughout the county, including many schools.

    They have a service called Ask the Expert which provides online 1:1 support for young people. Ask the Expert is available Monday to Wednesday, 5pm to 7pm.

    Visit http://www.4yp.org.uk/ to find a link to the Ask the Expert online chat.

  • The CAT Network aims to improve mental health services for children and young people in Suffolk and they meet in Ipswich on the last Wednesday of the month, 5:30 -7:30pm. There is a wide range of ages in the current group (13-25) but all are welcome.

    For more information please contact the group:

    Email: cat.group@Suffolk.gov.uk

    Text: 07525 313662

  • A new fold-out card is available to support Suffolk’s young people with their mental health and emotional wellbeing, titled ‘Is Life Getting Too Much?’. The pocket-sized card has been co-produced with young people to provide support for those who are, or know of someone experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, offering information and tips about how to keep well, talk to someone they are worried about and seek support.

    The card has been specially designed to link to the countywide Suffolk Life Saver Suicide Prevention campaign.

    If you would like to request copies of the card, please contact healthandwellbeing@suffolk.gov.uk Or you can download it from The Source website - for young people, where further information and advice can be found.

    Professionals and families can find a new ‘Suicidal feelings in children and young people’ information, advice and guidance page on the Emotional Wellbeing Gateway Website, as well as other emotional wellbeing support. Visit www.emotionalwellbeinggateway.org.uk

  • Kooth provides free, safe and anonymous online counselling and emotional wellbeing support to young people in Suffolk, aged 11-18 years (up to 19th birthday).

    The Kooth service is available 365 days a year, from 12 noon until 10 pm weekdays and from 6 pm until 10 pm weekends, and offers young people:

    • Virtual drop-ins and chat sessions with qualified counsellors, therapists and support workers

    • Peer-to-peer support

    • Live moderated forums with other young Kooth members, and

    • A wide range of self-help articles.

    Young people can seek support or advice from Kooth, on the go through their mobile device, about any topic they wish. This could be help coping with exam stress or bullying, seeking help for an eating disorder, dealing with suicidal thoughts or handling sexual abuse.

  • MindEd is a free resource and is aimed at both families and professionals regarding children and young people’s mental health.

    MindEd is an e-learning tool led by Health Education England and supported by the Department of Health and Education. The resource is quality assured by clinical experts and is suited for use by schools, children’s care homes, health professionals, social care, families, advocates and many more. It offers specific modules around autism, learning disabilities and behaviour that challenges.

    For further information, visit the MindEd website

Reports about children and young people’s emotional wellbeing in Suffolk

Two reports called “My Health, Our future” from Healthwatch Suffolk, highlight the emotional challenges young people face, both inside and outside of school.

Almost 14,0000 young people aged 11-19 were surveyed in 2017 and 2018 about important issues including self-harm, cyber-bullying, sleep problems and the difficulties young people have in finding the right support to help them cope.

The report was commissioned through the Suffolk Children’s Emotional Wellbeing Group as part of work to deliver the Suffolk Emotional Wellbeing Transformation Plan (EWB2020).

Other websites and resources you may find helpful:

Counselling Directory

Please see the link below where you can find help and advice on counselling and also a list of local counsellors by postcode.

Maternal Mental Health

Further helpful information on maternal mental health can be found by following the links below:

Healthy Suffolk Website

Resources from the Maternal Mental Health Alliance

NHS Perinatal Mental Health Resources