Health and wellbeing
Below are some of the ways our care leaving team and your personal adviser can support you to stay healthy and look after your physical and mental health. We can:
- give information on healthy living.
- support you to register with a GP.
- support you to move from CAMHS to adult services.
- give information about counselling services that are available locally.
- give you help with transports costs when attending health appointments.
- if you are a young parent, take an interest in your child/ren and support you to do the best for them. We will help you arrange childcare, if this is what you want.
- offer free or subsidised access to the leisure centres we run.
- give you information about health drop-in centres.
- work with you to make a ‘health passport’ containing key information from your childhood (for example, when and if you have had immunisations) and your current health needs. The designated Looked After Children's nurse will prepare this for you before you progress into adulthood
- you are entitled to free NHS prescriptions until the age of 25. Where you are required to pay for your NHS prescriptions, your worker will ensure that you are reimbursed for one-off prescriptions or you have a prepayment certificate in place
- we have an emotional health practitiioner who can offer individual support or group work
- where required, we can identify specific support services, for example support with substance and alcohol abuse
Emotional / Mental Health Care
It is important for all of our Bolton young care leavers that you have support to promote good emotional and mental health, and that you have access to all the services that you need.
Our care experienced young people in Bolton have access to an Emotional Health Practitioner, Kathryn Culshaw, who provides further support, planned interventions, monthly drop-in sessions and supports the Leaving Care Team to receive comprehensive support from different integrated services.
Services for our young people to access
Bekindtomymind is a Bolton campaign, developed by the Healthy Minds Youth Project and Bolton NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, to reduce the stigma and discrimination around mental health.
Crisis Care support
Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide. Provides confidential suicide support for all young people and a range of materials that support, Anxiety, depression, self-harm
Hope link- 0800 068 4141 Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust 24-hour Crisis Line 0800 953 0285 Samaritans 0161 236 8000
Text Shout to 85258 24/7 free crisis text line – The service will be in touch with a trained crisis volunteer and to help young people to think more clearly and to take their next steps to feeling better.
CAMHS- Mental Health Crisis Line on Freephone 0800 051 3253. (Rapid Response under 18)
Shining a light on suicide Supporting young people experiencing suicidal thoughts or if you are worried about someone else who is experiencing thoughts of suicide
Other services
Chat Health A confidential texting service for anyone ages between 11-25 if a care leaver. Young people can text a Bolton Public Health Nurse anonymously for support on a range of topics including mental health bullying, smoking and sexual Health To use Chat Health young people simply text their message to 07507 331753 and get a reply within 24 hours
Kooth Anonymous online mental health support for children and young people
Proud Connections The Proud Trust have recently launched a digital help service for LGBT young people. The instant messaging service is free, confidential and secure
Beat Beat provide 1-1 webchat for anyone affected by an eating disorder, The organisation also provides a range of helplines CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and is a service offering help for children and young people, usually between the ages of five and 18 who live in Bolton. They work with children and young people to help them cope when they are having problems relating to how they feel, how they think about things and sometimes how they behave. The team in CAMHS works with GPs, hospitals and other professionals, such as teachers, to assess, treat and support young people and children, and their parents or carers.
Royal Bolton Hospital, Minerva Road, Farnworth, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL4 0JR Telephone: 01204 483222
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Recovery Academy Free courses provided to promote health and wellbeing as well as a range of free educational courses and resources for people with mental health and substance misuse problems.
All resources focus on supporting people with their recovery and promote good health and wellbeing. The resources are useful if you are looking to increase your knowledge and understanding of mental health, improve your mental wellbeing, or simply want to learn something new.
Support to Care Leavers who are a parent or are pregnant
Family Hubs are places where families with children and young people 0-19 years, or up to 25 with SEND, can share the joys and challenges of parenthood.
They offer a wide range of activities and integrated support services to help you with every aspect of parenting, so your child gets the best possible start in life.
A number of professionals will be available to support parents-to-be and families around a whole range of topics including supporting your child’s development and learning. We also signpost families onto other agencies when needed. You can speak to the team by telephone or during one of the sessions advertised in this guide.
Each Family Hub has a named practitioner who your Social Worker or PA can link you in with. A joint visit can be arranged for the Family Hub practitioner to come and visit you to discuss the support and services available. Therefore, if you are a parent or pregnant your worker will discuss this with you and whether you would like to access this.