YOUNGMINDS PARENTS HELPLINE
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Young Minds is the UK’s leading charity committed to improving the emotional well-being and mental health of children and young people. Offering free, confidential online and telephone support, including information and advice, to any adult worried about the emotional problems, behaviour or mental health of a child or young person up to the age of 25.
The YoungMinds Parents Helpline is open from 9.30 to 4.00pm, Mon- Fri.
If you are in an emergency and you are worried about risk to life (that could be yourself or someone else) please dial 999 and talk to emergency services.
"It was really bad, it was terrible, it was a really dark time. We felt absolutely alone; that’s why your organisation was such a godsend."
NO FAMILY SHOULD SUFFER ALONE
Our aim is to support every family who needs our help but we are reliant upon voluntary donations.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Our Helpline service is confidential; this means our discussions with people who contact us for advice are private and we will not share personal information with anyone else, without asking first. The only exception to this is if we have reasonable cause to believe a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm or is in danger. Calls may be monitored and recorded for training and quality purposes.
WHO CONTACTS THE PARENTS HELPLINE?
You aren’t alone: over 10,000 people contacted us by telephone and email in 2013. These included parents, carers, and grandparents as well as professionals such as teachers, school nurses and social workers. The only thing to remember is that the child or young person should be under the age of 25.
Some people who contact us are speaking about their concerns for the first time. Our advisors understand how hard this first step can be. Many parents feel guilty – they feel that their child’s problems are all their fault. Our advisors are skilled in listening and do not judge.
Some people wonder if their worries are justified, or if their child’s behaviour is really of concern and that’s why they ring us.
Others may need help in working out what they want to say to their GP or school, have children struggling to get the help that they need, or need coping strategies to manage their child’s behaviour while waiting to get professional help.
"I needed help with how I should cope with the situation, and how I should deal with things to stop it escalating more."
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN I CALL?
When you call the Helpline you will get through to a friendly, trained advisor who will explore your concerns, find out what is worrying you. They will then go on to help you understand your child’s behaviour, give you practical next steps to get help, and can direct you to the appropriate local or national services.
They also have a wide range of publications that they can send to you free of charge.
"Finding the Young Minds Parents Helpline was a real lifesaver. Talking to someone who had knowledge and experience and could offer guidance and support made a massive difference to both my child and us as parents - to know we were not alone in our time of need."
We find that around a third of callers need further advice. If this is the case for you, we will arrange a (still free and confidential) telephone consultation with a Young Minds child and family mental health specialist.
These specialists include psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health nurses; all are qualified in child and adolescent mental health. You will be matched with an appropriate specialist for your concerns.
This further consultation will take place within 7 days at a time convenient to you, including weekends and evenings, and will last around 50 minutes. It will give you a chance to think through the situation with an expert, and to work out the best way to resolve the problem.
"My daughter had indicated that she was suicidal; I was in the system waiting for her to be assessed. A few days later I received a call-back and spent about an hour talking it through"
Young Minds is committed to treating all parents who contact us with respect, listening to their concerns and doing our best to help.
The YoungMinds Parents Helpline is open from 9.30 to 4.00pm, Mon- Fri.
If you are in an emergency and you are worried about risk to life (that could be yourself or someone else) please dial 999 and talk to emergency services.
- Call us on 0808 802 5544 (free for mobiles and landlines).
- You can also visit Worried about your child?
- We support callers from all parts of the UK – England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland.
"It was really bad, it was terrible, it was a really dark time. We felt absolutely alone; that’s why your organisation was such a godsend."
NO FAMILY SHOULD SUFFER ALONE
Our aim is to support every family who needs our help but we are reliant upon voluntary donations.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Our Helpline service is confidential; this means our discussions with people who contact us for advice are private and we will not share personal information with anyone else, without asking first. The only exception to this is if we have reasonable cause to believe a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm or is in danger. Calls may be monitored and recorded for training and quality purposes.
WHO CONTACTS THE PARENTS HELPLINE?
You aren’t alone: over 10,000 people contacted us by telephone and email in 2013. These included parents, carers, and grandparents as well as professionals such as teachers, school nurses and social workers. The only thing to remember is that the child or young person should be under the age of 25.
Some people who contact us are speaking about their concerns for the first time. Our advisors understand how hard this first step can be. Many parents feel guilty – they feel that their child’s problems are all their fault. Our advisors are skilled in listening and do not judge.
Some people wonder if their worries are justified, or if their child’s behaviour is really of concern and that’s why they ring us.
Others may need help in working out what they want to say to their GP or school, have children struggling to get the help that they need, or need coping strategies to manage their child’s behaviour while waiting to get professional help.
"I needed help with how I should cope with the situation, and how I should deal with things to stop it escalating more."
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN I CALL?
When you call the Helpline you will get through to a friendly, trained advisor who will explore your concerns, find out what is worrying you. They will then go on to help you understand your child’s behaviour, give you practical next steps to get help, and can direct you to the appropriate local or national services.
They also have a wide range of publications that they can send to you free of charge.
"Finding the Young Minds Parents Helpline was a real lifesaver. Talking to someone who had knowledge and experience and could offer guidance and support made a massive difference to both my child and us as parents - to know we were not alone in our time of need."
We find that around a third of callers need further advice. If this is the case for you, we will arrange a (still free and confidential) telephone consultation with a Young Minds child and family mental health specialist.
These specialists include psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists and mental health nurses; all are qualified in child and adolescent mental health. You will be matched with an appropriate specialist for your concerns.
This further consultation will take place within 7 days at a time convenient to you, including weekends and evenings, and will last around 50 minutes. It will give you a chance to think through the situation with an expert, and to work out the best way to resolve the problem.
"My daughter had indicated that she was suicidal; I was in the system waiting for her to be assessed. A few days later I received a call-back and spent about an hour talking it through"
Young Minds is committed to treating all parents who contact us with respect, listening to their concerns and doing our best to help.
- Answering your call within 30 seconds once you get through
- Delivering calls from our child mental health specialists within 7 working days
- Providing written information packs within 5 working days
- Responding to emails within 3 working days.