Health and wellbeing support for children and young people with SEND

Social, emotional and mental heath (SEMH)

It’s normal to feel emotional and have good and bad days. It’s normal even to feel lots of emotions in one day. But sometimes these emotions can be overwhelming, and can affect our mental health, which shows in our behaviour and relationships with other people.

Children and young people presenting with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) difficulties often struggle to manage their emotions and behaviour. They also find it difficult to make and keep relationships with adults and other children and young adults.

Typical characteristics of those with SEMH are:

  • withdrawn or isolated behaviour
  • anxiety
  • persistent low mood
  • disruptive and uncooperative behaviour
  • ‘unusual’ behaviour.

Children and young people with SEMH often struggle to engage in a learning environment. They will often benefit from additional support to reach their full potential.

It’s common for someone to feel low in mood from time to time. This can be dependent on life events, bereavements or struggles with learning. It’s important to consider factors which can affect a person’s mood and behaviour and be mindful of the length of time and frequency.

SEMH does not have to be a life-long condition. With appropriate support, children and young people can move forward in their development and live successful and happy lives.

If you’re worried about someone

If you’re concerned about a young person’s mental health and are not sure what extra help is needed, you can call the Kent and Medway Single Point of Access (SPA) on 0800 011 3474.

The SPA is there to help you explore the difficulties and find the most appropriate response.

If your concerns escalate about a child or young person, please call NHS 111 - mental health help 'Option 2'.

If a child or young person is in any immediate danger, or poses potential harm to others, call 999 or take them to A&E if possible.

SEMH support

There is national and local support available from:

Medway Young Persons’ Wellbeing Service

Medway Young Persons’ Wellbeing Service provides emotional wellbeing and mental health advice and support for young people and their families.

More about the service.

Online SEMH support for children or young people

If you're a young person or you know of a young person looking for support, here are some useful organisations that might be helpful:

  • Moodspark is for young people aged 10 to 16 to learn to look after their emotional and mental health
  • ThinkNinja is the first mental health app approved by the NHS to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It's now listed in the NHS apps library and is available for 10 to 18 year olds
  • Togetherall is available for 16 to 18 year olds with an online community filled with resources, information and online counselling
  • Kooth is for young people 10 to 25 to get advice and information. You can also chat to a qualified counsellor
  • ChatHealth supports those aged 11 to 19 struggling with their emotions. Text chathealth to 07520 618 850 for mental health support and help
  • Good Health Matters can support a child or young person to make small changes to support their mental health
  • Kent Resilience Hub has lots of information and resources on who to contact for help in Kent and Medway.

Online support for parents

Many people experiencing a mental health problem will speak to friends and family before they speak to a health professional, so the support you can offer them can be valuable.

  • QWell is for adults aged 18 and over to get advice and information. You can also chat to a qualified counsellor
  • Mind have produced a guide for carers supporting those with mental health conditions
  • Samaritans can be contacted for free on 116 123 for 24 hour support. They also offer support by email, letter and face-to-face
  • BBC Bitesize have produced 4 steps to chatting with your child about their mental health and 5 tips in coping with lockdown as a single parent
  • Find out more about the Mental Capacity Act, to see how it can protect yours and your child's rights to make their own decisions
  • Find out from Mencap how to communicate and help a child or a young person understand bereavement.