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Child and adolescent mental health
Useful websites for children and young people
The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families is a children’s mental health charity with a vision for a world in which children and their families are effectively supported to build on their own strengths to achieve their goals in life. The On My Mind section of their website aims to empower young people to make informed choices about the mental health support they want, the treatments they receive and the out comes they desire. It has been co-produced by young people to help young people.
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It contains information, advice and resources to help young people support their own mental health, including signposting to sources of support in times of crisis and tools to help young people manage their own wellbeing.
bgiok is about practical advice and information about homosexuality, and cutting through the stereotypes and negativity around it. bgiok aims to help young people feel better about their sexuality and about the person they are beyond that.
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Gay people are not born more prone to mental illness but the instance of mental health problems in homosexual people is relatively high because of the difficulties they face in the community. If you're struggling with feeling low and/or anxious, bgiok gives some ideas to help you feel better.
Cam's Den has been developed by a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Camden in consultation with a large number of children, parents and a range of professionals such as educational psychologists and teachers.
It's an interactive, creative and educational space to think about some of the more difficult issues affecting you at school and home alongside Cam, a friendly sock puppet, and his 'crew' of other sock puppets called Angry, Happy, Sad, Calm, Scared and Confused, who talk about their feelings, what they are and where they come from.
Childline is yours – a free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. Whatever your worry, whenever you need help, we’re here for you online, on the phone, anytime.
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If you're affected by mental health in any way, it's important to know the facts. As well as their 24/7 helpline, childline has information about your mental health on their website - tips and techniques, ideas and inspiration, can help you feel more in control. And you can access them in your own time, at your own pace!
it can be difficult to talk to people when you're having difficulties with your mental health. Doc Ready helps you get ready for the first time you visit a doctor to discuss your mental health.
Mental health issues with young people are common. This site is all about helping you to help your friends who might be struggling to cope emotionally
Find Get Give provides mental health and wellbeing information, advice and services for young people and parents and carers. Face to face services are limited to Sussex, Surrey and Brighton and Hove, but their website has a wealth of information for young people and their families/carers.
Fischy Tunes is a brand new website for children. It has songs, videos and other resources supporting emotional wellbeing. It asks you ‘How do you feel today?’ and lets you choose your response: ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’, ‘kind’ or ‘silly’, so you can listen and watch relevant content.
Fixers are young people using their past to fix the future. They are motivated by personal experience, including mental health, to make positive change for themselves and those around them. Sadly, Fixers is no longer operational and working on new campaigns. This site, and it's social platforms, have been kept alive and accessible as a legacy of the incredible amount of work that young people from across the UK have taken on. For older teenagers.
Foundry is a Canadian organisation that is transforming how young people and their families find the resources and support they need, both online and in their communities. They focus on wellness, empowering young people to live a balanced and fulfilling life. It is vital we look after our mental health just like we do with our physical health. Here you will find information, self-checks, tips, apps & tools, resources and stories from other young people.
HeadMeds gives young people in the UK general information about medication. HeadMeds does not give you medical advice. Please talk to your Doctor or anyone else who is supporting you about your own situation because everyone is different.
Health for Kids introduces a new and different way for primary school children to learn about their health, including emotional health. You can read about looking after yourself; bullying; feeling anxious; and coping with things like change and when someone dies. There are also some activities you can do.
Health for Teens features bite-sized information on a comprehensive range of physical and emotional health topics. together with films and quizzes. It is primarily a health promotion website, covering subjects that promote a healthy body and mind, but links you to more information if you need it. Young people have been actively involved in all aspects of the website.
Interchange Sheffield is an emotional wellbeing service for children and young people under 25. They provide a range of interventions aimed at supporting their emotional well-being and mental health, including counselling, art therapy, therapeutic group work, resilience building and mental health awareness raising workshops. Their mission is to improve the mental health and well-being of children and young people in communities in and around Sheffield, but their website has child-friendly information on various topics around mental health that would be useful for all children and young people.
Kidscape's vision is for all children to grow up in a world free from bullying and harm, with adults who keep them safe and help them to reach their full potential. They provide children, families, carers and professionals with advice and information to prevent bullying and protect young lives.
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Even once the bullying is over, bullies often leave you feeling bad about yourself. Kidscape has plenty of advice and practical tips on how you can build up your confidence and allow negativity from others to slide straight off you. With a little bit of work and the right support, you can move past bullying for good, and start to feel pride in being you, just the way you are.
Kooth is an online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop. It is free, safe and anonymous.
On Kooth you can chat to their friendly counsellors, read articles written by young people, get support from their friendly community, and write in a daily journal.
Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem, including young people. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They say they won't give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.
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If you are through a difficult time or are struggling with how you're feeling, it can be really scary and upsetting. Mind are here to help you understand you're not alone and to help you find the support you deserve. On their website you can find information about mental health and wellbeing and how to find support.
Mind Your Way was developed by in Cornwall with the aim of providing a safe and reliable source of information and advice. It was designed by young people for young people as a central place to find accurate information about mental health and emotional wellbeing, plus trusted and safe places to get help without having to navigate google where you could potentially come across dangerous sites and forums promoting unhelpful messages. The content isn’t just for young people though; parents, carers and professionals can also benefit from the information.
PAPYRUS is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. Their vision is for a society which speaks openly about suicide and has the resources to help young people who may have suicidal thoughts. They exist to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour. They provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through a helpline; engage communities and volunteers in suicide prevention projects and deliver training programmes to individuals and groups; and aim to shape national social policy and make a significant contribution to the local and regional implementation of national suicide prevention strategies..
Working in partnership with The Children's Society, Pause, part of Forward Thinking Birmingham is advice on mental health for young people from young people. They have developed a Resource vault with advice for children and young people to find out more about a certain mental or emotional health issue they are worried about. The information is broken down into four age categories: 0-5, 6-12, 13-17 and 18-25.
The Royal College of Psychologists is the professional medical body responsible for supporting psychiatrists throughout their careers from training through to retirement, and in setting and raising standards of psychiatry in the UK.
There is a wealth of information on their website, including information including a variety of information for young people about their mental health. It is written by psychiatrists and young people working together. The RCP believes that everyone needs to make informed decisions about their health, and aims to produce information that is evidence-based, accessible and up to date.
ReachOut.com is an online youth mental health service based in Australia. It helps young people through tough times. Reflecting the need for reliable information on anything which could affect someone’s mental health, ReachOut.com supports those going through a tough time. Emphasis is placed on peer support and the principle that we all know someone going through a tough time. They engage in a space natural to most of us now – online.
Rise Above is where you will find interesting and useful stuff from the web and beyond to get us all talking about the things that matter to us. You’ll find inspiring and useful stories, videos, games and advice.
The 'My mind' page brings together tips on gaining confidence, blasting anxiety and general life stuff from the people who’ve been there. Remember, we’re in this thing called life together!
State of Mind is part of Platfform4YP, a project made by young people for young people. They are young people wanting to support and empower each other and to have their voices heard and to share our stories and ideas with each other and the world.
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State of Mind is a Welsh Government funded project for young people aged 17-25 who are interested in helping themselves and others to develop everyday wellbeing strategies. It’s a safe place for young people to meet together, talk about mental health and learn new skills. The programme is led by young people and gives young people the opportunity to train as peer mentors to pass on their own learning and support to other young people in their own community. It’s relaxed, fun and a chance to meet others and make a difference to the future of young people’s wellbeing. Although aimed at 17+, there are downloads which younger teenagers might find useful.
stem4 is a teenage mental health charity aimed at improving teenage mental health by stemming commonly occurring mental health issues at an early stage. Young people have just as much right to accessing facts about good mental health as they do good physical health, and yet there is a lack of accurate information. Embarrassment or social stigma surrounding mental health issues can so easily lead to confusion with what may be normal development, as opposed to the early development of a mental health issue. By raising awareness, sharing information on how to recognise early warning signs and by providing effective strategies in how to deal with them, they aim to identify and stem these conditions early on.
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There is information on eating disorders, self-harm, depression and anxiety, and addiction for teens, friends, parents, schools and professionals.
TeenMentalHealth.Org uses the best scientific evidence available to develop application-ready professional learning programs, publications, tools and resources to enhance the understanding of adolescent mental health. Based in Canada, they are committed to creating and disseminating the highest quality mental health information (products and training programs), addressing the needs of youth (ages 12 to 25 years), families, educators, health providers, policy makers and others.
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The Mix is here to take on the embarrassing problems, weird questions, and please-don’t-make-me-say-it-out-loud thoughts that people under 25 have in order to give them the best support through their digital and phone services. Their Vision is that all young people should be able to make informed choices about their physical and mental wellbeing so that they can live better lives.
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Understanding mental health can be tricky but The Mix is there to make sure you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you’re worried about your mental health, or someone else’s, they have information about mental health, from anxiety and depression to self care and counselling.
1 in 3 young people in the UK will see their parents split up before they reach their 16th birthday. Voices in the Middle is a collaboration between young people, the family law & mediation sector and The Family Initiative charity to provide a dedicated place for young people to find help and support when in the middle of divorce and separation.
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity fighting for a future where all children and young people are supported and empowered and to make sure they get the best possible mental health support and have the resilience to overcome life’s difficulties. They have a helpline for parents to get advice on their child’s behaviour, emotional wellbeing, or mental health, and have information booklets on a variety of topics that are free to download.
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Whether you want to know more about how you're feeling, get information about a mental health condition or know what support is available to you, their guides can help.
Videos
An animation designed to give young people aged 11-14 a common language and understanding of what we mean by mental health and how we can look after it.
An animation for older primary school children, narrated and drawn by Year 6 pupils, about feelings and mental health, and how to get help if you are having problems.