{"id":49745,"date":"2026-09-09T17:34:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T16:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/?p=49745"},"modified":"2026-09-09T17:34:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T16:34:01","slug":"back-to-school-mental-health-support-available-for-children-and-young-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/news\/back-to-school-mental-health-support-available-for-children-and-young-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to school mental health support available for children and young people"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Back to school mental health support available for children and young people<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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As children and young people across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire return to school or college after the summer holidays, local NHS leaders are encouraging them to look after their mental health and seek help early if worries become overwhelming.<\/p>\n

A new term can bring worries about routines, friendships, schoolwork, exams or moving to a new setting. Feeling anxious at times is normal, but children and young people should speak to someone they trust if worries persist or affect everyday life.<\/p>\n

Getting back into regular sleep and mealtime routines, preparing the night before and talking openly about concerns can make the transition easier. Parents and carers can help by listening and agreeing a plan with their child and school.<\/p>\n

NHS survey data from 2023<\/a> found that around one in five children and young people aged 8 to 25 had a probable mental disorder, highlighting the importance of early support.<\/p>\n

Dr Geeta Iyer, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at NHS\u00a0Bristol,\u00a0North Somerset and South\u00a0Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cReturning to school or college after the summer can feel like a big change, and worries about routines, friendships or schoolwork are understandable.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimple steps such as rebuilding routines, preparing ahead and talking to someone you trust can help. If worries persist or affect everyday life, please ask for help early through your school or local services.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A range of free and confidential support is available across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, with options for children and young people of different ages as well as parents and carers.<\/p>\n

Local services for children and young people:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Kooth\u202f <\/strong><\/p>\n

Free, safe and anonymous online support for 10 to 18-year-olds, including counselling, professional messaging, peer support and self-help resources. No referral is needed; visit the Kooth website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Off The Record\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Free wellbeing and mental health support for young people aged 11 to 25 in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, and 11 to 18 in North Somerset, including groups, one-to-one therapies and work in schools and colleges. Visit the Off The Record website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

School Mental Health Support Teams <\/strong><\/p>\n

Teams in education settings support children and young people aged 5 to 17 with issues such as anxiety, low mood and exam stress. Speak to the school mental health lead or school health nurse, or find out more on the AWP website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Find out more about local mental health support services <\/a>\n\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As children and young people across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire return to school or college after the summer holidays, local NHS leaders are encouraging them to look after their mental health and seek help early if worries become overwhelming.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[301,698],"tags":[956],"class_list":["post-49745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mental-health-services","category-children-and-young-people","tag-child-mental-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49745"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49747,"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49745\/revisions\/49747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnssghealthiertogether.org.uk\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}