Advice for professionals supporting a young person

Supporting a young person can be challenging and it's not always clear where you can go for help. 

We've created some advice for professionals supporting young people and how to refer a young person to our services.

Often you'll come into contact with a young person because of a presenting issue that brings them to your attention. For example, they may have a health issue or be getting into trouble with the police.

But as you'll probably already know, the presenting issue is usually just the most visible part of a much wider connected set of problems. They might face a difficult situation at home, struggle with their mental, physical or emotional wellbeing, or be in an unhealthy relationship.

It's important to find out about and offer support with all those issues. Just focusing on the one that's most visible or getting them into trouble, might mean you miss the best opportunity to help them. You need to look at the whole person, not just the label they've been given.

Getting them the right treatment and support fast is key. But it's also vital to give them time and space to think and reflect on how they got where they are. It will really help them build their confidence, self-esteem and resilience, and make positive changes in their life.