Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is beginning the roll out of a new secure text messaging service for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-19 years old, enabling them to get timely and trusted health advice from a health professional (a Health Visitor or School Nurse).

As our lives have changed over the last few months due to coronavirus, it’s more important than ever for young people families to have easy access to support, particularly in the absence of face to face interaction.

The service (which is available in Warrington, Halton and Oldham) does not aim to replace face to face contacts, rather increase choice for service users about how they access advice from a health professional and provides a new line of communication as face to face contact is reduced.

The ChatHealth text number will operate Monday-Friday from 9am until 5pm.

Messages will be responded to within 24 hours during this period. Outside these hours, service users will receive a ‘bounce back’ text message indicating that they will receive a response when the line re-opens. Of course, ChatHealth is not an emergency service, and accordingly parents will be instructed to follow usual advice in seeking urgent medical attention.

The text numbers for Warrington are:

• 11 - 19 Young People's Service – 07507 330101
• 0 - 5 Parents Service – 07507 327981
• 5 - 19 Parents Service – 07480 635994

  Or visit chathealth.nhs.uk to start a chat

See Hear Respond is a service provided across England by Barnardo’s and other national and local community-based organisations in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The programme has been created to help children and young people in England who are experiencing harm and increased adversity during this period by providing support to those who are not being seen by social care or other key agencies.

Working with its partners, Barnardo’s aims to reduce the likelihood of harm and ensure other support and protective networks are in place using: • online digital support, including advice and information, online counselling and a telephone helpline • face to face interventions, such as support for groups at risk outside the home and one to one support • reintegration into education, including assessments and the delivery of support pathways back to education

See Hear Respond accept referrals from any source either through the Freephone number 0800 151 7015 and via the online referral hub. https://www.barnardos.org.uk/see-hear-respond

Young Minds provides young people with tools to look after their mental health. Their website is full of advice and information on what to do if you're struggling with how you feel. They empower parents and adults who work with young people, to be the best support they can be to the young people in their lives. And we give young people the space and confidence to get their voices heard and change the world we live in. Together, we can create a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health.

Prevent Radicalisation and Extremism by Acting Early.

It can be hard to know what to do if you’re worried someone close is expressing extreme views or hatred, which could lead to them harming themselves or others. Working with other organisations, the police protect vulnerable people from being exploited by extremists through a Home Office programme called Prevent.

Act early and tell us your concerns in confidence. You won’t be wasting our time and you won’t ruin lives, but you might save them.