New Digital Mental Health & Wellbeing Directory for Children and Young People

A new digital directory providing mental health and wellbeing support services for children and young people is now available.

Commissioned by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB) and co-designed with young people, the directory aims to ensure that young people can find all the information they need in one place.

The directory offers connections to a huge number of local mental health and wellbeing services, in addition to selected national organisations and websites.

It is designed to be easy to use and navigate, accessible, engaging and visually appealing to meet the needs of young people. Its development was driven by the insights and experiences of more than 400 local young people, who highlighted the need for something that was designed specifically for them.

Joseph Knighton 16, a young person involved in the project, shared his enthusiasm: “Being involved in this project has helped me to realise just how much support is out there for young people. We have worked together to create something designed just for young people that’s easy to use and accessible. I think it will really help young people who may not have the confidence or support networks in place to approach an adult for help to connect with mental health and wellbeing services directly.”

Rachna Vyas, Chief Operating Officer of the LLR ICB, said: “Digital solutions have the potential to transform the way that mental health support is accessed. Local engagement has told us that it can be confusing for children and young people, parents, carers and staff to navigate the various services or even know that they exist, so a directory co-designed with young people is a much-needed tool to enable quick, easy access to the support that they need.  

“This directory promotes services across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland such as the My Self Referral website and Tellmi, as well as the JOY website. We’re delighted to introduce a directory that also includes details of adult services, helping to bridge the gap for young people as they transition to adulthood, as well as supporting our 18+ student population to access local services across LLR”.  

Navra Patel 15, another young participant, highlighted the directory’s impact: “This is going to help so many young people. Not all young people have adults they can talk to. Our new directory empowers young people to find the support and information they need to access help. I’ve really enjoyed being part of creating this and look forward to seeing the impact it will have.”

 The project has been completed by local agency Documentary Media Centre (DMC) who led the engagement, co-production and testing with young people. Tina Barton, from DMC said: “We’re really excited about getting the directory out there. Our recent testing with students at De Montfort University was a huge success, with positive feedback from both students and adults. They shared how useful the directory will be in supporting students and staff to know about the range of support services available across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.”

The directory is easy to use. There are content links to find specific services and colour coded key category icons to help individuals to easily identify services, making the directory an invaluable tool for young people facing life challenges and mental health issues.

To maximise the directory’s reach, a range of promotional activities will take place throughout August & September in collaboration with local community partners, voluntary sector organisations, retail destinations, GP surgeries, as well as schools, colleges and universities.

Click here to view the directory.