This week, Jane invites Caroline Parnell of The Link to talk about the charity, and the work that it does. Here is what she has to say…
Mental health problems affect one in ten children and young people, and The Link is doing its bit to help local youngsters in distress.
Based in Redcar, The Link works hard to support children, young people and their families – and demand for its services are on the increase.
GPs, social services and schools all refer young people to the service for help. In 2014 our team of highly committed experts dealt with 392 referrals, but last year that jumped to 768 referrals. We are currently supporting 200 young people to deal with a range of mental health and emotional problems, and we have more than a 100 waiting for our help.
With limited funding from statutory services, The Link relies heavily on donations and charitable bids to continue its valuable work which makes a real difference to the lives of the children and young people its supports. That’s why the support of Jacksons Law Firm is so important to us and we’re delighted they have chosen to give The Link its backing.
We know that 50 per cent of mental illness in adults starts before the age of 15, and early intervention can have a big impact on youngsters’ long term mental health. We do see links between mental health problems and social disadvantage, with young people from the poorest households three times more likely to have problems than those from more affluent homes.
But mental health problems can affect anyone and our message to local children and young people is that The Link is here to help whenever we can. If you would like to know more about our work check out our website, where you will also find details of how you can support our important work in supporting the mental wellbeing of local youngsters.
To find out more – www.redcarlink.com
Please share the article
