Learner Support available in our community includes;

The Care Leavers Association

The prospect of embarking upon a college or university course can be a daunting one for anybody these days, with the cost of tuition fees and student living rising. For care leavers, who may not have very good experiences of the education system and who will usually lack the support of a family to fall back on, it can be even more intimidating. However, education is an important and valuable asset and the right of every young person. Therefore, if a care leaver wants to pursue it after the age of 16 or 18 they should. This organisation is aimed at providing as much advice and information as possible to help care leavers who are considering or are currently enrolled on, a further, or higher education course.

togetherall.com/en-gb

Get support. Take control. Feel better.
A safe community to support your mental health, 24/7

letstalkaboutloss
The aim is to help young people who have lost a loved one feel less alone and less consumed by their grief. Every loss is unique and can be hard to understand – by sharing our stories, we support each other.

Plymouth Online Directory
The ambition of Plymouth’s Children’s and Young People’s strategy is for every child to have the best start to life by ensuring they can access education, health care and are safeguarded from harm. Children and young people are of course dependent on factors outside their influence, such as family or their community environment which makes them more vulnerable. Our local focus of getting the right support to children, young people and families is therefore essential to ensure positive lifelong, health and well-being outcomes. The aim of the directory is to offer information about advice, help and support services for children, young people and families who live and work in Plymouth. It also supports those who work within or have an interest in family support services.

Plymouth Information, Advice & Support for SEND
Provides impartial information, advice and support relating to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for parents, carers, children and young people within the Plymouth Local Authority area.
PIAS provides parents, carers of children and young people with SEND with support at meetings and support around education and training issues. (01752) 258933 / 0800 953 1131.

Centrepoint
Centrepoint is the UK’s leading charity for homeless young people – but what does that actually mean? It means that, together with our partners, we support 9,000 young people every year. We help 16-25 year olds into a safe place to live, give them a health assessment and plan support for their individual mental and physical health needs. We start them on a path to more independence and a job.

Routeways
We are a local charity that supports children, young people, families and individuals to overcome disadvantage

Intercom Trust
Provide help against homophobic and transphobic prejudice, crime and discrimination (including bullying, harassment, abuse, attacks, and threatening behaviour), helping to develop the LGBT communities, providing professional training and consultancy, and working in partnership with local government, the police, health and other organisations.

Discretionary Learner Support
There are a lot of different sources of funding to help you for course related costs such as childcare support, course costs, support with travel, meal allowance or any other hardship that could potentially create a barrier to your learning. The Learner Funding Support Team is here to give you advice and the application forms you need to get started.

Internet safety


Mental Health:
You can download the ATL leaflet here – copies are also available from the Learner support department.

Plymouth Mind– Your local centre of excellence for mental health advice, information and support for all sections of the community in Plymouth (Devon).

Young people and mental health An information hub offering young people advice and help on mental health problems including depression, anxiety and stress. If you are feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope, here are the people who can help.

Young Minds: Well being and mental health– Fighting for young people’s mental health. We’re leading the fight for a future where all young minds are supported and empowered, whatever the challenges.

Supporting Apprentices with Mental HealthThis free service, delivered by Remploy and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions is available to any apprentice who is experiencing mental health difficulties at work. It complements any existing occupational health service you have, delivered by trained professionals with expertise in mental health in the workplace.

Routeways – in other wordsSupporting Children and Young People’s aged 8-18 years mental health, In Other Words offers a supported self-governing group with fun activities and ongoing development opportunities to help build confidence, self-esteem and belief in a non-judgemental, confidential, safe and non-clinical environment.

NHS Depression and Anxiety Service The NHS provide a service across Devon and offer a range of different types of treatments and therapies for people experiencing problems with low mood/depression, anxiety or stress. Anxiety and depression are things we all likely to experience at some point. If you are, then you’re not alone. It is estimated that one in four of the adult population will suffer from anxiety and depression at some point in their lives. There is support available to you to help you overcome your difficulties. This service is a free, confidential NHS service for people aged 18+.

Kooth – Free, safe and anonymous online support for young peopleXenZone is a provider of online mental health services for children, young people and adults. Kooth, from XenZone, is an online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop and free at the point of use.

Harbour – Drug and Alcohol Services – Harbour is here to help anyone, including family and friends, affected by the misuse of drugs and alcohol by providing information, education, assessment and care co-ordination. We manage community based treatment services and work together with other services, voluntary, private and public, to see that every available option to address individual needs is explored.

OK Rehab, a website that offers guidance and support for people experiencing problems with substance misuse and co-occurring mental health problems.  Helpline: https://www.okrehab.org

Online counselling support

Qwell Counselling

The zone plymouth.co.uk/urgent-help

The Zone mental health support page

Mental health  for parents/carers/relatives


Additional Support:

Head Space– offers an out-of-hours service for people who consider they are approaching a mental health crisis. The service aims to provide a non-clinical setting with access to peer support.

Plymouth Options-offer support to manage depression, anxiety, stress and life pressures.

NHS Choices Moodzone is there to help with whatever you need to know about coping with stress, anxiety or depression, or just the normal emotional ups and downs of life.

Mindfulness -can offer a way to understand yourself better and help you to enjoy our life more.

Silvercloud– an online CBT therapy service by Livewell Plymouth, with modules to help with anxiety and depression.

CALM -run a free and confidential helpline and webchat – 7 hours a day, 7 days a week for males who needs to talk about life’s problems.

www.elefriends.org.uk is a supportive online community where you can be yourself. We all know what it is like to struggle sometimes, and Elefriends is a safe place to listen, share and be heard by others who know where you’re coming from – Age 18 and Over.

Young Citizenship Foundation The Citizenship Foundation inspires young people to take part in society as equal members. We help them to understand the law, politics and democratic life. We promote participation, we help teachers to teach  citizenship and we work with young people on issues that concern them.

Prince’s Trust-  We help young people aged 13 to 30 get into jobs, education and training.

The Zone-  We are a charity which provides free and confidential information and support to young people. On average we support over 5500 different young people each year through our different projects; since we were founded in 1990 we estimate that we have supported over 130,000 young people. Our drop in service, available 6 days a week, supported by a dedicated team of volunteers, offers young people emotional support and information around housingsexual health and mental health and the options available to them. We can also offer information about, and make referrals to, specialist services, both within The Zone and elsewhere.

rehab-recovery.co.uk  Accessible Treatments Across the UK. A Compassionate & Inclusive Approach to Evidence-Based Treatment. Get the best alcohol rehab advice available to ensure you and those you love get the help you need to be free of addiction. Call for expert advice on what is best for your needs; our advisors take into account your condition, circumstances, budget and all other factors.

Sexual Health Matters–  Good sexual and reproductive health is an essential part of people’s health and wellbeing. It is important that people have the information, confidence and means to make choices that are right for them. A positive approach to sexual and reproductive health helps people to develop healthy relationships and enables them to protect themselves and their partners from infections and unintended pregnancy.

C Card – Condom Distribution–  The C-Card is a condom distribution scheme aimed at 13-24 year olds living and working in Plymouth. Young people are seen and registered by a trained professional (under 16’s will be assessed for competency to consent) who may then issue a C-card. This card can then be presented at over 50 sites in Plymouth where the C-Card is recognised. These include youth services, pharmacies, GP surgeries, clinics and more.

The Mix – Your guide to the real worldThe Mix is the online guide to life for 16-25 year-olds in the UK. We provide non-judgemental support and information on everything from sex and exam stress to debt and drugs. Our straight-talking emotional support is available 24 hours a day. On The Mix you can:
•Chat about anything you like on our moderated discussion boards and live chat room.
•Browse over 2000 articles and videos full of facts you can trust.
•Read about the experiences of other young people in our True Life section.
•Got a question about friends, dating, love or family life? Ask one of our trained advisors. This service is free and totally confidential.

Call the Samaritans on 116 123

oneyouplymouth.co.uk 

Current research suggests that smokers are approximately 2.5 times as likely to need treatment in an ICU or to die from COVID-19. One You Plymouth practitioners provide the support needed to enable you to stop smoking and will be able to continue to offer support until you feel completely confident to remain smoke free. Remember, you are four times more likely to quit for good with support.