SERVICE UPDATE – The Department of Health and Social Care have recommissioned the Early Intervention Hubs for another year for children, young people and young adults ages 11-25. Please see the current offer below.
Our Aim
The CHUMS Early Intervention Hub continues to be part of the larger national project evaluating early intervention support in our community.
Our aim is to provide initial emotional wellbeing and mental health support to guide young people in the right direction before things get too difficult and require more intensive or specialised care. To do this we want to engage with them in their spaces as much as possible, as early as possible.
The service aims to work with the community to provide a whole community approach for early intervention in mental health and therefore earlier support for those who identify as:
- LGBTQ+
- Being from an ethnic minority
- A child in care or a care leaver
- Having additional needs relating to SEND including neurodiversity / neurodivergence
- Or those needing support engaging with education, employment or training.
Who do we support?
- Young people and young adults (YP/YA) aged 11-25
- In Luton, Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire (GP, postcode or school)
- Those who want advice, guidance and / or a little bit of targeted support early-on to help before things get too difficult and require more intensive support.
- YP and YA who have started to feel differently recently (usually within the last 6 months) and this is beginning to impact their day-to-day life.
Who are we?
We are a community-based team of qualified and experienced practitioners and volunteers.
We work closely with other agencies within the Hub to ensure that YP / YA have access to the right support at the right time.
How do we do it?
We have been re-evaluating and updating what we provide; what works and what we can do better. We know that when we have big feelings this can affect how we live our lives. It can be helpful to have someone to help make sense of these feelings and what we can do about them. We also know that support looks different for everyone. Some want / need:
- Advice and guidance to start on their own (Mindjurny, group-drop in, psychoeducation workshops)
- To connect and learn from others with similar experiences, while gaining effective support relevant to their emotional needs (Therapeutic groups)
- A space on their own to understand their emotions and how they might work towards living their life the way they want to (Brief Solution Focussed 1:1 Support)
- Support for longer-term, urgent, emergency or complex needs (Not delivered by CHUMS – other services would be required)
For more information about each part of the offer see the detailed explanations below.
Referral forms can be found at the bottom of the page
Sadly, the team cannot support young people / young adults that require urgent / emergency care (e.g. require support with self-harm or suicidal thinking) or those who have more complex needs that may require significant adaptations or longer-term support e.g. trauma. Please refer to your statutory agencies for urgent or emergency care or specialised support. There is more information about these organisations at the bottom of the page.
Mindjurny and Live Psychoeducation Workshops
Not everyone wants to talk but they may still want access to reliable and evidenced based support. The early intervention hub provides this through access to Mindjurny and live psychoeducation workshops. Both provide:
- Easy to understand explanations of the research and psychological theory underlying common mental health and wellbeing needs
- Evidence-based guidance and step-by-step approaches to support the most common emotional wellbeing needs
- Realistic examples of how to make changes that have impact
Mindjurny is a digital platform that offers access 24 / 7 to engaging pre-recorded, evidence-based interventions for CYP / YA and parents / carers. It provides a flexible way to engage with support at your own pace and convenience.
Live psychoeducation workshops are designed as a starting point for families who have not previously accessed support from mental health services. These include but are not limited to understanding and managing with:
Worry and anxiety, Low self-esteem, promotiong resiliency, Exam stress, Getting better sleep, School transitions, Mental health awareness and stigma: (social media, male mental health, puberty, identity and emotional wellbeing), Parental separation & emotional wellbeing, Positive Behavioural Support.
All workshops are a single session, and you will be discharged afterwards, with no further contact scheduled. Please see the list of scheduled workshops at the bottom of the page and complete the form if you wish to register for one.
CHUMS Therapeutic Groups
Ever felt alone and that you are the only one having difficulties?
Our therapeutic groups offer a space to connect with other young people and families who are experiencing similar concerns. Over 4-6 sessions you will learn the theory behind feelings, recognise your strengths and learn from other people and experienced practitioners how to do things differently to feel better and live your life the way you want to. We will be launching a range of groups including:
- Managing worry and anxiety to reach your goal
- Neurodiversity and Me
- Emotional Resilience
- Promoting Self Esteem
- School focused anxiety
- Recreational Therapeutic Groups: Tactics (Multisport) and Encore (Music) (referrals from schools only – with prior agreement)
If you are interested in any of the above complete one of the referral forms at the bottom of the page
Community Group Advice and Guidance Drop-ins (In development – coming soon)
If you think a workshop or a targeted group is not for you, or you are not sure what help you need, then come to one of our community group drop-ins.
The group drop-ins will provide a space for young people and their parents / carers to:
- Gain some advice / guidance and strategies for emotional wellbeing and mental health
- Connect with others who may be experiencing similar things
- Talk about what CHUMS Early Intervention Hub offers
- Learn about other organisations that might be able to help
- Maybe learn a new skill!
As this session is for advice and guidance we recommend that families attend no more than 3 of these sessions. If more are required, we can talk to you about the best next steps. Dates and locations to be confirmed below.
Brief Solution Focussed 1:1 Support (currently paused)
For a small proportion of young people and young adults we will be able to offer 1:1 support of between 4-8 sessions (on average) to help them or their family to understand their feelings and make changes so they can live their life the way they wish to.
- If this is something you are interested in then please attend one of the community group drop-ins for initial advice / guidance and to have a chat to see if we could help.
- If you are a young person (aged 16+) reaching out for support and are not able to attend a drop-in then you can complete our CYP referral form, but you may also want to enquire about support at school (via an Mental health Schools Team – if they have one) or if you need urgent help then refer directly to CAMHS.
The criteria for 1:1 support can be found on our leaflets in the downloads section.
Community Outreach
Events
The CHUMS Early Intervention Hub staff attend a range of community events to raise awareness, promote the service and provide brief advice, guidance, and signposting. If you are running an event and would like us to attend then please complete the Community Events Form
Community hosted workshops and groups
The service is passionate about embedding a community approach to wellbeing and mental health. To achieve this, we are keen to organise workshops and groups directly with youth and young adult organisations. If you are part of an organisation that would like to host a workshop or therapeutic group (please see the list of workshops and groups above) then please complete the Community events form.
- Due to staff availability community workshops and groups will likely be delivered on Wednesdays.
What We Do Not Offer
Sadly, the team cannot support young people and young adults that require urgent / emergency care or those who require significant adaptations to support.
If your/your child’s distress has gotten significantly worse or you/they are at risk of harm to themselves or others, requiring support within 24 hours this could constitute an EMERGENCY or an URGENT concern. If so, then please see the following options:
- Call 111 option 2 for a mental health and risk assessment and they can refer to the CAMHS Crisis Team if appropriate or will provide you with advice and guidance as to the best next steps.
- Attend A&E to seek a CAMHS Crisis assessment.
- Your CYP can call Childline (0800 111) or the Samaritans (116 123).
If you have been referred to CAMHS and are waiting for a response, please do not refer to our service at the same time. Please await their outcome first – this way we can avoid duplicate referrals and processing.
We do not provide – counselling, medication or diagnosis.
The team offer a range of support dependent on the needs of the individual and if we cannot provide support directly we will make sure that we help connect you with the right agency.
To register for any of our workshops, please complete our workshop referral form. Please note we need the referral with us 24 hours prior to the workshop date.
Workshops
Our workshops are designed as a starting point for families with children who have low level difficulties. These are one-off 2-hour sessions conducted virtually via Microsoft teams. Please note these workshops do not support moderate/severe difficulties and will not address risky behaviours. (self-harm, suicidal ideations).
Referral Forms
To maximise our reach, referrals can be made online, via attendance at one of our community group drop-ins, or youth organisations can contact us directly to host a workshop or group.
Other Support
CHUMS provides other support services for children and young people in Bedfordshire – please see their pages for information and their referrals:
- Trauma (Across Bedfordshire)
- Young Carers (Luton only)
- Bereavement (Luton – groups only)
- Disability Friendship scheme (Luton only)
- Bedfordshire Suicide
- Bereavement Service (Across Bedfordshire)
For a comprehensive list of services in your area please look up your “Local Offer”. A quick list has been provided below for other commonly used services
| Counselling | ||
|---|---|---|
| Luton | Tokko | www.tokko.co.uk |
| Central Bedfordshire | Sorted | www.sortedbedfordshire.org.uk |
| Bedford Borough | Open Door | https://www.bedfordopendoor.org.uk/ |
| Mental Health support | ||
| Mental Health in Schools Teams (MHST) | Via school | |
| CAMHS | Online self-referral or via a professional e.g. GP / school |