Government Grant Brings Good News To Local Youth Mental Health Charity

Mental health services for young people on the Island have received a huge boost thanks to a £200,000 Government grant to develop an Early Intervention Hub.

The grant has been awarded to the Isle of Wight Youth Trust, the Island’s largest voluntary sector provider of mental health and wellbeing services for children and young people.

The money will support the Youth Trust’s Early Intervention Hub which was set up initially with funding from the Big Lottery Fund following suggestions by service users who identified gaps in existing provision.

As well as providing counselling and wellbeing support to children and young people, the service has developed to provide a range of support including housing in partnership with Sovereign Network Group and employment advice through a partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and Department for Work and Pensions.

The additional funding from the Department for Health and Social Care will help the charity to expand its service so that it can support even more young people on the Island in ever increasing ways.

Specifically, the funds will be used to:

• Expand information, advice and guidance; getting information out into communities to raise awareness of the help that is available
• Introduce advocacy for young people and re-opening the counselling service for 18-25 year olds
• Provide additional support to neurodiverse children and young people
• Maintain and increase the Trust’s parent support sessions
• Create a refreshed, more visible and accessible space for young people to visit for support

Jo Dare, Youth Trust CEO said:

“From increasing levels of referrals and the comments made by children and young people in our census last year, it is clear that more young people are struggling with their mental health.

“We are working to ensure that no young Islanders feel alone with the worries and challenges they experience.

"This funding has enabled the Youth Trust to continue to meet the needs of an increasing number of young people.”