Link Forward
A children and young people's wellbeing service for 7 - 13 year olds
Our team works with children and young people aged 7-13 who are facing things in their life which are impacting on their wellbeing. We offer 1:1 support sessions as well as connections to small groups and activities.
Lots of things might affect wellbeing. For example starting a new school, finding it hard to make friends, struggling with anxiety or feeling low. Link Forward aims to provide early wellbeing and mental health support to children and young people who are finding things tough.
Our 1:1 sessions usually take place in school and aim to be a fun and safe space for children and young people to explore what is important to them and what they need support with. We like to involve lots of play and creative arts – things like games, painting and drawing. Once we’ve identified what they need we can then link them to local groups, services or activities that might be helpful.
We can also work with parents and carers to signpost to parent support or services that can help with adult wellbeing.
Parent and Carer Support
Are you caring for a young person who is struggling with their wellbeing and mental health?
We work closely with parents and carers and often hear about similar things that they would like support with. These needs range from navigating the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, to children experiencing anxiety going to school, to managing changes in their child’s behaviour and helping their child to get a good night’s sleep! These topics can feel isolating and complicated but underpinning all of this is a parent or carer who is desperate to see their child in a better place.
Sometimes parents and carers don’t know where to start…our Pop Ups for Parents aim to help!
Bringing together the Link Forward team and expert partners, each Pop-Up session focuses on a theme which parents and carers have raised with us. Sessions offer information and guidance, a chance to ask questions and a safe space to connect with families who are experiencing similar things.
Thank you to our expert partners who have joined us so far: North Star Outreach, Bristol’s School Nursing Team, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, SEND and You, Off The Record, and Kids Matter.
Resilience Lab
Resilience Lab is an Off The Record (OTR) initiative delivered by Link Forward.
Everyone at some stage in their life is going to be faced with something that they struggle with. Knowing how to get through these tricky times and ‘bounce back’ from them is important for our health and happiness. At Link Forward’s Resilience Lab, we can inspire you to do just that.
The Resilience Lab is run by the Link Forward team who have a whole host of ideas about how to cope with stress, stay relaxed, discover strengths, reach out to others, and keep on top of things when life gets tough. A block of sessions runs over 5 weeks.
Once your child is signed up, a member of the Link Forward team will be in touch with you to provide you with more information about the programme and to discuss how best to support your child.
Location: Greenway Centre
Date and time: Tuesdays, 4:30 – 5:30pm
Age: 7 – 13 years old
Check out some of OTR’s online resources here: The Resilience Lab
Information for Professionals Who Want To Refer
We are a short-term, early-intervention service which supports Children and Young People (CYP) with their wellbeing and mental health. We can offer up to 6, one-to-one sessions which, through emotional literacy support and psychoeducation, aim to provide CYP with a safe space to explore what is important to them and what they’d like support with.
Once we know what a child or young person might be interested in, we link them up to local groups and activities which support them to build their confidence, have fun and meet new people.
Please take a look at the FAQs about the service to determine whether you’re able to make a referral to us.
Who can be referred?
Link Forward offers support to Children and Young People (CYP) facing the greatest health inequalities in North Bristol. We currently accept referrals for CYP attending any of the schools listed below. We are also able to support CYP who do not attend one of the eligible schools but who live in Southmead.
Primary schools
Badock’s Wood E-ACT Academy
Blaise Primary School
Brentry Primary School
Filton Avenue Primary School
Fonthill Primary Academy
Henbury Court Primary Academy
Horfield CofE Primary School
Little Mead Primary Academy
Sea Mills Primary School
Stoke Park Primary School
St Ursula’s E-ACT Academy
Upper Horfield Community School
Westbury on Trym CofE Academy
Secondary schools
Blaise High School
Bristol Free School
Fairfield High School
Orchard School Bristol
Trinity Academy
My school's not on the list, is there anything I can do about that?
We are always open to discussions about how further capacity could be funded. If you would like to talk about what this might look like for your school please contact our Service Manager, Vicky Wall, on vickywall@southmead.org
What can you support children and young people with?
We work with Children and Young People with the following needs:
- Social isolation
- A Young Carer or living with someone with physical/mental health needs
- Low mood
- Anxiety
- Low self-esteem
- Managing a life change e.g. parental separation, school move
We cannot accept referrals for young people who are currently receiving support from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), on a CAMHS waiting list or those who are in crisis.
If you would like to discuss whether a child is eligible, please contact Kate Martey on katemartey@southmead.org
Summer Children’s Support with Link Forward
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Creating New Space for Children & Young People at Greenway
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Supporting Children like Lylie-Mae
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Charlie’s Wellbeing with our Link Forward Service
Read more >Our groups for young people are run in partnership with
