SUPPORTING THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR WORK WITH PUPILS WHO ARE VULNERABLE, DISSAFFECTED OR EXCLUDED

Partners in Advocacy provides advocacy to adults who use learning disability services, and children and young people with any additional support needs, in Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and Dundee.

More information is available here

Penumbra provides a range of support services across Scotland for young people experiencing problems affecting their mental health. We offer training and consultancy for agencies and young people on mental health issues. We have youth work and self harm prevention projects in Fife, West Lothian and the Borders and we work in schools to raise awareness about young people’s mental health.

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More about Penumbra projects here

The Place2Be
Founded in 1994, The Place2Be is an innovative charity whose mission is to enhance the wellbeing and prospects of children and their families by providing access to therapeutic and emotional support in schools.  Our model is simple and cost effective but powerful and efficient and involves the whole school in a range of services which can be accessed in a direct, non-stigmatising way by children, teachers and parents.  Our specialist mental health professionals and 550 trained volunteers work with 50,000 children in 157 schools in 18 hubs (clusters of schools) across the UK.  For the last 8 years this has included supporting 2,300 children in ten primary schools in Edinburgh.  The Place2Be are now expanding their Scotland operation and significantly extending their reach to troubled Scottish children with new partnerships established with East Lothian and Glasgow Local Authorities.    

One in five children has a mental disorder severe enough to need professional input, yet fewer than one in ten receive a service. The Place2Be supports children in a variety of sensitive and imaginative ways to help them work through their problems, anxieties and issues and provide them with the means to cope.  This includes The Place2Talk, a lunchtime self-referral service; support in small groups with their peers or in whole class Circle Time sessions; and either long or short term individual therapeutic support.  Parents/carers are also supported with advice and, where appropriate, introduction to other agencies who can provide further support. 

The Place2Be also supports teachers and school support staff by offering services to support their complex, demanding role within the school community.  This includes The Place2Think, a service offering consultation to staff concerned about individuals or groups of children who may be causing them concern; training in basic counselling and communication skills in order to increase the emotional literacy of the school; and helping schools to develop and embed policies that aim to influence children’s emotional development.      

For more information on The Place2Be contact Catherine Henderson – 0131 243 2728 or email catherine.henderson@theplace2be.org.uk