BeeU

Kooth.com is a free, safe and anonymous website for young people living in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin aged 11-19. You don’t need to be referred or have an appointment.

Kooth provides an anonymous 24-hour online service, 365 days per year, offering peer support, self-help and trained and qualified counsellors available to talk to online at the following times: 

• 12:00 to 22:00 (Monday to Friday)
• 18:00 to 22:00 (Saturday and Sunday)
• Bank Holidays – hours may vary

Kooth’s experienced practitioners can provide emotional support for a wide range of issues, from having a bad day to more serious issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, eating issues, bullying and self-harm, to name a few.

Kooth provides a much needed out of hours service advice and support.

For more information visit the Kooth website.

Beam is an emotional wellbeing service for Children & Young People under 25 years old who are registered with a GP in Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin. The service is delivered by The Children's Society.

How Beam helps.

Beam can support with anything relating to emotional well-being. 

When we are emotionally healthy we:

• Function in society, whether that is at school, college, uni or at work, or when we are with friends and family.
• Cope with life’s challenges by drawing on our strengths.
• Understand and manage our emotions, expressing them in appropriate ways.
• Accept ourselves and show acceptance of others.

Our team is made up of experienced well-being practitioners who will take the time to listen to whatever it is that is troubling young people. We aim to boost the resilience of young people by helping them develop coping skills for when life presents challenges.

What support do Beam offer?

We are currently offering support via:

• Face to Face sessions at our Drop in service (Wellington and Shrewsbury)
• Virtual face to face (via MS Teams) Pre booked appointments (limited availability) 

What will Beam do?

• Recommend strategies and techniques that aim to make life easier – for example, how to manage a panic attack, or how to improve sleep.
• Give practical suggestions and advice – this might be suggesting you look at website or that you contact another service.  
• Provide a listening ear if a young person has something they want to get off their chest.

Typical issues Beam can support with include:

• Anxiety (low-level) & worry
• Anger
• Identity
• Low mood
• Panic
• Self-esteem
• Sexuality
• Sleep
• Stress

What won't Beam do?

• Assess or diagnose any conditions.
• Automatically make referrals into other services.
• Necessarily have to tell anyone that a young person has spoken to Beam.  There may be times where we feel we need to speak to other people, services or agencies.  We will try and speak to you about this before we do.

Example issues that are outside of Beam's remit include:

• Crisis support
• Toileting
• Behaviour management
• Eating disorders
• Where a mental health diagnosis exists

Accessing support from Beam

You can request support from Beam via our website: 

1. Scroll down the page to ‘register with us’.
2. Complete your details on the form.
3. We will contact you by email to advise of the next steps 

If you have been to Beam before, or you want to request a follow-up session, follow the same link – there will be an option to say you have already registered so you won’t need to complete all of your details again! 

Come along and see us at one of our drop in sessions (no appointment necessary) on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am-6pm (last session 5.30pm) at 9 Market Street, Wellington, Telford, TF1 1BP or Mondays 12pm-4pm (last session 3.15pm)  at The Lantern, Meadow Farm Drive, Shrewsbury, SY1 4NG.

• Young people aged 14 years+ can register themselves.
• Young people aged 13 and under will need a parent/carer to register on their behalf.

If you have any questions about the Beam service, please contact us via email shropshirebeam@childrenssociety.org.uk

Further information about Beam can be found on The Children's Society website.

Young people are referred into our service by a professional who knows what BeeU offers, and knows the young person.

We accept referrals from these types of professionals:

• GPs
• Social Workers
• Health Visitors
• School Professionals
• Paediatricians / Hospital Doctors
• Paediatric Occupational Therapists
• School Nurses
• Voluntary services

Unfortunately, we don’t accept self-referrals from young people or families directly.

Referrals on the referral form below can be sent by post, and / or emailed directly to 025spa@mpft.nhs.uk (routine) or via phone 0808 196 4501.

• BeeU Referral Form (docx)

BeeU services will accept referrals relating to children and young people up until their 18th birthday.

Any new referrals made to BeeU for young people who are 18+ will be sent to Adult Access Team.

BeeU provides assessment and diagnosis for Autism for school aged children (5 to 18 years) in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

You might need to consider a referral if your child, or a child you work with, is experiencing significant difficulties related to social communication, interaction, and repetitive or restrictive patterns of their behaviour. The following information is helpful in considering whether a neurodevelopmental assessment or if alternative support or advice would be more suitable. Please note, the needs of a child can be met irrespective of whether they have a diagnosis or not. Diagnosis is not a requirement for support to meet a child's needs.

Prior to referral please consider the following and provide all available information relating to:

• Social communication difficulties (e.g. differences with using or understanding non-verbal communication such as eye contact, facial expression and gesture, difficulties with back and forth conversation)
• Interaction difficulties that impact upon functioning (e.g. Difficulties making and maintaining friendships with peers, understanding others' emotions. Difficulties adapting behaviour or communication to different settings)
• Restrictive patterns of behaviour (such as adherence to routine, difficulties with transitions or change. Difficulties considering alternative perspectives)
• Intense interests and hyper focus on interests that impacts upon functioning (e.g. finding it difficult to move on from interests or to engage in activities or topics that are not related to interests)
• Sensory sensitivities or sensory seeking that make everyday activities difficult
• Repetitive play, behaviour, movements, language, or sounds

Who can refer?

Any Health, Social Care and Education professional can refer children and young people. It is best if a professional who knows the child well and can therefore provide good information on the child's strengths and difficulties makes the referral.

Please ensure any parents with parental responsibility are aware and in agreement, and provide all contact details. Young people over 16 years will need to consent to the referral. Unfortunately we cannot proceed when consent hasn't been documented.

How do I make a referral?

Please complete the referral for form and send to 025spa@mpft.nhs.uk including all additional information.

• BeeU Referral Form (docx)

What can I expect after I make a referral?

After we have received your referral a mental health practitioner will review the information and decide the next steps. There are a number of different outcomes that may happen following referral, such as:

• request for more information
• providing advice or signposting
• offer of a more general assessment
• offer of ASD assessment

You will receive an outcome in writing.

BeeU provides assessment, diagnosis and treatment for school aged children (6 to 18 years) in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

You might need to consider a referral if your child, or a child you work with, is experiencing significant difficulties with hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. The following information is helpful in considering whether a neurodevelopmental assessment or if alternative support or advice would be more suitable. Please note, the needs of a child can be met irrespective of whether they have a diagnosis or not. Diagnosis is not a requirement for support to meet a child's needs.

Prior to referral please consider the following and provide all available information relating to:

Hyperactivity:

• acting before thinking of consequences
• having difficulty maintaining attention for any period on a task
• jumping from one activity to another
• having difficulty organising themselves or their time
• tiredness due to poor sleep

Impulsivity:

• restlessness (inability to sit still, fidgeting, needing to stand from seat)
• undertaking risky behaviours
• have a tendency to interrupt other's conversations
• unable to wait own turn or queue or put hand up prior to calling out

Inattention:

• easily distracted
• observed daydreaming
• unable to complete work or tasks
• demonstrates difficulty with listening
• clumsy or accident prone

Who can refer?

Any Health, Social Care and Education professionals can refer children and young people. It is best if a professional who knows the child well and can therefore provide good information on the child's strengths and difficulties makes the referral.

Please ensure any parents with parental responsibility are aware of and in agreement and provide all contact details. Young people over 16 years will need to consent to the referral. Unfortunately we cannot proceed when consent hasn't been documented.

How do I make a referral?

Please complete the referral form and send to 025spa@mpft.nhs.uk with all additional information.

• BeeU Referral Form (docx)

What can I expect after I make a referral?

After we have received your referral a mental health practitioner will review the information and decide the next steps. There are a number of different outcomes that may happen following referral. Some examples of outcomes are request for more information, providing advice or signposting, offer of a more general assessment or offer of ASD assessment. You will receive an outcome in writing.

The Urgent Helpline offers a listening ear, advice, support and signposting for adults, children and their carers.

Our Urgent Helpline operates 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week.

You or your parent / carer can contact us if you have any concerns regarding your own mental health and wellbeing. Our experienced call handlers and clinicians will listen to your worries and concerns and try to help you in the best possible way. During the call we may advise you or your parent / carer about local services that you can access and contact directly.

You can contact us by calling 0808 196 4501 (option 1 for under 18’s, option 2 for over 18’s).

Young people under 18 years of age are able to contact our service directly for support and urgent advice.

Please be aware that we would not be able to processes a referral to Children’s and Family Mental Health services (CAMHS) over the phone. You will have to speak to your GP or School in the first instance who can make a professional referral via BeeU Access Team. We will be able however to speak to the right team on your behalf if you feel as you are in crisis.

What is a crisis?

When you feel hopeless and cannot see a way out of your situation with dark thoughts not wanting to be alive or significantly hurting yourself.

Some useful resources for you to use when you feel you are in crisis:

• Calm Harm Resources available to support with self harming behaviour for people aged 13+
• Shout Crisis text line If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts and keeping yourself safe, text shout to 85258 and someone will call you back
• Papyrus Support for young people at risk of suicide. Available 10am-10pm Mon-Fri, 2pm-10pm weekends and Bank holidays: 0800 068 4141