Posted on: 4 February 2025
Good mental health allows us to live life in a positive and meaningful way. It helps us to work or study to our full potential, and cope with day-to-day life stresses.
It’s important to speak up about your thoughts and feelings, and if you’re struggling, we’re here to help.
Here’s a list of the support available to children and young people across CNWL’s boroughs – including Milton Keynes.
Single Point of Access helpline
If you're in a mental health crisis you can speak to our Single Point of Access (SPA) helpline at any time of the day. It’s open to everyone, and our team can offer emotional support and advice.
Just a phone call away, free - 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. You can reach us by phoning 0800 0234 650 (London) or 01908 724365 (Milton Keynes) or emailing cnw-tr.spa@nhs.net. Both London and Milton Keynes telephone numbers are Freephone numbers.
NHS 111
You can also call NHS 111. If you are experiencing something that makes you feel unsafe, distressed, or worried about your mental health, you can also contact your local crisis service by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option.
The Coves
The Cove is a daily drop-in support service for people aged 16 and up who are experiencing mental distress. The service is open between 2pm and 10pm, every day of the year.
They offer a friendly, safe and welcoming space to receive emotional support and discuss coping strategies to help young people in the future. They aim to help young adults reduce their immediate worries and provide them with information of local services and resources that will also be able to help them moving forward.
The Cove has sites for residents of Hillingdon, Brent, Harrow, Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster. www.cnwl.nhs.uk/services/coves
In this video, you’ll hear from a young person who has visited the Cove, who tells you more about what to expect.
Young Person’s Sanctuary Milton Keynes
CNWL CAMHS is working with Mind BLMK to provide crisis services for young people in need of mental health support.
Young Person’s Sanctuaries are safe, non-judgemental drop-in’s that you can come to if you find yourself in crisis or mental distress in the evenings. You will be met by a trained youth mental health worker who will listen and help you identify ways to address the problems you are facing.
Visit: Young Person’s Sanctuary Milton Keynes - Mind BLMK (mind-blmk.org.uk)
Useful websites and apps
CAMHS has created a list of apps and websites, which are some of the favourites pointed out by our young people. This includes Moodjuice, CalmHarm and BlueIce.
Visit: www.cnwl.nhs.uk/camhs/your-resources/apps-and-websites
Get help with health topics
You can see websites related to specific mental health conditions such as feelings, bullying, identity and relationships within our health topic pages.
Visit: www.cnwl.nhs.uk/camhs/your-resources/health-topics
Young Adult (16-25) mental health support
Everyone is different, so the help they need will be different too. Here is a range of services to support you on your wellbeing journey:
Young Adults (16 – 25s) Mental Health and Wellbeing Space
Best For You
Best for You is a website for young people that has information about wellbeing, as well as content on common mental health topics like anxiety and eating disorders.
It also signposts to a range of support options including a 24/7 text support line, services run by various organisations in each CNWL borough, or safe, innovative digital apps.
Visit: https://bestforyou.org.uk/
Kooth
An online mental wellbeing community providing free, safe, and anonymous support for Children and Young People.
Signing up is free, providing access to a range of mental health and wellbeing support resources including counsellors on chat, and the Kooth podcast, all online and anonymous.
Access Kooth here
Hub of Hope
The Hub of Hope is a mental health support database, bringing together support services in one place.
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, direct them to the Hub of Hope so they can access support in their local area. You can also download the Hub of Hope app for free from the Apple App or Google Play Store.
CAMHS
CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) provides mental and emotional health services for children under 13 years old and young people aged 13 to 18. Our teams can help children, young people and families get the support they need.
We have six teams based across Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon and Milton Keynes and two inpatient care teams.
Visit: www.cnwl.nhs.uk/camhs
Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) in schools
Our teams work in schools to support young people with mental health difficulties such as worries, low mood or anxiety. We work one-to-one with young people using guided self-help but we also offer group workshops.
For young people at school in Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon and Milton Keynes you can speak to a teacher or member of staff.
REFLECT
Young people in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes free and confidential mental health support 24/7, through the charity’s text messaging support service Shout.
People aged 11 to 25 living in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes can text the word REFLECT to 85258 to be connected to a trained Shout Volunteer.
The service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can help with issues such as anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression and suicidal thoughts.
STRIDES
STRIDES (Support to Recovery in Disordered Eating Service) help young people understand their problems and provide skills to regulate eating and exercise, manage difficult emotions, and improve body image and self-esteem in the long-term.
Best For You has launched three new videos as part of its ongoing partnership with YouTube to mark Children’s Mental Health Week 2025.
Best For You is an innovative approach to mental health care run in partnership by CNWL, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, West London NHS Trust, and CW+.
Three new films
The first film, ‘How to manage anxiety by understanding your brain’, helps young people to understand the role of the brain and nervous system in common experiences of anxiety, which is itself part of the normal human experience.
The second, ‘How to tell someone about self-harm’, features an in-depth discussion between a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and Mental Health Nurse. The two discuss the importance of telling a trusted adult about mental health concerns and offer young people practical tips to start a conversation about their wellbeing.
The final film scheduled for release during Children’s Mental Health Week, ‘What does alcohol mean to you?’) is a verbatim animation, with a script taken from interviews with young people. Through these young people recounting their experiences with alcohol, the film shares important messages about the effects of alcohol, reducing risk, and drinking in moderation – all in an accessible, non-judgemental format.
Future film releases
The three films will be followed by weekly releases, made possible by funding from YouTube. Future videos will cover common concerns including eating disorders and social media, how CBT helps with depression, and seeking an autism diagnosis, as well as conditions including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.