Advice and support 16+

The Early Help ESA is a supportive process for all children and young people aged from unborn to 18.

It involves:

• Gathering information from your child, you and anyone working with them
• Completing the ESA to identify your child's needs and what is working well for them
• Working together with professionals to agree an action plan which will aim to put support in place to meet your child's needs
• Meeting regularly to review the process and record any progress made by holding team around the child (TAC) meetings
• Referring to other professionals and services to support and work with your child where it is felt necessary

The Early Help ESA is a voluntary process that you and your child can choose to be involved with.

For more information visit:

Accessing children's services

Healthy Minds Wiltshire

The On Your Mind website has lots of information, practical tips and advice about supporting children and young people's emotional wellbeing. The service is there to help young people aged 5 to 18 registered with a GP in Wiltshire who are experiencing a range of early mental health difficulties through group work, activities in the community and counselling sessions for those young people who need more intensive support. We are also an all year round service and so our support does not stop in school holidays.

• for advice, information and signposting
• for positive activities both online and in person, with a wellbeing focus
• therapy (including online)
• decider Skills workshops - these are groups (occasionally delivered one to one if needed) that are based on CBT/DBT, the aim is to help children and young people deal with different emotions and tolerate distress, developing coping strategies etc.

For more information about what HCRG offers and how to contact/self-refer, call 0300 247 0090 (option 4) or visit:

On your mind (opens new window)

Wiltshire SHOUT 

Wiltshire residents can text WILTS to 85258 to access free, confidential mental health support from a trained volunteer who will aim to get them to a safe and calm place. This will include coming up with a plan around how they are going to support themselves moving forward, and signposting to local support agencies where appropriate. They can help with anxiety and stress, depression or sadness, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, panic attacks, loneliness or isolation, abuse and bullying.

 This service is available to Wiltshire residents of all ages, it is available 24/7 and won't appear on the bill.

Rethink Mental Illness (16+)

The Rethink Mental Illness: Wiltshire Mental Health Inclusion Service (opens new window) provides a community mental health service for those in Wiltshire. It is to help support you if you are feeling isolated or lonely due to your mental health and create opportunities of growth to access your local community. The service is jointly funded by Wiltshire Council and the Wiltshire Commissioning Group.

For more information on Rethink visit:

Rethink Mental Illness (opens new window) 

You may be giving emotional support, or have to keep a close eye on the person you care for. Caring for someone can be demanding, and being identified as a carer can be important to get the support you need to continue in your caring role.

For more information visit:

Carer support 

Wiltshire has a wide range of place you can visit to access community support across the county. These include places to stay warm and safe and to get access to food support.

The ethos behind the community spaces providing this support is to be:

• welcoming and inclusive
• safe with appropriate safeguarding, insurance and all appropriate policies in place
• non-judgemental, where everyone is treated equally with dignity and respect
• no cost or low cost to attendees

Find your nearest support:

Interactive Community Directory - find out where local warm spaces and community food providers are in the county

The Samaritans is a non-religious organisation that is there to listen and talk to you 24 hours a day. They will not judge or tell you what to do, only help you explore your feelings and help you feel heard.

For more information and contact details visit Samaritans (opens new window).

Advocacy services are designed to give you impartial support in a range of situations. This may be to help formalise a child or young persons voice in a discussion or decision-making process. They are also a key aspect of mediation and legal proceedings when required.

For further details visit Advocacy services.

Citizens Advice provides free, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. Citizens Advice offers advice on:

• benefits
• work
• debt and money
• consumer
• family and relationships
• housing
• law and courts
• discrimination
• immigration
• health

For further details visit Citizens Advice Wiltshire (opens new window).

Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living provide a range of services to support disabled people who live or work in the county. They also provide disability advice, information and training to interested organisations, professionals or individuals.

They are based in centrally-placed, accessible premises in Devizes but are also happy to visit you in your home, at your convenience.

For further details visit Wiltshire Centre For Independent Living (opens new window).

If you are worried about symptoms or would like any sexual health or contraception service please contact your GP practice or a local Pharmacist. You can also contact WiSe (Wiltshire Sexual Health) by emailing shc-tr.Sexualhealth@nhs.net (opens new window).

WiSe - Wiltshire Sexual Health

WiSe is a free, non-judgemental and confidential NHS service in Wiltshire. Sexual health clinics are provided by WiSe at Salisbury Foundation Trust, providing a range of services including STI testing and treatment, contraception and HIV services in Wiltshire. More service information can be found by clicking the link below.

Wiltshire Sexual Health Service (WiSe) (opens new window)

No Worries

No Worries is a young people's sexual health and contraception service for Wiltshire residents aged 13-24 years old. The free and confidential service is available at participating venues across Wiltshire.

For more information and to find out which GPs and Pharmacies provide the service, see Sexual health.

Connect - Turning Point

The Wiltshire Substance Use Service works with residents of all ages, offering support and education to people who want to address their substance use, offering support to the wider family network too. This support is free and confidential and can be delivered either in hub or in the community whilst maintaining high levels of confidentiality.

For self referral and further information visit:

Turning Point: Connect Wiltshire (opens new window)

You can also find more advice and support from services like The Wrap (opens new window).

The main Wiltshire Council website also provides more information on substance use, and where you can go for support. For more information visit:

Drug and alcohol use

Another source of advice and help is the Talk to FRANK website (opens new window) which provides information on types of drugs, the impacts and where you can go for help.

Dynamic support registers (DSRs) and Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews (C(E)TRs) are essential elements of the pathway providing people with a learning disability and autistic people with appropriate support and care at the right time - so that they can lead the lives they want to and meet their ambitions and aspirations; and can stay safely and healthily in the community or return to this as soon as possible.

The purpose of the Dynamic Support Register (DSR) is to identify people who with appropriate, proactive intervention and support can be prevented from unnecessary or inappropriate admission to mental health or specialist hospitals.

The DSR process enables an opportunity for communication where a person's support needs can be reviewed, and issues escalated where appropriate.

To find out more visit:

Dynamic Support Register

FearFree are the domestic abuse support service in Wiltshire. They provide trauma-informed, person-centred support to victims of domestic abuse and their families. They provide this support to both adults and children who are victims of, or have been impacted by domestic abuse.

For support and further information visit:

FearFree (opens new window)

RSBC are here to support you and your family if you have a blind or partially sighted child aged 0-25. We offer a range of services including emotional support and practical advice for families, opportunities for children and young people to build confidence and skills through activities, and a specialist further education college.

For more information visit: www.rsbc.org.uk

Availability:

• all our services are free 
• blind and partially sighted children 0 to 25 and their families
• no Referral required

If you have a particular service you think could be more inclusive approach them directly. Every service should have a way to contact them to give feedback, some may even have groups that regularly meet to discuss improvements.

You local area boards are a direct way to influence the services and support on offer in your local area: Introduction

If you are not able to find the contact for a service let us know at localoffer@wiltshire.gov.uk

Reporting inaccessibility

If you come across a problem in your local spaces that is impacting accessibility you should contact the service directly or (for example if there is an obstruction on pavements blocking wheelchair access) you can use the My Wilts reporting app: Wiltshire Council Booking and Reporting).

If it is a Council space or service you can also visit: Contact - Wiltshire Council or Contact Complaints Team - Wiltshire Council

Supporting independent lives in thriving, resilient communities.

Your Care Your Support gives you information about the adult care process in Wiltshire and has lists of services to help you remain independent.

For more information visit Your care, your support: Advice, advocacy, money (opens new window).

The Swindon and Wiltshire Careers Hub, within the School Effectiveness team, has launched a new careers' platform for home-educating families. It contains advice and support available for those with additional needs, helping people take their next steps in further education, training or employment.

Home Education Futures: Health and wellbeing (Overview) (opens new window)

This programme has been designed to support parents/carers with teenagers who have a disability or additional needs. There is help and advice on parenting in those teenage years to build strong relationships to enjoy family life, while also dealing with experiences relevant to parenting a teen with additional needs.

Bringing parents/carers hope as they chart their way through the challenges of the teenage years and the changes in the parent-child relationship. The six sessions are designed to help parents/carers stay connected with their teenager through understanding the teenage world and by developing good communication skills, while also coping with the additional challenges that come when parenting a teen with additional needs.

For more information visit: 

Spurgeons Wiltshire Council Family Hubs (opens new window)

The digital platform that connects people, groups and organisations in Wiltshire to their community. It features support, volunteering, group listings and relevant events.

Wiltshire Together (opens new window)

For information about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Support accessible to military service personal and their families in Wiltshire visit:

SEND support 0 to 25 and the Military

Getting online and engaging with the digital world is an important part of modern life. It is increasingly how we access and engage with our services, where we find information, and how we communicate with each other. On this page you will find information on how to get online in Wiltshire, safely, and where to get support.

Getting online safely