Free, safe, confidential support for young people

Children and young people in Newcastle and Gateshead can now get help from mental health counsellors using a free online service supported by the NHS.

Kooth.com is an award-winning online counselling and support service which is now available to all young people in Newcastle and Gateshead aged 11-18 years.

What is the service?

NHS England has developed an in school eyecare service for all children in special schools across England.

The service will enable every child to get the most from their vision, including sight test, and the dispensing and fitting of glasses – all completed on the school premises.

Why the need?

This is important because:

Public Health School Nurses provide a range of health improvement and health promotion activities including confidential health advice for children and young people, an immunisation programme and assistance to school staff in the delivery of PHSE (personal health and social education). 

Every school in Newcastle has access to a School Nurse.  School Nurses also provide information, advice and support on a range of health issues including:

Tyneside Women’s Health was established in 1985 with the key aim of helping women to improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing.  

Tyneside Women’s Health offers a range of interventions for women including drop in sessions, support groups, mental health courses, counselling, and various therapeutic activities such as relaxation.  We have also introduced a range of online and virtual support services. Please visit our website for more information.

Our main Centre is based in central Gateshead, and we have a second Centre in Byker, Newcastle.

Help and Connect is a service offered by Skills for People.

If you live in Newcastle upon Tyne and are aged 16 or over, our Help and Connect team can help you to get your support right and to make the most of what’s going on in your area.

What does Help and Connect offer?

Our team will help you make the most of the information we have. You can find out about:

Children North East exists because growing up can be hard. We want all babies, children and young people to be happy and healthy and to grow up feeling: 

• Safe and loved

• Resilient to the challenges they may face

• Valued and confident  

We have a strong children’s rights ethos and believe that real social change is achieved when those who are, or have, experienced issues lead the change.  

For over 35 years we've led the way in providing specialist care, education and services for children, young people and adults with autism, across the North-east of England.

Recognised for our innovation and excellence, everything we do stems from an unswerving belief in providing bespoke person-centered support. It’s at the heart of who we are to recognise the uniqueness of every human being, and to understand that as a spectrum condition no two people with autism will have the same needs or wants.

This is a FREE service for parents/carers of children going through the diagnostic process or with a diagnosis of autism.

These groups give support, advice and information on services available to families. Trained autism practitioners will run sessions that aim to:

Autism North East is a Social Enterprise, non-profit-making organisation providing assessment, diagnosis and intervention for children, young people and adults where this is a concern related to an Autism Spectrum Condition. 

Free tandem or tag-along bike to anyone with a disability or additional need.

What we do:

We lend, at no cost (i.e. for free), tandems and tag-alongs to (and only to) people with disabilities or additional needs, who are unable to ride a bike safely on their own, so that they can enjoy the wonders of cycling.

What you need to do:

Inclusion North promotes the inclusion of people with learning disabilities, their families and carers.

The world is a better place when people with learning disabilities are included in everything.

We try to make this happen by:

Whether you need to hire a wheelchair in Newcastle, rent a disability hoist in Blackpool or hire a mobility scooter in London, you're at the right place - Strive Mobility

Children Today helps provide specialised equipment for children and young people with disabilities throughout the UK. The aim is to ensure that every disabled child and young person fulfils their potential and leads an active childhood.

We believe the provision of specialised equipment has a direct and immediate impact on a child’s quality of life and independence, and is vital in helping them to overcome obstacles and achieve their potential. Equipment can include wheelchairs, walking frames, tricycles and other mobility aids along with multi-sensory equipment.

The Toby Henderson Trust (TTHT) is an independently funded charity supporting autistic children, their families and carers.  After 15 years at Whitehouse Farm the trust has recently moved to Toby House, Earth Balance, Bedlington, Northumberland.

We are the one and only charity in the North East focused on life changing early intervention with autistic children (aged 2 to 7). Our service users tell us early intervention can transform the life of a child…

At Rapid Ramp, we specialise in the design, manufacture and installation of high-quality modular wheelchair ramps and steps. Our ready-stocked products allow for an infinite number of configurations, ensuring a perfect fit for every project. We cater primarily for commercial and public buildings – both temporary and permanent.

The Mulberry Bush School is an acclaimed therapeutic residential special school for children with severe social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. These are children who have suffered early trauma, neglect and abuse and their behaviours are often very high risk, chaotic, aggressive and/or sexualised.

Based in Stockton, Sunderland and Newcastle, the College provides day and residential education for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years with an autism spectrum condition (ASC). Students come from across the country to access this specialist provision that enables them to achieve their personal ambitions.

The majority of our students have additional and complex needs including learning disabilities, ADHD, mental health conditions, behaviours that challenge and sensory issues.

Young Epilepsy is a national charity that supports the 112,000 children and young people under 25 with epilepsy in the UK.

There is a huge demand for information and support for parents and professionals and a need to improve access to, and quality of, health and education services.

We have a range of services including our helpline, health information resources, training courses for professionals in health, social care and education and the promotion of good practice in schools.

Samaritans of Tyneside have been in Newcastle-upon-Tyne since 1965 serving the local communities of Newcastle, Gateshead and south-west Northumberland. Now based at 15 Portland Terrace, Jesmond, NE2 1QQ, we are near Jesmond Metro Station and on the B1600. Unfortunately, we are unable to see face to face callers at the Branch right now, but our volunteers are still going in every day to answer the telephone and reply to emails.

MHM was established 30 years ago by families and carers in the North East to provide support and care for people they loved with mental health problems.

Today we have grown into a major national organisation supporting people with learning disabilities, drug and alcohol and other problems, as well as our core client group of people with mental health needs, across the UK through a range of evidence based and innovative services.

Streetwise provide a range of health and wellbeing support services for young people aged 11 - 25 year olds. 

Young people aged 13-25 can access the full range of contraception, sexual health, C-card (free condoms), Chlamydia testing, pregnancy testing. Workers offer support around wider issues such as relationships, drugs, alcohol and any other issues facing young people. We will signpost on to other services where appropriate.

We have a counselling and mental health service offering support around mental health and well-being for young people aged 11-25. 

RISE is part of the Newcastle Gateshead CCG, NHS and DFE Mental Health in Schools programme. We work in schools and colleges and support young people with moderate mental health needs. This could mean working directly with individual students, running group sessions, or helping teachers shape lesson plans or assemblies.

At RISE, we offer low intensity support for children and young people coping with mild to moderate mental health needs. Our Education Mental Health Practitioners will tailor sessions based on young person needs but themes may include:

This service is available at our usual Monday and Thursday drop ins as well as a specific sexual health drop in on Fridays from 3pm to 6.30pm at our Young People's Service based on the West Road in Newcastle. Come and see us without having to book an appointment and in confidence.

Provides dental care for pre-school children, school children, those with special needs, learning disabilities, medical problems or severe anxiety and any other clients who are unable to find a dentist.  

Clinics are available at Arthur's Hill Clinic (check website), Kenton Health Centre, Molineux Street NHS Centre and Walker Centre. You can contact the service directly.

The community dental department provides a full range of dental treatment for patients who are residents of Newcastle and who fit one or more of the following criteria: