• Online mental health and wellbeing service Kooth has been commissioned by the Government of Jersey
  • The pilot project is part of the Government’s Put Children First campaign
  • Kooth has seen an increased demand for digital mental health support from children and young people across the UK during the coronavirus outbreak

London, December 1st 2020 The Government of Jersey (CCG), has commissioned Kooth, a free, safe and anonymous mental health and wellbeing service for children and young people (CYPs) for a 12 month pilot. Kooth is the UK ’s leading digital mental health provider and is available to over five million children and young people across England. 

The 14-month pilot scheme will be available to all CYPs between the ages of 13-25.  The project is a part of the Government of Jersey’s eight-point pledge to “Put Children First”, in which state members and leaders of the public service commit to being accountable for improving the care of and upholding the rights of every CYP in Jersey.

Kooth, a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy accredited service, provides a safe and non-judgemental place for young people to talk, connect and chat with others and know they are not alone. They have instant access to self-help materials, live moderated discussion forums and tools such as online journals and goal trackers. Young people can also contribute written pieces of work reflecting their own experiences, as well as accessing drop-in or booked sessions with professional counsellors from 12pm-10pm weekdays and 6pm-10pm weekends.

Recent data from Kooth has shown the psychological toll the Covid-19 pandemic is taking on CYPs. It is particularly concerning to note that in the past year, the number of children and young people presenting with issues around loneliness have increased by 36%;  suicidal thoughts have increased by 21%,  those presethose experiencing suicidal thoughts have increased by 40% and those presenting with loneliness have risen by 134.7%.

The Minister for Education, Senator Tracey Vallois, said: “I’m delighted that this pilot project has been launched as it increases the mental health support choices available for young people in the Island.”

“The Kooth online counselling and support scheme shows that the Government remains committed to putting Jersey’s children first as looking after the mental health and wellbeing of our young people is a key part of the pledge.”

Dr. Lynne Green, Chief Clinical Officer, Kooth added: “We’re delighted to see that 13-25 year olds in Jersey will now be able to benefit from Kooth’s services. It’s never been more important to offer safe and confidential help for those struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing.  Young people can easily log on to Kooth, which has no waiting lists and no thresholds to meet to gain access to support.  We look forward to supporting young people in Jersey with their mental health, and encourage all young people to seek help on Kooth.”

Ends

About Kooth

We are the UK’s leading online mental health platform. Our mission is to provide accessible and safe spaces for everyone to achieve better mental health. Our online platform is clinically robust and accredited to provide a range of therapeutic support and interventions. All our services are predicated on easy access to make early intervention and prevention a reality. 

Our three services are:

  • Kooth: for children and young persons
  • Kooth Student: for university students
  • Kooth Work: for adults

Kooth is commissioned in 81% of the NHS’s clinical commissioning group areas across the country. It is a fully safeguarded and pre-moderated community with a library of peer and professional created content, alongside access to experienced online counsellors. There are no thresholds for support and no waiting lists. Currently, Kooth sees over 4,000 logins a day. 

Kooth Student is aimed at university students and is commissioned by three UK universities. 

Qwell operates across distinct locations and serves specific cohorts, including parents, teachers, victims of crime and those who have suffered from or continue to experience domestic violence. It is also offered as a benefit by a number of corporate organisations delivering anonymous digital mental health support services to employees.