• Digital mental health and wellbeing service will be available to all 11-18 year olds with no referrals, waiting lists or thresholds to meet
  • First Scottish Health Board in Southern Scotland to provide the service for children and young people 

London, UK, June 24 2021: Children and young people (CYP) living in the Scottish Borders to benefit from personalised 24/7 mental health care provided by Kooth plc. Scottish Borders Council becomes the first Health Board in South Scotland to offer Kooth to young people. 

Funded by the Scottish Government’s Community Health and Wellbeing Fund – set up to support the development of community mental health services for CYPs – the Scottish Borders Council and Health Board has commissioned Kooth to provide its digital mental platform for young people aged 11-18 (up to 19th birthday). 

Established in 2004 and accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), Kooth provides a safe and anonymous means of accessing mental health and wellbeing support. It’s designed specifically for young people and there’s no need for a referral, no waiting lists and the service is available 24/7.

CYP will be able to access one-on-one professional counselling from 12-noon until 10pm on weekdays, and from 6pm until 10pm on weekends. Self-help materials, moderated forums, goal-setting tools and discussion boards will also be made available to them – with content that is age appropriate, pre-moderated and clinically approved. 

The launch of Kooth in Borders comes at a pertinent time. According to new data from Public Health Scotland the number of young people waiting over a year to begin specialist mental health treatment has almost tripled since the start of the pandemic – a record high. Only 72.5% of children waiting for mental health treatment were seen within 18 weeks, against a target of 90%.

Councillor Shona Haslam, SBC Leader, said: “The last year has seen a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our young people, their families and other adults across the Borders. In response, we are extremely pleased to announce these two new initiatives that will provide much needed support for everyone as we take these next steps toward our further recovery. This investment is key to helping to build resilience after what has been an incredibly tough year, and demonstrates the commitment and importance of mental health to this administration.

“The new Kooth service is a significant addition to the support available for our young people. I hope everyone will make use of this extremely helpful and accessible service with all the benefits that doing so will bring them.”

Dr Lynne Green, Chief Clinical Officer at Kooth Plc added: Our research and experience tells us that it is so important that people have effective mental health support in place before any problems begin to escalate. Kooth makes it possible for anyone who is struggling with their mental health to get the help they need by removing any traditional barriers attached to seeking care.  Our digital platform provides  a safe, confidential space.We’re thrilled to see that Borders has commissioned Kooth to ensure the mental wellbeing of their young people is being looked after.”

Ends

About Kooth plc:

Kooth is the UK’s leading digital mental health platform. Our mission is to provide accessible and safe spaces for everyone to achieve better mental health. Our 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 four services are:

  • Kooth: for children and young persons
  • Kooth Student: for university and higher-education students
  • Kooth: for Adults 
  • Kooth Work: for employees

Kooth 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.

For adults,  Kooth 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.

Kooth is the only digital mental health provider to hold a UK-wide accreditation from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). 

Kooth recently launched the #DontDoItAlone campaign alongside five well known influencers to share the importance of not dealing with mental wellbeing alone. You can view the campaign here.