Early mental health support for children and young people in mid and south Essex
The Mid and South Essex Children and Young People Counselling Service, began on 1 April 2025. The service is led by Kids Inspire, and delivered in partnership with Renew Counselling and Open Door.
Children and young people aged 5-18 years, (or up to 25 years for children and young people with Special Education Needs & Disabilities), experiencing low mood, stress, anxiety, emotional difficulties or who have experienced trauma, will benefit from easy access to local support.
After an initial assessment, each young person will be offered a treatment plan of evidence-based support such as one to one counselling sessions, creative therapies, or emotional resilience support. Family members are often offered support too, to help strengthen relationships and maintain long-term progress.
Providing children and young people with therapeutic support helps them tackle the challenges affecting their mental health. We know early access is crucial - it builds confidence, self-esteem, and resilience, providing them with coping strategies that support lifelong wellbeing. It can reduce risky behaviours, improve school engagement, and set them up for a healthier future, one in which they can thrive.
Sue Bell OBE, Chief Executive and Clinical Director Kids Inspire said: “We are delighted to be leading this service, which puts the child or young person at the centre of the care and supports families to overcome mental health challenges and thrive. This partnership with the NHS and our collaborating organisations, Open Door and Renew, means that we can bring our combined expertise and experience to provide essential mental health support at an early stage with more children and families."
Clare Angell, Deputy Director for Babies, Children & Young People, NHS Mid and South Essex said: “Our aim is to ensure all children and young people can access support for their mental health at an early stage. This service brings us closer to reducing variation and I look forward to learning about the impact the new service will have across mid and south Essex.”
How to access the service
A mental health diagnosis is not required to access this service. Onward referral to other mental health services will be arranged based on an assessment of the children or young persons’ needs.
The service is suitable for any child or young person who feels they would benefit from support to manage their mental health, providing they are not already under the care of the Southend, Essex and Thurrock Children’s and Adolescent’s Mental Health Service.
Self-referrals can be made by contacting the organisation for the area where the child or young person is registered with a GP.
Mid Essex, Southend, and Castle Point & Rochford: Kids Inspire
Email therapysupportservices@kidsinspire.org.uk Call 01245 348707
Basildon: Renew Counselling
Email Bridgeadmin@renew.org.uk Call 01268 822800
Visit the Renew website for further details
Brentwood: Renew Counselling
Email YPCS@renew.org.uk Call 01277 230831
Visit the Renew website for further details
Thurrock: Open Door
Email cyp@opendoorservices.org Call 01375 390040
Visit the Open Door website for further details
Referrals can also be made by GP’s, Health Care Professionals and other voluntary, community and social enterprise partner agencies.
As part of ongoing work to improve access to mental health support, NHS Mid and South Essex have commissioned the service across mid and south Essex, to ensure all residents have the same access to services regardless of where they live. The mid and south Essex area includes Basildon, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Maldon, Rochford, Southend, Castle Point, and Thurrock.