Wandsworth Care Alliance

What is Kooth? The free mental health service for young people

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What is Kooth? 4 young people sat against a red background holding paper speech bubbles over their faces

What is Kooth?

Kooth is a free, safe, anonymous online mental health service for young people that is accessible 24/7, 365 days of the year and provides access to chat sessions with BACP-accredited counsellors and qualified emotional wellbeing practitioners.

All our chat sessions are text-based conversations that take place on the Kooth website, and last up to an hour. Chat is available from 12pm – 10pm Monday through Friday, and 6pm – 10pm Saturday and Sunday, providing a much needed ‘out of hours’ service.

Kooth is accessible from any device.

koothplc.com

Are you able to see all content on the site?

There are restrictions in place to ensure that when using Kooth, you only see what is age appropriate for you. This also helps us to ensure you find the content that is most useful to you.

Any comments are pre-moderated to ensure that only relevant comments are posted and visible.

Can you create content on Kooth?

You can submit content and post on the discussion boards to share your experiences and to support others within the Kooth community.

We also encourage you to give us feedback by sharing your views of how we deliver our service.

This will help us to keep improving Kooth.

Can you message other young people on Kooth?

The safety of our users on Kooth is really important to us.

Therefore, you cannot add friends or directly message other young people on the site in the same way you can on gaming platforms or social media sites.

This is because we are an anonymous service and we need to make sure everyone using the site is safe.

When can you talk to someone?

The Kooth team are available to chat 7 days a week, 365* days of the year. You can access the magazine, discussion boards and any other online content whenever you like, from wherever you are.

Our friendly online team are available to chat during the following times:

From 12 noon until 10pm weekdays.

From 6pm until 10pm weekends.

To make sure we can support as many of you as possible, we do have a chat queue.

How long you will have to wait in the chat queue depends on how busy the site is so please be patient with us.

You can send a message to the team at any time and it will be responded to during service working hours. Our counsellors are employed by us and are fully qualified with the BACP or equivalent.

Do you need to be referred by a GP?

You do not need to be referred to Kooth to access the service.

You are invited and welcome to join as long as you fall within the age of 10-25.

Behind Closed Doors Book Launch and Empowerment Event

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Behind Closed Doors Book Launch and Empowerment Event

Join us for an exciting in-person event at Balham Library where we will be revealing our new book ‘Behind Closed Doors’ that tells the stories of how a few individuals left abusive relationships and bettered their lives.

This event will give you the opportunity to get a first look at the book as well as a chance to get advice and information from local organisations.

Behind Closed Doors Book Launch and Empowerment Event Tickets, Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite

SWL Investment Fund

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APPLYING TO THE SOUTH WEST LONDON INVESTMENT FUND

There is available through the NHS South West London Integrated Care System (ICS) for projects that can have a big impact on health and wellbeing of residents across South West London including Wandsworth.

There are two funds:

1.     ICP PRIORITIES FUND (formerly know as the Innovation Fund)

For project supporting the delivery of the Integrated Care Partnership’s strategic plan and priorities. The fund is divided as follows:

  • Workforce development has an allocation of £3,800,000
    • Other priorities of the strategy have a total allocation of £950,000
    • Preventing ill-health, promoting self-care, and supporting people to manage their long-term conditions 
    • Supporting the health and care needs of children and young people 
    • Positive focus on mental  well-being 
    • Community based support  for older and frail people
    • Cross-cutting themes have a total allocation of £150,000
      • Green Agenda
      • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
      • Elevating the patient, carer and community voice

Projects will be funded until end of March 2025.

Do read the ICP Strategic plan as each priority has its own sub priorities for example, Workforce development has

  • Targeting difficult to recruit health and care roles
  • Making South West London a great place to work
  • Supporting local people into employment
  • Designing our future workforce, including new or different roles.
  • The workforce development workshop is on 12 October at 9am but the ICS has also organisated the online workshops  each priority in October. 

 2.     THE HEALTH INEQUALITIES FUND

This fund wants to tackle Health Inequalities (Core20+5) across SW London. For projects offering targeted health inequalities interventions for local populations. Allocation for WANDSWORTH: £161,885.33 for 2023/24 and £161,885.33 for 2024/25

You can find examples of projects funded last year here. New projects will be funded until March 2025.

APPLICATION INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

FAQs:

Cost of Living Fund

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WANDSWORTH COUNCIL COST OF LIVING FUND FOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS

The Cost of Living Fund is intended to support initiatives that provide vulnerable residents with access to community spaces, affordable, nutritious food and that bolster VCS capacity to respond to the Cost of Living crisis.  Projects will need to demonstrate that they meet an immediate, targeted need and that they have considered an appropriate exit strategy for when this funding ends. Deadline for applications: 9am Monday 16 October 2023 and Monday 4 December 2023

Click here for more information

New Funding Opportunites

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NHS FUNDING AVAILABLE – DEADLINE 10 NOVEMBER 2023

The next phase of the South West London Investment fund has begun! The fund is for innovative projects that could have a big impact on health and wellbeing across South West London (Croydon, Merton, Kingston, Sutton, Richmond, Wandsworth).  More information below and online soon but please note:

  • The ICS will be holding a virtual information event on both funds on MONDAY  2 OCTOBER 2023, 2.00-3.00pm
  • To sign up, email swl.investmentfund@swlondon.nhs.uk with your full name and name of your organisation and an invitation will be sent to you. 

In addition to this event they will hold a series of online advice sessions during the application period to support applicants with queries. Click here for more information