Mental Health Hub Boost as Sheffield Futures Secures Additional Funding for Door 43
Positive funding news for early intervention mental health support comes amidst the launch of a blueprint for Young Futures hubs.
Additional funding from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) will allow Door 43’s Early Support Hub to reach more young people across Sheffield, with a particular focus on the North East as an area of high deprivation.
The extension comes a year after the Government announced that 24 hubs across the country would receive a share of almost £8 million to help young people get support with their mental health at an earlier stage. The hub drop-in centres offer mental health support and advice to young people without a referral by a doctor or school. Services provided across the 24 hubs include group work, counselling, psychological therapies, specialist advice and signposting to information and other services.
Door 43: Early Support Hub
Sheffield Futures has delivered early intervention mental health and wellbeing support since 2017 through Door 43. Door 43 comprises 1:1 and group-based health and wellbeing interventions (including Wellbeing Cafes and Wellbeing Wednesday), social prescribing, and counselling services. The Early Support Hub, funded by DHSC, takes our early intervention approach out into the community, targeting schools and groups such as Scouts. Delivered across three sessions, the “Hublets” teach young people about coping strategies and techniques, raise awareness of mental health issues, and provide signposting information for further support. By connecting with young people early, the aim is to prevent mental health issues worsening by providing young people with the tools, information and resources they need to cope.
Taking a ‘hub-and-spoke' approach means that we’re connecting with young people in places they are familiar with, providing a more accessible offer. Working in partnership with community groups and schools has strengthened our ability to reach more young people.
We welcome the news of further funding to continue providing this vital service for young people in Sheffield. Looking ahead, we encourage the Government to follow the Blueprint for Young Futures hubs. Investing in hubs is an investment in our future.
A blueprint for Young Futures hubs: Executive Summary
Read the full report here.
The Government’s commitment to roll out Young Futures hubs to deliver open access mental health support to children and young people in local communities provides a unique opportunity to truly integrate and invest in early intervention for children and young people.
Hubs of this kind are not new. For many years, co-located services have demonstrated their effectiveness in providing holistic support for children, young people and families. Youth, Information, Advice and Counselling Services (YIACS), otherwise known as ‘early support hubs’, already offer flexible, community-based advice and mental health support to children and young people aged up to 25, on a self-referral basis.
The Fund the Hubs campaign group has long been calling for a national network of early support hubs to ensure that children and young people receive timely mental health and wellbeing support. There are over 60 of these hubs across the country, but they are not yet universally available in every community.
The Government does not need to re-invent the wheel. The aims of Young Futures hubs align closely with the services that many pre-existing early support hubs are providing to young people. The Young Futures hubs policy represents a timely opportunity to consolidate and build upon the existing network of open access, early support hubs operating around the country.
Through establishing sustainable funding for existing hubs, alongside the development of new hubs in areas currently underserved, the Government can ensure that every young person has access to a trusted, welcoming support hub within their local community.
About Sheffield Futures
Sheffield Futures, a local independent youth charity, has been committed to supporting the health, wellbeing, and employability of Sheffield’s young people for 30 years. With a focus on early intervention, Sheffield Futures provides a range of services to empower young people to overcome obstacles, identify opportunities, and contribute to a thriving youth-friendly community. Door 43 is our mental health and wellbeing service for 13-25-year-olds which includes talking therapy, social prescribing, Wellbeing Cafes and more. Learn about our work.
You can find us at Star House, 43 Division Street, Sheffield S1 4GE.
Call us: 0114 201 2800
Email us: [email protected]