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Worried about online grooming or exploitation? 

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Worried about online grooming or exploitation? 

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Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online?

Make a report to one of CEOP's Child Protection Advisors.

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Are you being bullied?

If you are being bullied, or you are not ready to make a report to CEOP, you can talk to Childline anonymously online or on the phone - No worry is too big or too small.

Visit Childline

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Are you being bullied? If you are being bullied, or you are not ready to make a report to CEOP, you can talk to Childline anonymously online or on the phone - No worry is too big or too small. Visit Childline

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Talking to your child about online safety

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Talking to your child about online safety

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If your child does see harmful content, remain calm, ask open questions and be curious about what they've seen and, importantly, how it has made them feel.

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Online life and offline life is just life

For many of us, we see our online lives and offline lives as different, but children are growing up with technology and the internet and for them there isn't a difference; online life and offline life is just life.

Technology can move at an extraordinarily fast pace and it can be difficult to know how to start talking to your child about what they're doing online, who they might be speaking to or discussing the potential risks and issues.

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Talking to your child about online safety

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Sometimes you might be worried about what your child's doing online or who they're speaking to, but not know how to talk to them about it. We've got advice to help.

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How to talk to children about keeping safe online

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How to talk to children about keeping safe online

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Have an open and honest conversation. Talk to your child about online safety in an open way, without blame, so they can understand potential dangers.

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Struggling to talk about online safety with your child? Together with Dr Elly Hanson, clinical psychologist and expert on online harms, we have put together some tips to help parents and carers start the conversation about online safety.

Many children are now online, and the lines between their online and offline worlds are becoming increasingly blurred. There are many positive aspects to spending time online, such as entertainment, learning and peer connection.

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However, as they explore the internet, many children will stumble upon explicit content such as pornography, with some seeing it as young as seven years old. In fact, over half (51%) of children between 11 and 13 years old have seen pornography, according to the British Board of Film Classification.

Through our work with children across the UK, we know that being exposed to explicit content can leave many children feeling anxious, upset, or distressed.

Pornography can normalise abusive sexual behaviour and lead to children participating in acts they have seen in pornographic videos, despite feeling uncomfortable or scared. Plus, when children view pornography that shows abusive or misogynistic acts, they might believe that this behaviour is acceptable, or worse, the norm.

Start with the positives of the internet

If you don't know where to start, try simply exploring what they enjoy doing online

Dr Elly Hanson

Clinical psychologist and expert on online harms

Remain open-minded and be genuinely curious. Not only will this help you gain a better understanding of the apps they use, but it can bridge the conversation and allow you to talk about online safety in the future.

The chances are that your child will use the internet differently from you. So, try not to be dismissive of any apps, games, or trends they love. It may make your child embarrassed to talk about their digital life in the future or they may feel reluctant to reach out for help if they're worried about something they've seen or experienced.

Watch children talk about what they get out of being online.

"Often children don't know the name of how they're feeling or don't have the words to describe it," says Elly.

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"Let your child know that they may come across things on the internet that leave them with a funny feeling. It might make them feel weird, confused, bad, embarrassed, or guilty. These are normal feelings that are important to listen to.

"Whatever they're feeling, remind them that they can always talk to you about it.

"Let them know that you're not going to be cross with them, even if they're doing something 'wrong' that they shouldn't have been doing."

If your child says they've seen explicit content, try to remain calm and curious.

"Ask open questions, focus on being curious about what they've seen but mainly how it made them feel," says Elly. "Then validate these emotions and make sure they feel heard."

Avoid blaming or criticising them as this may shut the conversation down.

Watch this this short video to see children's perspectives of encountering potential and actual online harm and how parents and carers can respond.

This video reflects on how parents and carers might feel about the online behaviour of the children they look after and how they can respond.

Normalise the conversation

"This gives your child a gentle invitation to disclose anything now or at a later point."

Alternatively, if you want to directly explain your concerns, choose a time when your child is relaxed and has no distractions.

If your child comes across something upsetting and they don't know how to put it into words, there are other ways you can help them sift through their emotions.

"If they are experiencing a lot of distress, you could invite them to express that through a creative outlet," says Elly. "Drawing, art, writing and poetry can be a great way of processing and sharing difficult emotions."

Make it age-appropriate

Chances are your child will start to use technology differently as they get older. This can bring up new worries and challenges, so it's important to explain online safety in an age-appropriate way.

For instance, if your child is a teenager you may talk about online safety and pornography when chatting broadly about relationships, consent, and safe sex.

If your child is at primary school, you may want to discuss what type of images are okay to send to friends and family, and what areas of your body are private.

If you want to do some more research, there are plenty of resources with age-appropriate advice, to guide you, such as:

Explore apps and sites together

It's important to show interest in your child's digital life, to get to know the games and platforms that they like and enjoy.

Dr Elly Hanson

Clinical psychologist and expert on online harms

If your kids are gaming, chatting, posting, or streaming online, it's worth getting involved in their online lives.

"It's important to show interest in your child's digital life, to get to know the games and platforms that they like and enjoy," says Elly.

Not only is this a way for you to connect, but it'll also help you understand different games and platforms, their features and whether they're appropriate for your child or not.

"We know this isn't always practical, especially if there are multiple devices in one home, but try to encourage children to use devices in communal areas such as the lounge or kitchen," says Emma James Senior Policy Advisor at Barnardo's.

"This will help you to be able to hear the content of the videos they are watching or the games they are playing."

Is my child safe online? Parents' questions answered

We've answered some common questions from parents and carers about how to help keep children safe online.

More about keeping children safe online

Every child deserves to feel safe online - and we all have a part to play. Find out more about online safety from the experts.

Ask pornography sites to do more to protect children

We need them to take action before more children are harmed.

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How to talk to children about keeping safe online

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Read expert tips on starting conversations with your child about staying safe online.

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Find step-by-step guides to help you layer up parental controls across networks, devices and apps, so children can have safer online experiences as they grow.

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Set up parental controls on devices and platforms | Internet Matters

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Set up parental controls on a range of devices and platforms to help children develop key online safety and digital literacy skills.

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Supporting children at different ages with their use of technology

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Supporting children at different ages with their use of technology

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Be involved in your child’s online life. Get to know the games/platforms they like, what they use their mobile phone for, and ensure that content is age appropriate.

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Supporting children at different ages with their use of technology

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Supporting children at different ages with their use of technology

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National and local campaign group aimed at re wiring childhood. They have a lot of great resources for families to help navigate this tricky issue including up to date published research about the amount of time young people are spending on screens and the associated risks.

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We’re united for childhood: Join the growing movement of parents who believe childhood’s too short to be spent on a smartphone.

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Report Online Child Sexual Abuse Images & Videos Anonymously

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The Internet Watch Foundation - Eliminating Child Sexual Abuse Online

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Working to protect those sexually abused in childhood and make the internet a safer place by identifying & removing online child sexual abuse images & videos.

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Report Remove is here to help young people under 18 in the UK to confidentially report sexual images and videos of themselves and remove them from the internet.

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Content warning: This section includes graphic sexual descriptions.

A nude image must include one of the following to be removed:

nude or semi-nude sexual posing

someone nude or semi-nude touching themselves in a sexual way

any sexual activity involving a child

someone hurting someone else sexually

sexual activity that includes animals.

Where possible, it is better if you can upload the original image or video, or a copy of it, rather than a photograph of it on another screen. This helps IWF find the image more accurately.

If you want to report something that isn't a nude image or video to see if it can be taken down, you can see more information from Childline about deleting things shared online here. You can make a report to CEOP, the part of the police who are there to support children and young people online. You can always speak to a Childline counsellor.

Confirming your age with ID gives us more legal powers to remove images from as many places as possible. If you don't have ID or feel comfortable using it, we can still take down images, but from fewer places.

You can use the following ID to confirm your identity using Yoti:

passport or biometric residence permit

driving licence and provisional licence

Young Scot Card (Yoti app only)

CitizenCard (Yoti app only).

If you don't have any of these, you can get a young person's ID card. You'll be able to get this for £5 with the promo code NSPCC5. Make sure you choose 'Yoti CitizenCard' on the first page.

Whatever ID you use, please make sure that it is valid and in-date.

IWF will read all reports within one working day, from Monday to Friday. The time it takes to get your image removed from the internet can be different depending on where the image is hosted.

If the image is on a UK-based website it can often be removed within 2-3 hours. Unfortunately, in some countries it can take longer - sometimes days or weeks. But IWF analysts will always try to make sure it happens as soon as possible.

We'll do our best to let you know once your image has been removed by sending a message to your  Childline locker.

We recommend you check your locker every few days after you make a report. This is so you can see if your image has been removed, and so Childline can let you know if IWF need more information to be able to remove it. Remember, IWF can't contact you directly.

If you need support to help you cope while you're waiting, you can also speak to a Childline counsellor any time.

When you use Report Remove, your image or video is shared with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). They'll work to get your image removed from the internet. See 'Who are the IWF?' to learn about how that happens.

Most of the time, nobody will know that you've made a report and your report won't be shared with anyone else.

If the police already have the image or video you report, then they might investigate what's happened. Only the police can decide if they'll need to tell someone else.

The police might already have your image or video if:

someone has reported it on another website and that website passed it to the police

they're investigating someone who had or has the image or video already (if someone is found to have your image and is breaking the law - regardless of how, it may be included as evidence in a criminal case against that person

someone else reported the image to them directly.

Remember that the police are there to protect you, not to get you into trouble. If the image has been reported somewhere else and you're worried, you can always  speak to a Childline counsellor.

If you have parental controls on your phone your parent or carer might see when you want to download a new app, so they might get a notification if you try to download Yoti and want to know why. To avoid this, use the second option to prove your age (called 'ID verification').

The IWF can remove images that are public or available to anyone on the internet. However, they won't be able to remove images or videos on encrypted networks like WhatsApp, or which are saved on a person's phone or computer.

If you're over 13 and you've made a report without using ID, then there may be some sites the IWF can't take images down from.

If you don't use ID the IWF can help by removing your image or video from most sites. If you do use ID, the IWF can remove from all sites

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a UK charity, are there to help remove illegal nude images of under 18s posted online.

Once the IWF has confirmed your nude image is against the law and can be removed from the internet they give it a digital fingerprint called a 'hash'. The hash can be used to find your image online even if it has been cropped or slightly changed.

Sharing just the hash with certain trusted companies and organisations, means that technology can be used to find online matches of the image - this is key to trying to stop it appearing in different places on the internet. Even though the hashes and images are shared with UK police, this is so that if they came across the image some other way, they'd know that you also reported it yourself. Report Remove was developed with the full support of the police and no one involved wants to get you into trouble for sharing the image so it can be removed.

Different companies use the hash in different ways. For example, if an illegal image match is found to have been shared by an online account holder, a company may decide to close that person's account as posting illegal images will be against the company's terms and conditions. If your image(s) are found on or are linked to your online user account(s) it may be possible for the company to associate your profile with the images.

The companies that take the hashes trust the Report Remove process, however if they have significant concerns that the person in the image may not be the person who was age verified, they may get in touch with the IWF to raise their concerns.

There are 3 organisations that help you report your image using Report Remove. These are Childline, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and also Yoti if you are 13 or older and choose to prove your age using ID. All of them have a responsibility to keep all of your personal information safe.

1. We'll ask you to choose your age range (under 13, 13-15, 16-17, 18 and over). If you're under 13, you'll go straight to step 3. If you're aged 13 or older, us at Childline will ask you if you have access to ID to prove your age. If you do, you'll be asked to visit Yoti. The only information we will share with Yoti is that you are wanting to prove your age to use Report Remove.

2. Once you prove your age using Yoti, you will come back to Report Remove on Childline. The only information Yoti will share with Childline is confirmation that you're younger or older than 18.

3. We'll then ask you to create or sign in to a Childline account. Then you'll go to the IWF website to share the content you want removed. Childline will only share the information below with IWF:

that you're younger than 18 (either confirmed by Yoti, or that you told us you are younger than 18),

the age range you selected at the start,

a unique number that is created when you use Report Remove.

4. After your report has been passed to the IWF, they will tell Childline if they were able to work to take the images or video down from the internet, and why. This is so Childline can let you know what happened. IWF may also tell Childline some information about what you reported, to help them know how best to support you and keep you safe. IWF will never share an image or video that you report with Childline.

Information you give to Childline
Any information you give Childline will always be treated carefully and in line with our  Privacy Policy. This means that any information you give us as part of Report Remove will only be used to help the IWF review your report and to keep you safe. This will include the age range that you select and a unique number that's created when you go onto the IWF website. We will not share any of your information with Yoti.
Information you give to IWF
The only information you will give to the IWF are the images, videos or URLs you report. There is space to add information such as where the image or video is on a webpage.

They will process this in line with their privacy policy.

Nude images and videos that IWF decide are illegal may be kept by the IWF for up to 2 years. This is because there is an agreement with the Police and CPS (Crime Prosecution Service), called a 'Memorandum of Understanding' (MOU). Illegal images are given a hash (a string of numbers that are like a digital fingerprint). The hash is shared with organisations such as technology companies who host online content, so that they can look for the image and take it down. The actual image is not shared with these companies. The image and the hash are shared with the police who store it on their Child Abuse Image Database. Any images or videos that they decide are not illegal may be kept for a maximum of 6 months for quality checking and any follow up questions. They will then be deleted. Sometimes, even if it's decided that the content isn't illegal, IWF can share the content URL with some industry members to see if they can take the content down.

If you report a URL (link to a webpage), and choose not to prove your age using ID, IWF will still check to see if the content is something they can take action on. If so IWF may share the URL with South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL), who are a charity who help people who have had intimate images of them shared online. SWGfL will never view the content on a URL that is shared with them. SWGfL send a notice to internet companies that host the webpage you reported, to tell them to take it down. This is because IWF can only send a notice to companies to take a specific webpage down when it is confirmed it is of a child. SWGfL can also send notice to take down content, but they do not need to prove it is of a child. This helps get your images or videos from even more places.

Childline will never see what pictures, videos or URLs you share with the IWF. The only information the IWF shares with Childline apart from your case number is whether or not they could take down your images or videos, and why, so we can let you know, as well as information about the image or video that you reported that will help Childline to support you and keep you safe.

Information you give to Yoti
You can choose to use Yoti to confirm your age if you're over 13. This may involve taking a selfie, so Yoti know it is you who are proving your age, and uploading a picture of some ID. Any personal data you send Yoti - like your photo, date of birth or address - is scrambled with a high level of encryption so that even if it was stolen, no one could use it to identify you. The only information Yoti shares with Childline is confirmation that you're under or over 18.

You can see Yoti's privacy policy here, and more information about their age portal here, which is what is used in Report Remove to prove your age.

If you're using the Yoti app, Yoti may use the selfie, month and year of birth you add to the Yoti app to improve its age estimation technology. You can opt out from this in the More> My Data> Biometric consent menu of the app.

There are lots of ways to get help with your report:

if you're having problems with Yoti, you can contact them directly in the app.

if you need any support with making your report send a message to Childline with the title 'Report Remove'.

Childline counsellors are always here for you and want to help. And you can  talk to them  about anything you're going through.
I have a technical issue, what should I do?

Try using your default browser and close private browsing if you're using the Yoti app.

See if you can log in to your locker and send an email to Childline explaining your problem and the team will be able to help.

Make sure the ID you're using is valid and in-date (not expired).

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Use Report Remove to remove a nude image shared online

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Advice for schools and organisations working with children and young people

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Advice for schools and organisations working with children and young people

Sexting is when people share a sexual message and/or a naked or semi-naked image, video or text message with another person. Children and young people may also talk about sharing 'nudes', 'pics' or 'dick pics'.

Children and young people may consent to sending a nude image of themselves. They can also be forced, tricked or coerced into sharing images by other young people or adults online.

Whether a child or young person shares an image consensually or not, they have no control over how other people might use or share it.

They may experience bullying or isolation if the image is shared around peer groups. Perpetrators of abuse may circulate a nude image more widely and use this to blackmail a child or groom them for further sexual abuse.

It's a criminal offence to create or share explicit images of a child. However the law is intended to protect children and not criminalise them. If sexting by a young person is reported to the police, they will make a record but depending on the circumstances they may decide not take any formal action.
> Read more about preventing online abuse and harm > Read more about harmful sexual behaviour

Training to help you respond to incidents

Our 3-hour CPD certified online course covers why children and young people may share nude or semi-nude images, the risks involved and what steps you need to take to manage incidents and respond appropriately. You'll learn about issues including consent, gender, additional needs and age variations, as well the latest legislation and guidance.
> Read more about Sharing nudes and semi-nudes training

Policies and procedures

Writing a sexting policy and procedures

All organisations must have a clear policy statement about sharing nudes or sexting. This should sit alongside and be embedded with your overarching safeguarding and child protection policy and your online safety policy. It should outline your commitment to raising awareness of the issues surrounding sharing nudes and supporting children who have been involved in sexting incidents.

You should also have clear procedures that detail the actions which staff and volunteers must take if a child makes a disclosure or if they have any concerns that a child has been involved in a sexting incident.

All staff and volunteers must be familiar with these documents and understand how to follow them. It's good practice to make them available to parents and young people - you might want to consider creating a young person friendly version.
> Find out more about writing a safeguarding policy > See our example online safety policy statement and agreement
Policy statement

Your sexting policy statement should set out:

what sexting is

reasons why young people might create and send nude or semi nude images of themselves

how sexting can be used to harm or abuse a child

what the law says about sexting

how your organisation will raise awareness about the issues surrounding sexting

your organisation's intention to respond appropriately to any incidents of sexting that might involve the children and young people you work with.

Procedures

There should be clear steps for staff and volunteers to follow if they have concerns about or become aware of young people sharing nude or semi-nude images or videos of themselves or others.

Your procedures should cover:

how to talk to and support children and young people who have been involved in a sexting incident

reporting concerns

assessing risk

how to take appropriate action.

Keeping children safe should always be the focus of any response to sexting incidents.

Your sexting policy and procedures should follow best practice guidance. More information about this is available in the Legislation and guidance tab.

Anti-bullying policy and procedures

Children and young people can also experience bullying, when nude or semi-nude images are shared around peer groups.

Your anti-bullying procedures should include information about how you will respond to bullying that takes place outside your organisation, but involves children who know each other through your activities. This should include online bullying, bullying that happens on the way to and from school, and bullying that happens in other public places.

Recognising and responding

Recognising concerns

Children and young people who are involved in a sexting incident might have:

shared an image of themselves

asked for an image from someone else

received an unsolicited image

shared an image of someone else

This may have happened with or without the consent of all the people involved. And children and young people may have been coerced or pressured into giving consent.

A child might tell you that they've been involved in sending or sharing nudes. Or you might hear or see something that is concerning. For example, you might notice a child's behaviour has changed or you might overhear a conversation that indicates something is wrong.
> Learn how to spot the signs that a young person is in an unhealthy relationship
Never wait for a child to tell you directly that they have been involved in sexting. You should follow your organisation's policy and procedures and make your nominated child protection lead aware of the situation as soon as possible.
> Read our practice example about responding to sexting
Talking to a young person who has been involved in sexting

If you're talking to a young person who has been involved in sexting, it's important to remain calm, reassuring and non-judgmental. Give them time to talk and check that you understand what they have said.
> Find out more about how to talk to a child who is disclosing abuse > Read our blog post about why language matters when talking about taking, sending or receiving naked or semi-naked images or videos
Gathering information

Your nominated child protection lead should take the lead on responding to incidents of sexting, working closely with your senior leadership team. They should also liaise with agencies such as the police or children's social care as appropriate.

They should talk to the young people involved, to find out what's happened, how they are feeling and what support they need.

Your nominated child protection lead should try to find out:

if it's an image, video or message

who sent it

who is featured in it

if there were any adults involved

if it's on an organisational or personal device

if it has been shared elsewhere.

Safeguarding and child protection should be the main concern of any investigation into a sexting incident and you should avoid criminalising young people unnecessarily (College of Policing, 2016). Police across the UK are unlikely to take formal criminal justice action against a child involved in sexting unless it is in the public interest. In England and Wales this has been formalised through the introduction of 'Outcome 21' which allows police to record that a crime has happened but that it isn't in the public interest to take formal criminal justice action. This means that if a sexting incident involving a young person is reported to the police, they will make a record but may decide not to take any formal action against the young person. Your local police force will be able to give you more information about this.

What to do with a sexting image

You shouldn't view any nude or semi-nude images. You should never copy, print or share sexual images of a child or young person (Childnet, 2016; UKCIS, 2020).

You should only search devices if the child is at immediate risk of harm. The Department for Education (DfE) provides guidance for head teachers, staff and governing bodies in England on searching electronic devices (DfE, 2018).

If devices need to be given to the police:

confiscate the device and call the police

disconnect it from WiFi and data

turn off the device (to avoid images being removed remotely via a cloud storage service)

store the device somewhere secure, such as in a locked cupboard or safe, until it is handed to the police.

(UKCIS, 2020)

Supporting children and young people

It's essential all children and young people involved in sexting receive ongoing support. You should also involve parents and carers, unless doing so might pose a risk to their child.

It may also be appropriate to make a referral to a counselling service or therapeutic support.
> Find out more about support for children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour
The NSPCC Helpline is available to anyone worried about a child.

Our Childline website has a range of resources for children and young people. Childline also provides free confidential support through online chat, phone or email.
> Look at Childline's age-appropriate information about sexting and sending nudes
Recording and reviewing

Your nominated child protection lead should make a written record of the incident and all the actions taken.

Following a sexting incident, your organisation will need to review what happened and how it was dealt with to ensure that you learn and improve procedures.

Reporting

If you think a child has been involved in sexting you should follow your organisation's policy and procedures and make your nominated child protection lead aware of the situation as soon as possible. Your nominated child protection lead should then make a decision about whether a child protection referral is needed.

When to make a child protection referral

A considered and detailed process should be followed when deciding whether or not to make a child protection referral about an incident of nude image sharing.

A child protection referral should be made if:

the incident involves an adult

there is reason to believe that a child or young person has been coerced, blackmailed or groomed, or there are concerns about their capacity to consent (for example, if they have a learning disability)

what you know about the image(s) suggests the content depicts sexual acts which are unusual for the young person's developmental stage, or are violent

the image(s) involves sexual acts and any child in the image(s) is under 13

you have reason to believe a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm due to the sharing of the image, for example if they are presenting as suicidal or self-harming.

If you think a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999.

If you think a child has been or is at risk of harm, but they are not in immediate danger, you should share your concerns. You can:

Contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk. Our child protection specialists will talk through your concerns with you and give you expert advice

Contact your local child protection services. Their contact details can be found on the website for the local authority the child lives in.

Contact the police if there are abusive or aggravating factors (such as evidence of grooming, exploitation or extensive, inappropriate sharing)

Inform CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command) if you think a child has been groomed or sexually abused online. You can report on their website.

Your referral will be risk assessed, and action taken to protect the child as appropriate; either through statutory involvement or other support.
> See our information about recognising and responding to abuse
If your organisation doesn't have a clear safeguarding procedure or you're concerned about how child protection issues are being handled in your own, or another, organisation, contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line to discuss your concerns.
> Find out about the Whistleblowing Advice Line on the NSPCC website
When you're not sure

The NSPCC Helpline can help when you're not sure if a situation needs a safeguarding response. Our child protection specialists are here to support you whether you're seeking advice, sharing concerns about a child, or looking for reassurance.

Whatever the need, reason or feeling, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk

Our trained professionals will talk through your concerns with you. Depending on what you share, our experts will talk you through which local services can help, advise you on next steps, or make referrals to children's services and the police.
>Find out more about how the NSPCC Helpline can support you
Getting an explicit image removed from the internet

To get a nude or semi-nude image removed from the internet you can:

report the image to the site or network hosting it

contact the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

encourage the child or young person to get in touch with Childline.

Young people under 18 who are worried that a sexual image or video of them may have been shared online can use Childline and IWF's Report Remove tool to see if it can be taken down.
> Find out more about how you can support young people to use Report Remove > See Childline's advice for young people on reporting nude images online
Parents and carers can find information on the NSPCC website that helps them understand the risks and support their child if they've been sending, sharing or receiving nude images.
> See our advice for parents and carers on the NSPCC website
Review and update your policies and procedures

It's important to review and update your policies and procedures following any incidents, to make sure they include any new information learned and current best practice.

Increasing awareness

Increasing professional and public awareness about nude image sharing

Raising awareness about sexting and how perpetrators of abuse can use nude images to harm children is important to help keep children safe. You can help do this by:

getting training

talking to children

involving parents and carers.

Get training

Anyone working or volunteering with children needs to be able to recognise the signs that a child may need help and know how to act on concerns.

Keeping up-to-date with what children are doing online will help you have relevant discussions with them.
> Take our online safety training course > Take our sharing nudes and semi-nudes training course > Learn more about developmentally appropriate and healthy child sexual behaviour and how to respond to inappropriate sexualised behaviour > Sign up to CASPAR to keep up-to-date with new developments in child protection
Talk to children

It's important to talk to children and young people about healthy relationships, consent, setting safe boundaries and the benefits and risks of the online world. Make sure they know who they can talk to if anything ever makes them feel uncomfortable.

When discussing these topics, it's important to be non-judgmental and listen to children and young people's views.

Use realistic scenarios and resources.

Use culturally-sensitive materials.

Use gender-sensitive materials to address gender-specific issues.

Work in small groups to help encourage open discussion, for example if an issue is gender specific.

Discuss sexting in the wider context of other issues such as sexuality, relationships, consent, body image, bullying and wellbeing.

Be sensitive to the needs of any children for whom the discussions might be particularly upsetting, for example those who have previously been involved in a sexting incident.

Use language that young people understand, and that isn't victim-blaming or dismissive (UCKIS, 2022).

> Find out more about promoting healthy relationships > Read our guidance on how to have difficult conversations with children and young people > Read our blog post about why language matters when talking about taking, sending or receiving naked or semi-naked images or videos > See our Talk Relationships elearning, lesson plans and helpline to help teachers deliver relationships and sex education
Support parents and carers

You can help parents and carers keep their children safe online by making sure they are aware of possible risks to their child and know what support is available if there's ever a problem.

The NSPCC website has information and advice for parents and carers on the apps, games and social media sites children are using.

This includes guides to help parents and carers make informed decisions about keeping their child safe online. There is also detailed information about sexting and why young people might send nudes and how they can talk to them about it.

The Report Remove tool can also be used to report if an image or video has been shared without permission and can help remove them from the web.
> Signpost parents and carers to information about online safety on the NSPCC website > Share our advice for parents about sexting on the NSPCC website

Legislation and guidance

Key legislation

What does the law say about sexting?

Creating or sharing explicit images of a child is illegal, whether photographic or AI-generated (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2023), and even if the person doing it is a child.

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each have their own legislation on the sharing of indecent images of children. There is also guidance to help professionals respond to sexting incidents.

Sharing indecent images of children

In England and Wales, the Protection of Children Act 1978 makes it an offence to take, make, show, distribute, possess (with a view to distribute) or publish an advertisement with an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph(an image made to look like a photograph) of a child.

Part 11 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence to possess indecent images of children (whether or not you intend to distribute them).

In Northern Ireland, article 3 of the Protection of Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 makes it an offence to take, make, show, distribute, possess (with a view to distribute) or publish an advertisement with an indecent photograph or pseudo‐photograph of a child.

In Scotland, sections 52 and 52A of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 make it an offence to take, make, show, distribute, possess (for any reason) or publish an advertisement an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child under the age of 18.

Legislation across the UK does not define the term "indecent", but information about this is included in prosecution guidance (see below).

Causing distress

Sometimes young people who have been involved in sexting have been blackmailed, tricked or coerced - the person who received their image may threaten to share it more widely if the child doesn't send them more images or money. Young people may also worry that if their relationship ends, the partner they shared their image with may share it to get revenge.

Across the UK, section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 makes it an offence to share private sexual photographs or films with the intent to cause distress.

In Scotland, Part 1 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 makes it an offence to disclose publicly, or threaten to disclose publicly, an intimate photograph or film of another person in order to cause them distress.

Sexual communication

In all UK nations, part 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 makes it a criminal offence to engage in sexual communication with a child (under 16). This includes communication that relates to sexual activity and communication for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification (for example, grooming for sexual abuse).

Investigating indecent images

If an indecent image of a child shows a sexual act, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 states that the police must investigate to find out whether a sexual offence has been committed and act accordingly. This applies across the UK.

Key guidance

There is guidance for professionals in different sectors on responding to sexting incidents. These refer specifically to sexual images or video content which is produced, shared by or in the possession of young people under 18. It doesn't cover sexual messages which do not contain imagery or the sharing of sexual imagery by adults. To clarify this, the guidance uses the term "youth produced sexual imagery".

Common themes across the guidance are:

children and young people should not be unnecessarily criminalised for sharing youth-produced sexual imagery

agencies should work together to share advice and information during investigations and help educate children about the risks of sexting.

Schools

In England, UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS), have produced guidance for education settings on children and young people sharing nudes and semi-nudes. The guidance includes:

information for all staff and volunteers on what to do if they become aware a child has been involved in sexting

advice for nominated child protection leads and senior leadership teams about how to respond to an incident of sexting

(UKCIS, 2020).

In Wales, the Government has also published guidance to support education settings in responding to sharing nudes (Welsh Government, 2021).

​The principles of best practice in these guidance documents might also be helpful for schools in other nations and organisations in other sectors.

Outcome 21

All incidents of youth produced sexual imagery which are brought to police attention should be recorded as a crime. However, in January 2016 the Home Office launched outcome 21. This allows police in England and Wales to record that a crime has happened but that it was not considered to be in the public interest to take formal criminal justice action. Crimes recorded under this code are unlikely to be disclosed on a vetting check in the future, although this cannot be guaranteed. Decisions about using outcome 21 should be taken by a senior and/or experienced officer.

Outcome 21 may be a good solution in cases where:

a young person's sexting was not abusive or persistent

there is no evidence of exploitation, grooming, profit motive or malicious intent

(College of Policing, 2016).

Although police forces in Northern Ireland and Scotland are not able to use Outcome 21, they are likely to avoid prosecuting children unless it is in the public interest.

Prosecutors

In England and Wales, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provides guidance about indecent and prohibited images of children (CPS, 2020). The CPS has also produced Guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media (CPS, 2018).

The guidelines on communications sent via social media state it would not normally be in the public interest to prosecute when sexual images have been shared consensually between children of a similar age; however prosecution may be appropriate in other scenarios, for example if bullying, grooming or child sexual exploitation are involved.

The Sentencing Council provides guidance about offence categories for the possession of indecent photographs of children (Sentencing Council, 2014).

In Northern Ireland, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) includes information about indecent images of children in its information about types of sexual offences (PPS, 2021).

Guidance for young people

The Home Office has published guidance to help young people understand the law on making or sharing indecent images of children and young people (Home Office, 2019). It explains the legislation around sexting in England and Wales, gives definitions of some of the commonly used terms and tells young people what to do if they stumble across indecent images of children online.

Advice for schools and organisations working with children and young people

Sexting is when people share a sexual message and/or a naked or semi-naked image, video or text message with another person. Children and young people may also talk about sharing 'nudes', 'pics' or 'dick pics'.

Children and young people may consent to sending a nude image of themselves. They can also be forced, tricked or coerced into sharing images by other young people or adults online.

Whether a child or young person shares an image consensually or not, they have no control over how other people might use or share it.

They may experience bullying or isolation if the image is shared around peer groups. Perpetrators of abuse may circulate a nude image more widely and use this to blackmail a child or groom them for further sexual abuse.

It's a criminal offence to create or share explicit images of a child. However the law is intended to protect children and not criminalise them. If sexting by a young person is reported to the police, they will make a record but depending on the circumstances they may decide not take any formal action.
> Read more about preventing online abuse and harm > Read more about harmful sexual behaviour

Training to help you respond to incidents

Our 3-hour CPD certified online course covers why children and young people may share nude or semi-nude images, the risks involved and what steps you need to take to manage incidents and respond appropriately. You'll learn about issues including consent, gender, additional needs and age variations, as well the latest legislation and guidance.
> Read more about Sharing nudes and semi-nudes training

Policies and procedures

Writing a sexting policy and procedures

All organisations must have a clear policy statement about sharing nudes or sexting. This should sit alongside and be embedded with your overarching safeguarding and child protection policy and your online safety policy. It should outline your commitment to raising awareness of the issues surrounding sharing nudes and supporting children who have been involved in sexting incidents.

You should also have clear procedures that detail the actions which staff and volunteers must take if a child makes a disclosure or if they have any concerns that a child has been involved in a sexting incident.

All staff and volunteers must be familiar with these documents and understand how to follow them. It's good practice to make them available to parents and young people - you might want to consider creating a young person friendly version.
> Find out more about writing a safeguarding policy > See our example online safety policy statement and agreement
Policy statement

Your sexting policy statement should set out:

what sexting is

reasons why young people might create and send nude or semi nude images of themselves

how sexting can be used to harm or abuse a child

what the law says about sexting

how your organisation will raise awareness about the issues surrounding sexting

your organisation's intention to respond appropriately to any incidents of sexting that might involve the children and young people you work with.

Procedures

There should be clear steps for staff and volunteers to follow if they have concerns about or become aware of young people sharing nude or semi-nude images or videos of themselves or others.

Your procedures should cover:

how to talk to and support children and young people who have been involved in a sexting incident

reporting concerns

assessing risk

how to take appropriate action.

Keeping children safe should always be the focus of any response to sexting incidents.

Your sexting policy and procedures should follow best practice guidance. More information about this is available in the Legislation and guidance tab.

Anti-bullying policy and procedures

Children and young people can also experience bullying, when nude or semi-nude images are shared around peer groups.

Your anti-bullying procedures should include information about how you will respond to bullying that takes place outside your organisation, but involves children who know each other through your activities. This should include online bullying, bullying that happens on the way to and from school, and bullying that happens in other public places.

Recognising and responding

Recognising concerns

Children and young people who are involved in a sexting incident might have:

shared an image of themselves

asked for an image from someone else

received an unsolicited image

shared an image of someone else

This may have happened with or without the consent of all the people involved. And children and young people may have been coerced or pressured into giving consent.

A child might tell you that they've been involved in sending or sharing nudes. Or you might hear or see something that is concerning. For example, you might notice a child's behaviour has changed or you might overhear a conversation that indicates something is wrong.
> Learn how to spot the signs that a young person is in an unhealthy relationship
Never wait for a child to tell you directly that they have been involved in sexting. You should follow your organisation's policy and procedures and make your nominated child protection lead aware of the situation as soon as possible.
> Read our practice example about responding to sexting
Talking to a young person who has been involved in sexting

If you're talking to a young person who has been involved in sexting, it's important to remain calm, reassuring and non-judgmental. Give them time to talk and check that you understand what they have said.
> Find out more about how to talk to a child who is disclosing abuse > Read our blog post about why language matters when talking about taking, sending or receiving naked or semi-naked images or videos
Gathering information

Your nominated child protection lead should take the lead on responding to incidents of sexting, working closely with your senior leadership team. They should also liaise with agencies such as the police or children's social care as appropriate.

They should talk to the young people involved, to find out what's happened, how they are feeling and what support they need.

Your nominated child protection lead should try to find out:

if it's an image, video or message

who sent it

who is featured in it

if there were any adults involved

if it's on an organisational or personal device

if it has been shared elsewhere.

Safeguarding and child protection should be the main concern of any investigation into a sexting incident and you should avoid criminalising young people unnecessarily (College of Policing, 2016). Police across the UK are unlikely to take formal criminal justice action against a child involved in sexting unless it is in the public interest. In England and Wales this has been formalised through the introduction of 'Outcome 21' which allows police to record that a crime has happened but that it isn't in the public interest to take formal criminal justice action. This means that if a sexting incident involving a young person is reported to the police, they will make a record but may decide not to take any formal action against the young person. Your local police force will be able to give you more information about this.

What to do with a sexting image

You shouldn't view any nude or semi-nude images. You should never copy, print or share sexual images of a child or young person (Childnet, 2016; UKCIS, 2020).

You should only search devices if the child is at immediate risk of harm. The Department for Education (DfE) provides guidance for head teachers, staff and governing bodies in England on searching electronic devices (DfE, 2018).

If devices need to be given to the police:

confiscate the device and call the police

disconnect it from WiFi and data

turn off the device (to avoid images being removed remotely via a cloud storage service)

store the device somewhere secure, such as in a locked cupboard or safe, until it is handed to the police.

(UKCIS, 2020)

Supporting children and young people

It's essential all children and young people involved in sexting receive ongoing support. You should also involve parents and carers, unless doing so might pose a risk to their child.

It may also be appropriate to make a referral to a counselling service or therapeutic support.
> Find out more about support for children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour
The NSPCC Helpline is available to anyone worried about a child.

Our Childline website has a range of resources for children and young people. Childline also provides free confidential support through online chat, phone or email.
> Look at Childline's age-appropriate information about sexting and sending nudes
Recording and reviewing

Your nominated child protection lead should make a written record of the incident and all the actions taken.

Following a sexting incident, your organisation will need to review what happened and how it was dealt with to ensure that you learn and improve procedures.

Reporting

If you think a child has been involved in sexting you should follow your organisation's policy and procedures and make your nominated child protection lead aware of the situation as soon as possible. Your nominated child protection lead should then make a decision about whether a child protection referral is needed.

When to make a child protection referral

A considered and detailed process should be followed when deciding whether or not to make a child protection referral about an incident of nude image sharing.

A child protection referral should be made if:

the incident involves an adult

there is reason to believe that a child or young person has been coerced, blackmailed or groomed, or there are concerns about their capacity to consent (for example, if they have a learning disability)

what you know about the image(s) suggests the content depicts sexual acts which are unusual for the young person's developmental stage, or are violent

the image(s) involves sexual acts and any child in the image(s) is under 13

you have reason to believe a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm due to the sharing of the image, for example if they are presenting as suicidal or self-harming.

If you think a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999.

If you think a child has been or is at risk of harm, but they are not in immediate danger, you should share your concerns. You can:

Contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk. Our child protection specialists will talk through your concerns with you and give you expert advice

Contact your local child protection services. Their contact details can be found on the website for the local authority the child lives in.

Contact the police if there are abusive or aggravating factors (such as evidence of grooming, exploitation or extensive, inappropriate sharing)

Inform CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command) if you think a child has been groomed or sexually abused online. You can report on their website.

Your referral will be risk assessed, and action taken to protect the child as appropriate; either through statutory involvement or other support.
> See our information about recognising and responding to abuse
If your organisation doesn't have a clear safeguarding procedure or you're concerned about how child protection issues are being handled in your own, or another, organisation, contact the Whistleblowing Advice Line to discuss your concerns.
> Find out about the Whistleblowing Advice Line on the NSPCC website
When you're not sure

The NSPCC Helpline can help when you're not sure if a situation needs a safeguarding response. Our child protection specialists are here to support you whether you're seeking advice, sharing concerns about a child, or looking for reassurance.

Whatever the need, reason or feeling, you can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk

Our trained professionals will talk through your concerns with you. Depending on what you share, our experts will talk you through which local services can help, advise you on next steps, or make referrals to children's services and the police.
>Find out more about how the NSPCC Helpline can support you
Getting an explicit image removed from the internet

To get a nude or semi-nude image removed from the internet you can:

report the image to the site or network hosting it

contact the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

encourage the child or young person to get in touch with Childline.

Young people under 18 who are worried that a sexual image or video of them may have been shared online can use Childline and IWF's Report Remove tool to see if it can be taken down.
> Find out more about how you can support young people to use Report Remove > See Childline's advice for young people on reporting nude images online
Parents and carers can find information on the NSPCC website that helps them understand the risks and support their child if they've been sending, sharing or receiving nude images.
> See our advice for parents and carers on the NSPCC website
Review and update your policies and procedures

It's important to review and update your policies and procedures following any incidents, to make sure they include any new information learned and current best practice.

Increasing awareness

Increasing professional and public awareness about nude image sharing

Raising awareness about sexting and how perpetrators of abuse can use nude images to harm children is important to help keep children safe. You can help do this by:

getting training

talking to children

involving parents and carers.

Get training

Anyone working or volunteering with children needs to be able to recognise the signs that a child may need help and know how to act on concerns.

Keeping up-to-date with what children are doing online will help you have relevant discussions with them.
> Take our online safety training course > Take our sharing nudes and semi-nudes training course > Learn more about developmentally appropriate and healthy child sexual behaviour and how to respond to inappropriate sexualised behaviour > Sign up to CASPAR to keep up-to-date with new developments in child protection
Talk to children

It's important to talk to children and young people about healthy relationships, consent, setting safe boundaries and the benefits and risks of the online world. Make sure they know who they can talk to if anything ever makes them feel uncomfortable.

When discussing these topics, it's important to be non-judgmental and listen to children and young people's views.

Use realistic scenarios and resources.

Use culturally-sensitive materials.

Use gender-sensitive materials to address gender-specific issues.

Work in small groups to help encourage open discussion, for example if an issue is gender specific.

Discuss sexting in the wider context of other issues such as sexuality, relationships, consent, body image, bullying and wellbeing.

Be sensitive to the needs of any children for whom the discussions might be particularly upsetting, for example those who have previously been involved in a sexting incident.

Use language that young people understand, and that isn't victim-blaming or dismissive (UCKIS, 2022).

> Find out more about promoting healthy relationships > Read our guidance on how to have difficult conversations with children and young people > Read our blog post about why language matters when talking about taking, sending or receiving naked or semi-naked images or videos > See our Talk Relationships elearning, lesson plans and helpline to help teachers deliver relationships and sex education
Support parents and carers

You can help parents and carers keep their children safe online by making sure they are aware of possible risks to their child and know what support is available if there's ever a problem.

The NSPCC website has information and advice for parents and carers on the apps, games and social media sites children are using.

This includes guides to help parents and carers make informed decisions about keeping their child safe online. There is also detailed information about sexting and why young people might send nudes and how they can talk to them about it.

The Report Remove tool can also be used to report if an image or video has been shared without permission and can help remove them from the web.
> Signpost parents and carers to information about online safety on the NSPCC website > Share our advice for parents about sexting on the NSPCC website

Legislation and guidance

Key legislation

What does the law say about sexting?

Creating or sharing explicit images of a child is illegal, whether photographic or AI-generated (UK Safer Internet Centre, 2023), and even if the person doing it is a child.

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each have their own legislation on the sharing of indecent images of children. There is also guidance to help professionals respond to sexting incidents.

Sharing indecent images of children

In England and Wales, the Protection of Children Act 1978 makes it an offence to take, make, show, distribute, possess (with a view to distribute) or publish an advertisement with an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph(an image made to look like a photograph) of a child.

Part 11 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence to possess indecent images of children (whether or not you intend to distribute them).

In Northern Ireland, article 3 of the Protection of Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 makes it an offence to take, make, show, distribute, possess (with a view to distribute) or publish an advertisement with an indecent photograph or pseudo‐photograph of a child.

In Scotland, sections 52 and 52A of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 make it an offence to take, make, show, distribute, possess (for any reason) or publish an advertisement an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child under the age of 18.

Legislation across the UK does not define the term "indecent", but information about this is included in prosecution guidance (see below).

Causing distress

Sometimes young people who have been involved in sexting have been blackmailed, tricked or coerced - the person who received their image may threaten to share it more widely if the child doesn't send them more images or money. Young people may also worry that if their relationship ends, the partner they shared their image with may share it to get revenge.

Across the UK, section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 makes it an offence to share private sexual photographs or films with the intent to cause distress.

In Scotland, Part 1 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 makes it an offence to disclose publicly, or threaten to disclose publicly, an intimate photograph or film of another person in order to cause them distress.

Sexual communication

In all UK nations, part 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 makes it a criminal offence to engage in sexual communication with a child (under 16). This includes communication that relates to sexual activity and communication for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification (for example, grooming for sexual abuse).

Investigating indecent images

If an indecent image of a child shows a sexual act, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 states that the police must investigate to find out whether a sexual offence has been committed and act accordingly. This applies across the UK.

Key guidance

There is guidance for professionals in different sectors on responding to sexting incidents. These refer specifically to sexual images or video content which is produced, shared by or in the possession of young people under 18. It doesn't cover sexual messages which do not contain imagery or the sharing of sexual imagery by adults. To clarify this, the guidance uses the term "youth produced sexual imagery".

Common themes across the guidance are:

children and young people should not be unnecessarily criminalised for sharing youth-produced sexual imagery

agencies should work together to share advice and information during investigations and help educate children about the risks of sexting.

Schools

In England, UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS), have produced guidance for education settings on children and young people sharing nudes and semi-nudes. The guidance includes:

information for all staff and volunteers on what to do if they become aware a child has been involved in sexting

advice for nominated child protection leads and senior leadership teams about how to respond to an incident of sexting

(UKCIS, 2020).

In Wales, the Government has also published guidance to support education settings in responding to sharing nudes (Welsh Government, 2021).

​The principles of best practice in these guidance documents might also be helpful for schools in other nations and organisations in other sectors.

Outcome 21

All incidents of youth produced sexual imagery which are brought to police attention should be recorded as a crime. However, in January 2016 the Home Office launched outcome 21. This allows police in England and Wales to record that a crime has happened but that it was not considered to be in the public interest to take formal criminal justice action. Crimes recorded under this code are unlikely to be disclosed on a vetting check in the future, although this cannot be guaranteed. Decisions about using outcome 21 should be taken by a senior and/or experienced officer.

Outcome 21 may be a good solution in cases where:

a young person's sexting was not abusive or persistent

there is no evidence of exploitation, grooming, profit motive or malicious intent

(College of Policing, 2016).

Although police forces in Northern Ireland and Scotland are not able to use Outcome 21, they are likely to avoid prosecuting children unless it is in the public interest.

Prosecutors

In England and Wales, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provides guidance about indecent and prohibited images of children (CPS, 2020). The CPS has also produced Guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media (CPS, 2018).

The guidelines on communications sent via social media state it would not normally be in the public interest to prosecute when sexual images have been shared consensually between children of a similar age; however prosecution may be appropriate in other scenarios, for example if bullying, grooming or child sexual exploitation are involved.

The Sentencing Council provides guidance about offence categories for the possession of indecent photographs of children (Sentencing Council, 2014).

In Northern Ireland, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) includes information about indecent images of children in its information about types of sexual offences (PPS, 2021).

Guidance for young people

The Home Office has published guidance to help young people understand the law on making or sharing indecent images of children and young people (Home Office, 2019). It explains the legislation around sexting in England and Wales, gives definitions of some of the commonly used terms and tells young people what to do if they stumble across indecent images of children online.

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how might a young person be involved in sexting

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Sexting: sharing nudes and semi-nudes | NSPCC Learning

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What schools and organisations working with children and young people need to know about sharing nudes, including writing a policy and procedures and how to respond to incidents.

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Requesting a Carers Assessment

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Carers Hub Brighton – information & support in Brighton & Hove

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An unpaid carer provides support to a partner, child, relative or friend who couldn’t manage to live independently or whose health or well-being would deteriorate without this help. This could be due to frailty, disability or serious health conditions, mental ill health, or substance misuse.

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how neurodivergence can impact the way people experience food!

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The Food Programme - Eating on the Spectrum - BBC Sounds

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Leyla Kazim hears how neurodivergence can impact the way people experience food.

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The council is supporting schools across Brighton and hove to become smartphone free to protect children and young people from the risks of early device use!

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Protecting children from the risks of early smartphone use

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We’re supporting schools across Brighton & Hove to become smartphone free to protect children and young people from the risks of early device use.

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Running for 8 weeks starting on Thursday 22nd January 2026 @ 11am; see attached CUES Flier for full details.

Book byemailing: jane.hale@brighton-hove.gov.uk

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Padlet Simon Talks flyer (parents-carers) - 2 October 2025

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BHISS CUES group - coping with uncertainty in everyday situations

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BHISS CUES group - coping with uncertainty in everyday situations

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Where to get advice on staying secure online and keeping your children safe online.

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What will happen to my body during puberty (boys)?

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How to take care of your body during puberty?

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Signs you are starting puberty as a boy:

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Signs you are starting puberty as a boy:

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Ambitious about Autism is the national charity for autistic children and young people. We stand with autistic children, young people and their families to champion rights, campaign for change and create opportunities.

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Active for Life Youth Club (for ages 11 to 16)

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A variety of different sports and games each week with opportunities for exciting and engaging activities with our friendly coaches.

Ability level: 1 (suitable for all).

Sessions only run during term time.

Different sessions every month

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Active for Life Youth Club (for ages 11 to 16)

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Extratime Holiday - Portslade Youth Scheme (11-18 years)

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Extratime Holiday - Portslade Youth Scheme (11-18 years)

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open to all young people with additional needs aged 11 to 18 years

the Youth Scheme gives young people a fantastic opportunity to spend the school holidays socialising and developing friendships

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Portslade Youth Scheme (11-18 years) - Extratime

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Portslade Youth Scheme is open to all young people with additional needs aged 11 to 18 years old including those whose 19th birthday falls during the scheme.

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Based at Extratime’s home in Portslade, the Youth Club is suitable for 14-25 year olds.

The club offers a wide range of fun and engaging activities for young people. As well as providing lots of organised activities the club enables young people to socialise together in a safe and supportive atmosphere.

12 pounds per session

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Based in Extratime’s home in Portslade, the Youth group is suitable for 12-25 year olds. The Youth Club offers a wide range of fun and engaging activities for young people.

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joint project between Extratime and Amaze.

Provide specialist care and support for young people with additional needs and disabilities to participate whilst Games Retro-Bution supply the equipment and knowledge around Gaming with a wide range of games & consoles

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SOAR Community Social Prescribing - Gaming Club (11-25 years)

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Gaming Club (11-25 years) - delivered by Extratime

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Teen's Social Skills Group (therapy group)

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Teen's Social Skills Group (therapy group)

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Age: teens

Hosted by: Jessica Valentine (Psychologist, PsychD, HCPC - Couns. Psych.)

Cost 30 pounds

Central Brighton

Verified by Psychology Today

A place where teens can meet, make friends, get support and learn how to socialise. This group is open to all teens with a speciality of neurodiversity.

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Teen’s Social Skills Group - Support Group in Brighton, BN2 | Jessica Valentine

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Teen’s Social Skills Group - Support Group hosted by Jessica Valentine in Brighton, BN2, 01273 110729, A place where teens can meet, make friends, get support and learn how to socialise. This group is open to all teens with a speciality of neurodiversity.

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For young people aged 14 to 25 with any kind of disability or additional needs.

Have a calendar on their page and groups are easy to join.

Call or text Jem Hadert on 07485 349659

Need to register with Amazing Futures

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Make friends, try new things, and be unapologetically you!

Our fun, friendly youth groups are for young people aged 14 to 25 with any kind of disability or additional needs.

For example: autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, mental health difficulties, or physical disabilities. It's fine if you don't have a diagnosis though.

You must live or study in Brighton & Hove or East Sussex.

Our youth groups are free to attend. You do need to book for each session you want to attend though, as there are limited spaces.

We play lots of games and do fun activities together. Some of the groups have specific themes, like boardgames, wellbeing walks, or running. Our groups are super supportive and friendly - a space where you can really be yourself.

We aren't able to offer one-to-one support at our youth groups, but if you're able to bring your own support worker you're very welcome to join us!

Coming up

Check out our events calendar to see what youth groups and activities are coming up!

Learn more about where we meet, including photos and accessibility information.

We sometimes like to do things to help our community, like volunteering at local events or building food parcels.

Everything we do is led by you - we plan future activities based on what you tell us you want. We can also support you to get your voice heard as a young person with a disability.

Talk to our youth workers or trained volunteers about what's going on with you. You can learn about our current volunteers and staff on our meet the team page.

If you have questions, or want to come along, get in touch:

I live in Brighton & Hove

If you're aged 18 to 25, why not volunteer with Amazing Futures? It's loads of fun, and a great way to improve your CV and gain new skills. Free training and hoodie provided!

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Amazing Futures youth groups - Amazing Futures

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Youth groups in Brighton and East Sussex for young people aged 14 to 25 who are disabled or have additional needs.

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For young people with SEND aged 14 to 25 in Brighton & Hove.

Different events in Brighton, hove and surrounding areas - all on events page

trained peer support volunteers at the groups too

Sessions are free, but spaces are limited; must be registered with Amazing Futures to attend (you can download a registration form)

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Get details of Amaze's workshops, courses and regular support groups for parent carers and young people with SEND.

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The Hummingbird Refugee Project - Global Social Club

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The Hummingbird Refugee Project - Global Social Club

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meets every Monday 5 - 7pm (except for bank holidays).

14-25 from around the city and around the world.

Free

Based at the BMECP Centre in central Brighton.

delivered in partnership with the Refugee Council and Pathways to Independence - so young refugees can meet more local people their age.

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Youth Club in Brighton: Make new friends at the Global Social Club!

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Global Social Club (GSC) meets every Monday. Our team welcome young people aged 14-25 from around the city and around the world. All young people welcome! Free.

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Summer Activities at Brighton and Hove Museums

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Summer Activities at Brighton and Hove Museums

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The summer holidays have started, and as six long weeks stretches out in front of parents across the country, Brighton & Hove Museums is here to help, putting on a a host of workshops, days out and activities to keep those little (and not so little) ones entertained!

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The summer holidays have started, and as six long weeks stretches out in front of parents across the country, Brighton & Hove Museums is here to help, putting on a a host of workshops, days out and activities to keep those little (and not so little) ones entertained!

From a new Dragon Trail to Creative Writing workshops and Puppet Making for young people, we're welcoming all ages into our venues which include the Royal Pavilion & Garden, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Hove Museum of Creativity, the Booth Museum of Natural History and Preston Manor.

Join in one of our free playdays at Hove Museum of Creativity or come and see our Day at the Beach display in Booth Museum of Natural History. Free entry for all.

There are a host of activities for older young people from 13-16 years with Puppet Making, Tie-Dye and Creative Writing some of the workshops on the menu. For younger children, we have a themed weekly Art Club at the Booth Museum and Hove Museum so you and your little one can have fun out of the house while someone else clears up the mess after!

And if we have a rainy day, why not visit the Royal Pavilion or the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery for a fantastic day out. We have special tickets for families and Brighton & Hove city residents plus our annual ticket allows you to visit every day for a year.

Introduction to Creative Writing at Brighton Museum
Thursday 1 August
11am-3pm £20, members £15, book in advance. Ages 13-16
Take inspiration from Rembrandts' Self-portrait at the Age of 34 in this workshop exploring self-image, through a series of inspiring, engaging and fun writing activities, games and exercises. You will be guided through each stage of the writing process and given the opportunity to celebrate the elements of ourselves that make us who we are, and to imagine a future adulthood where anything is possible.

More info and booking
No experience necessary. Please bring a packed lunch.

Introduction to Puppet Making at Brighton Museum
Tuesday 6 August
11am-3pm £20, members £15, book in advance. Ages 13-16
Join us for a beginner's workshop for young people interested in exploring puppetry skills and puppet making. Take inspiration from the many dragons in the Royal Pavilion, and explore puppet character design, learn a simple construction method, and experiment with puppet manipulation. Using all recycled materials, make your own rod puppet to take away.

More info and booking
No experience necessary. Please bring a packed lunch.

Play days - Hove Museum Garden
Sundays 28 July, 4, 11, 18 & 25 August & 1 September
Hove Museum Garden
12-3pm Free, drop-in. All ages
Pull up a picnic blanket and enjoy some outdoor games in Hove Museum Garden using our library of games to play with. With the Jaipur gate and Hove constellation on display, the garden is the ideal spot for a play date - picnic not included. Please be aware that this activity is weather dependent.
More information
Art Club at Hove Museum
Thursdays 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 August
10.15-11.15am, 11.30am-12.30pm & 2-3pm £6, members £5, book in advance. Ages 5-13
Each week take inspiration from the museum collection in our art & craft workshops. Join in with our theme or make your own artwork.
30 May - Toys through Time
1 August - Toys from the Past
8 August - Animals
15 August - Moving Pictures
22 August - Cartoon Characters
29 August - Toys of the Future

Children must be accompanied by their parent/carer.
More information
Creative Writing Club at Hove Museum
Fridays 16 & 30 August
10.15-11.45am £7.50, members £6, book in advance. Ages 8-13
Be inspired by our collections to create your own stories.
Children must be accompanied by their parent/carer.
More information and booking
Introduction to Puppet Making at Hove Museum
Monday 12 August
11am-3pm £20, members £15, book in advance. Ages 13-16
A beginner's workshop for young people interested in exploring puppetry skills and puppet making. Explore puppet character design, learn a simple construction method, and experiment with puppet manipulation. Using all recycled materials, make your own rod puppet to take away. All materials supplied and no experience necessary. Please bring a packed lunch.
More information and booking
Introduction to Tie-Dye at Hove Museum
Monday 19 August
10.30am-12.30pm £12, members £10, book in advance. Ages 13-16
Create a kaleidoscope of colour in this tie-dye workshop. Learn a variety of techniques to produce stunning, colourful effects on a tote bag and/or a pair of socks. This creative workshop will give you all the skills needed to transform plain fabric and create your own sustainable garments. No experience necessary. Tote bags and socks provided, but you are welcome to bring your own 100% cotton t-shirt.
More information and booking
Summer at the Booth - A Day at the beach
Saturday 22 June to 18 September 2024
Free admission, drop-in during opening hours. All ages
Get your sunglasses at the ready and join us as we celebrate summer at the Booth with our A Day at the Beach display. Take a closer look at animals and plants that you might see at the beach over the summertime.
More information
Art Club at Booth Museum
Wednesdays 31 July, 7, 14, 21 & 28 August
12.30-1.30pm & 2-3pm £6, members £5, book in advance. Ages 5-13
Each week take inspiration from the museum collection in our art & craft workshops.
31 July - Beneath the Ocean
7 August - Forest Animals
14 August - Strange and Unusual Creatures
21 August - Mythical Beasts
28 August - Flying High
Children must be accompanied by their parent or carer.
More information and booking
More news on our new Dragon Trail at the Royal Pavilion coming soon...

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Schools out! Roll on the summer holidays at Brighton & Hove Museums

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Schools out! Roll on the summer holidays at Brighton & Hove Museums

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Interactive booklet for autistic young people struggling with Self-Compassion who are getting seen by FISS-ASC.

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FISS-ASC YP Resource Pack - Self Compassion

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Interactive booklet for autistic young people struggling with Emotion Regulation who are getting seen by FISS-ASC.

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FISS-ASC YP Resource Pack - Emotion Regulation

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Interactive booklet for autistic young people struggling with Anxiety who are getting seen by FISS-ASC.

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Interactive booklet for young people (teenagers) in the service to get to know the team and learn about Autism and some of the things that the FISS-ASC service offers.

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Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

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Selective mutism (SM) is used as a term to describe children and young people (CYP) who are able to talk comfortably to some people, such as family members and close friends, but are silent or unable to talk freely when other people are present. There is no guarantee that CYP who have SM will overco…

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Is your child struggling to go to school?

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Is your child struggling to go to school?

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Schools Mental Health Service 2025

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Struggling to attend school parent sessions flyer

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Supporting children and young people with gender questions or distress and their sexual orientation for parents and carers

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Our website uses cookies. By continuing we imply your permission to use cookies as described in our Cookie Policy, our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice. Close

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For Parents and Carers

Are you a parent or carer who is concerned about the mental health of your child or teenager? Do you just want some hints and tips on parenting? MindEd for Families has advice and information from trusted experts and will help you to understand what problems occur, what you can do to best support your family, and how to take care of yourself. MindEd for Families is written by a team of specialists and parents, working together.

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Welcome to MindEd for Families, Children and Young People. We hope you like our new design. If you are a regular user you might find that some of the topics have moved, or the titles have been changed slightly. But we still have all the same great content, and we hope it will be easy to find what yo…

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Support survivors of sexual violence and abuse in Sussex.

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Survivors' Network is a registered charity that aims to reduce sexual violence and its impact on survivors' lives. We are a fully accredited member of Rape Crisis England and Wales and are the Rape Crisis Centre for Sussex.
We understand that a healing journey starts with a small step and are here to help you.

We know that it takes a lot of courage to seek help for the effects of sexual abuse. There is no right or wrong way to feel afterwards and there is no fixed time for recovery.

No-one ever asks to be raped or is responsible for the attack in any way.

We believe that with the right support you can heal from your experiences.

This website has more information about Survivors' Network and our services. If you can't find the information you need please contact us on 01273 203380 or email admin@survivorsnetwork.org.uk.

Our building is women-only on Monday evenings and all day on Thursdays.

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Welcome, we're glad you found us - Survivors' Network

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Survivors' Network is a registered charity that aims to reduce sexual violence and its impact on survivors' lives. We are a fully accredited member of Rape Crisis England and Wales and are the Rape Crisis Centre for Sussex. We understand that a healing journey starts with a small step and are here to help you.

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YMCA WiSE Project -  Child Sexual Exploitation Project

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YMCA WiSE Project -  Child Sexual Exploitation Project

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Supporting children and young people to stay safe

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YMCA WiSE works across Brighton and Hove, Surrey and East Sussex to support children and young people to stay safe in their relationships.

If you suspect anyone is in immediate danger, call the Police on 999. If a child or young person is currently at risk of significant harm from CSE, refer immediately to your local Children's Services.

Sign up to our Newsletter

Sign up to hear stories from our young people, chaplaincy reflections and the latest on our upcoming events, appeals and opportunities. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please visit our privacy policy to learn more about how we safely manage your data.

This website uses cookies, we assume you are OK with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. To find out more about how we use cookies and how to manage them, read our privacy and cookie policy. Accept Read More

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YMCA WiSE works across Brighton and Hove, Surrey and East Sussex to support children and young people to stay safe in their relationships. If you suspect anyone is in immediate danger, call the Police on 999. If a child or young person is currently at risk of significant harm from CSE, refer immediately to your local Children's Services.

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Information and Advice about Binding.

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What is binding?

Using a binder to reduce the apparent size of breasts.

What does binding do?

How long does binding last?

The effects of binding only last whilst wearing the binder.

How do I stay safe?

The health risks of binding are almost entirely unstudied and unknown, and are associated with a number of health problems.

Use of a binder is almost always accompanied by some undesirable symptoms, most commonly back, chest or shoulder pain, overheating, shortness of breath, itching (possibly due to fungal skin infections ), and bad posture. Rarer but more serious effects of binder use include scarring, swelling, rib fractures and respiratory infections.

Here are some things you can do that may reduce the risk :

Make sure your binder is the right size

Avoid binding for more than eight hours in a day

Never sleep in your binder

Take rest days where you do not bind as much as you can

If you start to feel pain, especially chest pain, take off your binder

If you suspect something is wrong, see a doctor as soon as possible

Never use "home made" binders made from elastic bandages, duct tape or plastic wrap

Only use binders from reputable brands. Ask others if you're unsure if a brand is reputable or not.

The full health consequences and degree of risk of binding are currently unknown as few medical studies have been carried out . Before binding, you should decide whether the benefits to you of binding outweigh these risks.

What should I be aware of?

Long-term binding for several years can effect skin elasticity, which increases the risk of complications if you wish to surgically remove your breasts with an operation like double-incision or periareolar mastectomy .

Are there other options?

Some people use specially-designed tape for binding, rather than a binder. However, the long-term safety of this is relatively unknown compared to using a binder. Do not bind with duct tape or any other kind of tape not specifically designed for binding.

Safer but less effective alternatives to binding are wearing a sports bra or multiple layers of clothing to hide your chest shape.

An operation like double-incision or periareolar mastectomy can permanently remove breasts, eliminating the need to bind.

How do I bind?

The safest way to bind is to use a binder. Binders are a tight, elastic type of underwear that compresses the chest into a different shape. This flattens breast tissue, making it less visible.

You can get different styles of binders depending on where you get them from and your needs:

Full length binders are in a tank top style. The compression is mainly in the chest area but there is some in the stomach area too.

Tri top binders are in a crop top style. The compression is in the chest area and the stomach area is left free.

Binders cannot be bought in high street shops and have to be ordered online. There are only a few UK stockists.

How do I put on my binder?

There are two main methods to put on a binder:

Pulling it over the head, like a sports bra

Turning it inside out, stepping into it and pulling it up over your hips

Which of these is the best method for you will depend on the shape of your body and the type of binder you have. If your binder came with any instructions, these might tell you the best method.

You may need to adjust your chest once the binder is on to get the flattest look possible. Make sure that the resulting fit is comfortable enough for you to wear it, and avoid stretching or creasing your skin.

How much will it cost?

Binders typically cost £25-50. Some retailers of binders serving the UK include:

Buying from abroad may incur customs charges.

If you are unable to afford purchasing a binder from these sources, you may also be able to obtain free binders from:

You may also be able to find other people in your area who are willing to donate a binder they no longer use.

References

Deutsch, Madeline B (ed.) (2016) "Guidelines for the primary and gender-affirming care of transgender and gender nonbinary people." Link

Point 5CC (n.d.) "Binding 101: Tips to Bind Your Chest Safely." Link

Peitzmeier, Sarah, Gardner, Ivy, Weinand, Jamie, Corbet, Alexandra and Acevedo, Kimberlynn (2017) "Health impact of chest binding among transgender adults: a community-engaged, cross-sectional study." Culture, health & sexuality, 19(1), pp. 64-75. Link

Yelland, Andrew (2017) "Chest Surgery and Breast Augmentation Surgery," in Bouman, W. P. and Arcelus, J. (eds.), The Transgender Handbook: A Guide for Transgender People, Their Families and Professionals, Nova Science Publishers Inc, pp. 251-264. Link

Errors and omissions

Is there something missing from this page? Have you spotted something that isn't correct? Please tweet us or message us on Facebook to let us know, or file an issue on GitHub.

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Using a binder to reduce the apparent size of breasts

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For anyone whose gender expression has been keeping them from swimming. Every Wednesday 8.00-9.00 pm at St Luke's Swimming Pool, Brighton.

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Trans Swimming Brighton. 888 likes · 19 talking about this. For anyone whose gender expression has been keeping them from swimming. Every Wednesday 8.00-9.00 pm at St Luke's Swimming Pool, Brighton.

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This guide is here to help you with some of the issues that many young people

experience from time to time.

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Discover what gender identity is, some of the words people use to describe their gender identity, and explore some of the myths and misconceptions about trans and non-binary people.

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A guide for young people.

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Do you want to explore how you are feeling or get some support or advice about your sexuality or gender identity? Check out www.allsortsyouth.org.uk

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A trans-led and trans-involving charity that works to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people.

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Gendered Intelligence is a trans-led and trans-involving charity that works to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people.

We imagine a world where diverse gender identities and expressions are visible and valued and where trans, non-binary and gender questioning people live healthy, safe and fulfilled lives.

We deliver a range of direct services, projects and activities to trans, non-binary, and gender questioning people, as well as a range of education, training and consultancy to organisations and individuals who are working to better their inclusive practices. We also engage with public policy and seek to influence legislation, the media, policy and research at a national level.

Our service areas are closely interlinked, with regular communication between staff. We believe shared learning provides a major benefit for all individuals who use GI services whether they are young people, family and carers, members of the public or professionals in their working lives.

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Gendered Intelligence is a trans-led and trans-involving charity that works to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people

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Scroll down to discover Autism related content under different headings!

For more, simply scroll horizontally to explore additional headings.

You can click on documents to open external resources.

Materials are partly from FISS-ASC and from other service providers (as referenced in individual documents and web links).

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Creating a Safe Digital World for your Child

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Creating a Safe Digital World for your Child

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Working with online safety experts, we're here to provide parents & carers with guidance, advice and support to keep children safe online | Internet Matters

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Our services are designed to give carers a well-deserved break while ensuring the safety, dignity, and independence of those they care for. We value privacy

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The Carers’ Centre for Brighton & Hove works with anyone who looks after a partner, family, member or friend because of ill health, disability or old age. If you live within the unitary authority of Brighton & Hove and are a carer (even if the person you care for doesn’t) then get in touch if you need information or support.

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Supporting Teenagers with Sensory Differences

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Supporting Teenagers with Sensory Differences

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Sensory Integration Education News and Blog

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Put yourself in the picture with our news and blog on sensory integration and sensory processing topics.

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The Know Yourself series offers free resources (videos, PDFs, worksheets) to support autistic teenagers in understanding what being autistic means to them.

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Who are we
m ASCot is a parent led peer to peer support network for families who have an autistic child/children or young person. mASCot brings families together and enables them to connect with others in similar situations as themselves.

We are all families from the Brighton and Hove area, but over the last couple of years our membership has spread more into East & West Sussex.

We all benefit greatly from being able to share our experiences and swap strategies and knowledge as well as provide many projects which benefit our families.

mASCot is a resource that is always available; there are many opportunities for families to learn, socialise, access therapies and to take part in activities that are all specially geared for our families with autistic children & young adults. mASCot is all about celebrating our wonderfully diverse families and allowing our children to be themselves whilst learning the skills to grow and thrive in the world.

What we are
We have evolved over the years and we now have over 1.4K members and our membership is growing daily and the areas we cover grow daily.

mASCot has a hard working group of Directors, and a committed sub-group of parents, all of whom have an autistic child/children or young adult, we are continually working hard to improve the services for our children within B&H.

We are continually planning new projects which include activities, talks, clubs, workshops and meet ups for our mASCot children and families. The best thing about mASCot is that we are all there for each other. We are all busy families, so we understand that having a place where we can share problems, solutions and advice is so important.

Being able to access a network of support whenever you need is amazing. Just being able to just share a story is great. There will always be someone to listen and be there for you in mASCot.

O n the mASCot website, the term ASC is used to refer to autism, many accompanying neurodivergent disorders come under this umbrella, such as Speech and Language disorders, behaviour disorders, Tourettes, DCD (dyspraxia), OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder), ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), ODD (oppositional defiant disorder), PDA (Pathological demand avoidance) and any medical conditions.

We also have a lot of our families whose children are diagnosed with more than one of the above conditions and some families who have more than one of their children diagnosed with one or more of the above.

mASCot welcomes any discussions on the forum regardless of which child or which condition. We believe in the holistic approach to supporting families.

ASCot works closely with the Local Authority, Services and Schools to raise awareness, standards and understanding of autism and the difficulties families face every day.

Families come to us with many stories of situations they have experienced and many worries about how their children's needs are not always being met.

We also hear stories of good practice and we are striving for this to become the norm in Brighton & Hove and that families become empowered to push and insist things change for the better.

For us at mASCot to be able to feedback to the many meetings and boards we attend we need to build up data of all the current, continuing and new issues that families are experiencing. We need to get feedback on what families are dealing with whether it's good or bad so we can build up a clear picture of awareness in Brighton & Hove.

If you have any feedback, however small it sounds, whether it's positive or negative, please fill in our Feedback form giving us as many details as possible by clicking the button below.

By becoming a member of mASCot you will have access to our private members only Facebook group and inclusion in all we do. You will become a member of a strong community that support each other and are there for each other.

We work hard to raise awareness and to promote the acceptance of Autism. We also work to inform and improve schools and services - to better provide what our families and our autistic children/young people need and are entitled to.

When you become a member, you will get much needed support but you also help strengthen the mASCot community by adding to our collective voice, as well as having access to all we do.

If you wish to become a member, follow the link below and send us your details. Once we have received your form we will join you up to our members only group.

All our main communication is done via our Facebook group, so if you haven't got an account please set one up.

Zoom meet ups

Coffee Mornings

Pub meets for adult time

Meet up in the holidays

Support and be there for each other

Groups and Clubs for the children covering many interests

Courses and training for parents

Guide with school issues

Become a vital community for families in an ASC world

Expand our knowledge on Autism so we become the experts on our children

Swap advice and ideas

Create opportunities for our children and young adults

Share success stories

Share info on the services available in B&H

Continually pushing to raise money to support our families

Become good friends

Signpost families to relevant places

Share problems

Solve problems

Online workshops

1-1 support sessions

Care about each other

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Who are we m ASCot is a parent led peer to peer support network for families who have an autistic child/children or young person. mASCot brings families together and enables them to connect with others in similar situations as themselves.

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ND is an abbreviation for a few terms that all relate to how our brains work.

neurodivergent - a way of describing people whose brains work differently in one or more ways from what is considered standard or typical (neurotypical).

neurodiversity - the idea that everyone thinks and processes the world differently and all perspectives deserve to be seen, valued and treated equally.

neurodevelopmental - the way the brain develops and works in everyday life; in the SEND world, this adjective is often attached to the words 'condition' or 'difference' to collectively describe conditions such as autism, ADHD and tics/Tourette syndrome.

You may also hear about the neurodevelopmental pathway or NDP. This describes the different steps that a child or young person goes through from looking into a referral to the diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions). It also includes those children and young people who are assessed but do not get a diagnosis.

The ND in our ND Family Support Service stands for neurodevelopmental, as we support families at any point on the neurodevelopmental pathway; before, during and after assessment and diagnosis for a neurodevelopmental condition.

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ND Family Support is for Sussex families with children on the neurodevelopmental pathway for conditions inc. autism, ADHD and Tourettes

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A short introduction video about our sensory videos.

Video transcript

Welcome to the Children's Occupational Therapy Sensory Processing Information videos.

We are children's occupational therapists working for the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.

Occupational therapy supports children and young people to participate in daily activities.

For example, self-care tasks including washing and dressing, activities in schools such as handwriting, or leisure and play activities such as sports and hobbies.

Occupational therapists know that sensory difficulties can affect a child's participation in the activities they need, want, or expected to do.

For example, having their teeth cleaned, attending social gatherings, or sitting still on the carpet in school.

The aim of our occupational therapy service is to enable parents, carers, and education staff to better understand a child's sensory needs and how to manage them, both now and in the future.

In the following videos, we will provide information and strategies to support children with sensory processing difficulties.

Alongside the videos is also a resource pack which includes many of the strategies we will discuss a s well as some additional ideas to support children at school and at home.

We recommend you watch the videos in order, but recognise you may want to do this over a number of sessions.

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Sensory videos - Introduction to Occupational Therapy sensory videos

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Explore our resources and additional information for patients of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.

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Traveling with kids can be tough no matter what. But sensory processing issues can add some unique challenges. These troubleshooting tips can help you anticipate sensory overload and avoid vacation meltdowns.

1. Bring a "sensory travel kit."

If your child has visual sensitivities or is sensitive to sounds, textures, or smells, you might have already found tools that help - things like sunglasses, earplugs, or fidgets. Fill a small backpack with the items your child uses. Keep it within reach in the car or on the plane, so your child can grab things even if your focus is elsewhere. Your child may also benefit from the " heavy work " of carrying a backpack.

2. Pack familiar toiletries.

While it's nice that hotels and family provide shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and towels, your child may be overwhelmed by the new textures, smells, or tastes. Pack the toiletries you use at home and towels you know your child will use. It's a simple way to make your child feel more at home.

For older kids, this may mean looking over the route, routines, and schedule for your trip. It may also mean talking about the sensory information they might encounter. For example, a big city can be loud even at night. Or it might have unfamiliar smells.

Younger kids may benefit from a pretend practice run. Make your home into an "airport" or "museum," and walk through what might happen there. Provide multisensory input, such as playing the sound of plane engines starting up, having your child drag a suitcase, or showing a video of planes.

You can also rehearse going through security with your child.

4. Stop for frequent breaks during car trips.

Sitting still for a long time in a small space can be hard for all kids. It can be especially hard for kids with sensory processing issues. Leave enough time in your plans so you can stop every few hours for a 10-minute break.

If your child needs quiet time, map out parks or rest areas along your route. If your child needs more sensory input, kick a soccer ball around. Or, if you stop at a service area, bring your child inside with you to pick out snacks for the road.

5. Give yourself extra time.

Schedule some extra time to get to the airport or your destination. It can reduce the chances that your child - or you - will feel overloaded by the stress of hurrying through a new situation. It may also prevent an anxiety-related meltdown.

And if at any point during your travel you're feeling stressed, don't hesitate to take a break for yourself. If you can stay calm, it can help keep your child calm, too.

6. Look for quiet corners during airport waits.

If you miss a flight or have a long layover between flights, the wait may be tough on your child. For some kids, the noise of airport announcements, people rushing to catch flights, and planes taking off may be too much.

Try taking a walk around the terminal to look for a quiet corner. Many airports also have activity centers, which your child might enjoy if they're not too crowded. And some airports are adding sensory-friendly rooms for travelers.

7. Be strategic in your boarding options.

Many airlines make accommodations for families that need extra support. Call ahead to see what can be done to help. Some airlines offer pre-boarding. But if your child might do better getting on the plane after everybody, ask if that's an option.

Other things to consider are arranging for aisle or bulkhead seating for some extra room and letting the flight attendants know your child may need a little extra assistance. Be sure to stress there's no danger, but that you want them to be aware.

8. Let your child get used to travel and vacation clothes.

If you're traveling to a different climate, don't forget to consider that your child may need time to get used to clothes for a different season. Let your child try on and try out bathing suits in the shower or bathtub to make sure they're still comfortable.

If possible, let your child choose clothing to pack. Many kids with sensory processing issues have distinct preferences. Sticking with familiar clothing for a trip means one less stressor to manage.

9. Bring familiar foods with you.

Be prepared if your child is sensitive to tastes and food textures or tends to get "hangry." (That's angry when hungry.) Your child may have trouble with what's available to eat at your host's home or the hotel restaurant.

Bring along familiar foods instead of asking your child to adapt to new ones. You may have to arrange to have a fridge in your hotel room. If you're staying with family or friends, you may want to provide your hosts with a grocery list and some money. Or you can ask for space in their refrigerator to store items you buy.

10. Follow the routine you use at home.

It's tempting to go with the flow on vacation, but a change in routine can be tough on many kids. Help your child go to sleep and wake up at the same time as at home. Follow the same rules. If jumping on the bed isn't OK at home, it isn't OK at a hotel or someone else's house.

Think about your child's regular rhythms, too. If your child gets cranky at night, you might want to finish the day's driving before dinnertime. If mornings are tough, you might want to avoid an early departure.

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Avoiding Travel Meltdowns and Sensory Overload

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Traveling with kids can be challenging, especially if your child has sensory processing issues. Here's how to keep the meltdowns to a minimum on your family trip.

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We have been developing tools and resources in Wales to help identify and engage young people at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).

Our work

Better Futures Cymru is a service that provides assessment and longer term therapeutic intervention services for children and young people with sexualised histories across Wales.

We know that building trust and establishing a positive relationship is crucial to any successful intervention. Research has shown that young people who are abused, exploited, or who engage in risky sexual behaviours often feel guilt and shame. They may feel defined by this behaviour - which affects their level of openness and willingness to engage.

We want to develop a trusting and non-judgemental relationship with the young person. From the start, we focus on problem free discussions and activities in order to establish a meaningful connection in which both participants feel valued and have worth in the relationship.

A high percentage of the children we work with have experienced significant trauma. That might be sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse or neglect. Our work takes these factors into consideration, and includes therapeutic approaches and techniques to address the issues that may occur as a result of these experiences.

In supporting young people to process their past trauma, we are able to allow them to develop healthy romantic and sexual relationships in their future.

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Resources to help identify and engage young people at risk of sexual abuse and exploitation

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We have been developing tools and resources in Wales to help identify and engage young people at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). Better Futures Cymru is a service that provides assessment and longer term therapeutic intervention services for children and young people with sexualised histories across Wales.

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If you have recently submitted a CYP self-referral form there may be a delay in receiving contact about your referral. We are working to resolve this issue and will contact you as soon as possible.

Who are we?

The CYP Wellbeing Service is the hub for all mental health referrals for young people in Brighton & Hove, including CAMHS. It is delivered by YMCA DownsLink Group.
Please note if the child/young person is currently in therapy, we will be unable to accept the referral, until that treatment has ended.
What do we do?

We offer a range of short-term support options for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health needs. All referrals are looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Children & young people aged 4-17: You'll find support options for this age group below. Referrals can be made using the forms on the right. There will be an option within the form if you wish to request an ASC or ADHD assessment from CAMHS. Please note that the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service serves as a referral gateway, but any questions regarding the ADHD/ASC pathway should be directed to CAMHS.

Young people aged 18-25: Click here to view the support options for this age group. Referrals can be made from that page.

Our current service offer

We currently have long waits of several months for therapy appointments in our service due to high levels of referrals. Unfortunately, waiting times for some specialist service offers can be up to a year. We therefore encourage people to make a referral as soon as possible.

We are currently offering appointments online via video calls with some face-to-face appointments possible where there is presenting need.

There will be a wait for your first appointment and we will be in touch as soon as one is available.

Unfortunately, due to service pressures, we are unable to hold people on the waiting list for specific appointments, such as after school or face-to-face appointments. Please note we do not have any late evening or weekend appointments.
Please be aware that our service policy is to offer everyone two alternative appointment times, and then to discharge from the service if the person is not able to accept any of the appointments offered.
Some young people are able to access a quiet room in school to be able to attend their appointment and we are happy to provide a letter in support of this if this would be helpful.

If you have questions about referrals or confidentiality, read our FAQs.

What kind of support is available for children & young people?

We have several support options available. We have also added some helpful resources for looking after your mental health on our Resources page.

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Support for Children & Young People (CYP) - Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service

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We all experience low points at times in our lives, and it's not unusual to feel sad, anxious, stressed or low in mood.

e-wellbeing is a digital wellbeing service for young people run by YMCA DownsLink Group. Our aim is for all young people to be able to access the right support and information around their emotional health and wellbeing, in the right place at a time that is right for them. By taking our short quiz above, we can help direct you to the right information and services to help how you are feeling.

If you'd like to get in touch, feel free to drop us an email at [email protected] .

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We all experience low points at times in our lives, and it's not unusual to feel sad, anxious, stressed or low in mood.

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Understanding treatment options can help you think about what treatment works for you. There are useful links/factsheets in this link on evidence based interventions with the following conditions:

Anorexia nervosa

Anxiety

ADHD

Autism

Binge eating disorder

Bipolar disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder

Bulimia nervosa

Conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder

Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder aren’t ‘flaws’ they are mental health conditions which can be supported

Depression

Obsessive compulsive disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Psychosis and schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

Self-harm

Substance misuse

Tics and Tourette's syndrome

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How do the evidence ratings work?

The treatment options for each mental health condition have a rating to show how much evidence exists to support each option:

Strong evidence - there is lots of high-quality evidence that some young people find this treatment option helpful.

Some evidence - there is enough evidence to indicate that this can be a helpful treatment option.

Emerging evidence - there isn't much evidence on this treatment option yet, but the research that has been carried out suggests that it could be helpful.

Insufficient evidence - there either hasn't been any research on this treatment option or there is a small amount of evidence with unclear conclusions.

Evidence of ineffectiveness or harm - there is either strong evidence that this treatment option is unlikely to be helpful or there is evidence that the option is likely to be harmful.

If there is emerging or insufficient evidence for a treatment, it doesn't mean that it won't help. It simply means that little scientific research has been done. At the same time, strong evidence for a treatment doesn't mean that it is guaranteed to help you. It does mean that it has been tried and tested and is helpful for many (but not all) young people who have tried that option.

I think I have more than one of these conditions, which page should I look at?

Many people have more than one condition and some can have three or four. The categories we use on this website overlap with each other. So if you have low mood, you are also likely to experience other emotional difficulties, such as anxiety. You should look at the pages for all the conditions you think you might have. Many of the treatments listed here work with a number of conditions at the same time. Other treatments focus on one problem at a time and your professional will usually decide which one of your conditions to address first.

How did you come up with these pages?

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes guidelines about how to treat mental health difficulties. The guidelines use the best available research evidence and cover mental health treatment for children and young people, so we looked through each of these as the basis for the 'Understanding treatment options' pages. If certain areas weren't covered by NICE guidance we used the most recent independent guidance on treatment options for each mental health condition.

As well as information about mental health conditions, 'Understanding treatment options' also includes information about certain neurodevelopmental conditions (such as ADHD and Tourette's syndrome). Neurodevelopmental conditions are not the same thing as mental health difficulties, but support is often available from child and adolescent mental health services. We have included this information to help you understand the support options available for these neurodevelopmental disorders and how you might be able to access that support.

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Understanding treatment options can help you think about what treatment works for you.

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Useful resource written by parents of ASC YP/children

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As an Autistic person and clinician, Autism Awareness month can be challenging because of the mis-representation and information. Here are my thoughts on autism awareness and acceptance.

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Celebrating Neurodiversity: Powers and Strengths of Autism - Leaf Complex Care

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Discover the hidden powers and unique strengths of autism. Uncover the extraordinary abilities that make each individual with autism exceptional.

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Self-harm Guide for Children and Young People

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Self-harm Guide for Children and Young People

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Free educational resource on children, young people, adults and older people's mental health. This is for you if you volunteer, work or are studying to work with infants, children, teenagers or adults. MindEd has e-learning applicable across the health, social care, education, criminal justice and community settings. It is aimed at anyone from beginner through to specialist. Suicide and self-harm prevention

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Cruse offers a triage service to adults and children in Sussex, who have been bereaved by suicide or possible suicide. They can assist with accessing emotional support, from those specialising in bereavement care.

Call on 07376 616628 or emailsussexbereavedbysuicide@cruse.org.uk and they will get back to you within two working days.

They can accept third party referrals, however if you are contacting about someone other than yourself, please ensure that you have their consent before calling.

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Free 24/7 text service text 85258

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24/7

You can text us any time, day or night.

Confidential

Your messages with us are confidential and anonymous.

Free

It is free to text Shout from all major mobile networks in the UK.

Get involved

Donations doubled in the Big Give Christmas Challenge

Simply support Shout's Big Give campaign by midday on 5 December, and your donation will be doubled!

Can you help us hit our match funding target of £50,000 and support a further 5,000 people this winter?

Find out more

Get help

Ways to cope with upsetting events in the news

If you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious or sad about what's going on in the news, know that you're definitely not alone. Here are some actions we can take to help us cope better through times like this.

Find out more

I think Shout saved my life tonight... no one has ever made me feel so safe, listened to and understood

Shout texter

GET HELP

Online resources and support

However you're feeling right now, you don't have to face it alone. We're here to support you with your mental health.

Take a look at our resources, information and support, find further help or reach out to one of our volunteers.

Resources for you

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Shout - UK's 24/7 Crisis Text Service for Mental Health Support

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Shout 85258 is the UK's first 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis. Get free, confidential mental health support anytime, anywhere. Text 'SHOUT' to 85258.

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Free 24/7 phone support 08000309500

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24/7 mental health telephone support and information service

Call and select option 2 or dial 0800 0309 500

The Sussex Mental Healthline offers listening support, advice, information and signposting to anyone experiencing difficulties, or who may be in crisis and in urgent need of help, with their mental health.

The service is free and is available to anyone of any age who is concerned about their own mental health or that of a relative or friend. This includes carers and healthcare professionals.

See below to find out more about this service or see our urgent help in a crisis page for additional support and information.

We welcome Text Relay calls and New Generation Text calls from hearing and speech impaired callers, on 0300 5000 101.

If you require support with physical health symptoms please call 111 and select option 1, and if your situation is a health emergency, please call 999.

What does Sussex Mental Healthline do?

Mental illness and distress can occur at any time and our service aims to support people when they need us. Through the Healthline we can provide advice, help and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Who will answer the telephone?

The Sussex Mental Healthline is staffed by a team of experienced operators. Although we are not a counselling service, all our operators will listen and help callers to identify and clarify their immediate problems and to explore ways of coping or suggest alternative avenues of help.

What sort of help do we offer?

Our operators can offer general advice regarding managing mental health issues and suggest tools and coping strategies.

We can give information about available mental health services, how to access them and details about a wide range of support and voluntary organisations, both local and national.

Will my call be confidential?

Calls will remain confidential within the services provided by Sussex Partnership. Electronic records are kept of all calls and calls are audio recorded.

In circumstances where a caller is expressing an immediate intent to commit a serious criminal act, endanger themselves or others, or when a child or adult is at risk, the Sussex Mental Health line will inform emergency services and local authorities as appropriate.

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Call and select option 2 or dial 0800 0309 500 The Sussex Mental Healthline offers listening support, advice, information and signposting to anyone experiencing difficulties, or who may be in crisis and in urgent need of help, with their mental health.

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E-wellbeing–Digital Service for Young People

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E-wellbeing–Digital Service for Young People

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e-wellbeing is a digital wellbeing service for young people run by YMCA DownsLink Group. Our aim is for all young people to be able to access the right support and information around their emotional health and wellbeing, in the right place at a time that is right for them.

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We all experience low points at times in our lives, and it's not unusual to feel sad, anxious, stressed or low in mood.

e-wellbeing is a digital wellbeing service for young people run by YMCA DownsLink Group. Our aim is for all young people to be able to access the right support and information around their emotional health and wellbeing, in the right place at a time that is right for them. By taking our short quiz above, we can help direct you to the right information and services to help how you are feeling.

If you'd like to get in touch, feel free to drop us an email at [email protected] .

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We all experience low points at times in our lives, and it's not unusual to feel sad, anxious, stressed or low in mood.

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The Stay Alive app is a pocket suicide prevention resource for the UK, packed full of useful information to help you stay safe. You can use it if you are having thoughts of suicide or if you are concerned about someone else who may be considering suicide.

In addition to the resources, the app includes a safety plan, customisable reasons for living, and a life box where you can store photos that are important to you.

"I have used this app with volunteers and service users across the UK and the feedback is consistently positive. People have used it when in crisis and say it is literally life-saving."
Suffolk User Forum Survey 2017

Are you thinking of suicide, or worried about someone else and don't want to use the app? Check our "Find Help Now" pages for:

Helplines

Websites

Other services

These can help when you are having thoughts of suicide or are in a suicidal crisis. They can also help if you are concerned about someone.

We believe there's no shame in reaching out for help if you are feeling stressed, depressed or experiencing suicidal crisis in some form. If you're not sure of who to reach out to in your community and don't want to download the app, some of the contacts on our "Find Help Now" pages could help. People who care are ready to help you right now.

View Find Help Now

New features

The Stay Alive app has been given a complete overhaul. It's packed with more resources, more tools, and more information to help you or those you are worried about stay safe.

Optionally create a StayAlive account that will allow you to synchronise your LifeBox and other content across multiple devices, including the new website at www.stayalive.app.

The LifeBox now allows you to add videos and other file types alongside your existing photos.

There's a new search facility in the Find Help Now section which allows you to search for resources, helping you find exactly what you need.

You can now share your Safety Plan, Wellness Plan, and Reasons for Living with family, friends, or anyone that may be supporting you.

Life-saving features

Quick access to UK national crisis support helplines.

Quick access to local crisis services across of the UK.

A safety plan that can be filled out by a person considering suicide.

A LifeBox to which the user can upload photos from their phone reminding them of their reasons to stay alive.

Safety contacts page.

Strategies for staying safe from suicide.

How to help a person thinking about suicide.

Wellness Plan for your recovery, a place for your positive thoughts, inspirations and ideas.

Suicide myth-busting.

Research-based reasons for living.

Online support services and other helpful apps.

Suicide bereavement resources.

All guidance and information within the app are reviewed and updated every 6 months to check all resources are updated and links are in working order.

The app is fully compliant with GDPR and international data management standards.

"This weekend I found the online support list and the keeping safe for now section helpful and made me feel less lonely. Unlike so many mental health apps yours is not patronising and doesn't claim to 'fix' anyone. No app will ever be able to fix me but yours kept me company during a very long, dark weekend. Thank you for that."
Anonymous, via Facebook

"[The app helped me help someone else to stay alive] by introducing and making clear the option of 'stay safe for now'. This was so helpful for the young person I was working with who felt as if she had no choice other than to try and kill herself given how hopeless she felt."
Anonymous, via online survey

"Aside from Breathing exercises, grounding techniques and lots of useful tips and contacts, it has a section called 'My Life-box'. Here I can add pictures that remind me of my reasons to stay alive. I uploaded a funny photo of Si, one of my Mum and Dad celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and one of Saagar and I, happy together. This is the next best thing to a friend sitting with me, holding my hand when I am down and out."
SANGEETA MAHAJAN, on her blog.

A life saving story...

"I have had the Stay Alive app on my phone for many months, I keep my safety plan updated on it and have read a lot of the content. This has been incredibly helpful for me, but it is in the event of crisis that I have found the app most useful.

A few months ago I found myself in a position where my thoughts of suicide were so strong and prominent, that I needed immediate help to avoid another suicide attempt. In previous moments like this I have not known where to turn for help and have instead begun turning suicide plans into actions.

Fortunately, when I was trying to think if there were options other than suicide open to me, I remembered that I have the app and that it might help. I was able to immediately dial through to a helpline using the crisis resources on the "find help now" section of the app and they were able to support me and keep me safe in the short term, until further help could be reached. They were also able to help friends look after me.

I think perhaps without the app and its ability to help me to find help, strong suicidal thoughts would have become another suicide attempt. I believe that it is a unique resource which I carry with me everywhere I go, which gives it an unbelievable scope to help."
Brighton resident

StayAlive in professional healthcare settings

The app is included on mental health patients' discharge paperwork at Brighton & Hove and Haywards Heath Accident & Emergency Departments

The app is pre-installed on a number of counselling service waiting room tablets

Sussex Police promote the app to staff on their intranet and also to community members on their public-facing website

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust promote the app to their staff and service users

A wide range of mental health practitioners (both clinical and non-clinical) and therapists are using the app in and/or between sessions with their patients and clients

A recent independent evaluation report (PDF) from the Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network showed the app helped 76% of at-risk users to stay safe from suicide. The upgrade and evaluation were funded by the Crisis Care Concordat - Beyond Places of Safety scheme from the Department of Health & Social Care.
Stay Alive: Qualitative Review and Opportunity Cost Model (PDF)

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Stay Alive App - Grassroots Suicide Prevention

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Stay Alive is a suicide prevention app for the UK, packed full of resources, useful information, and tools to help you stay safe or help someone else.

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Free 24/7 phone line call 116 123

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Every year, on 10 September, organisations around the world get together to raise awareness about suicide prevention.

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Free Online Suicide Prevention Training from Zero Suicide Alliance

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Free Online Suicide Prevention Training from Zero Suicide Alliance

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The Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) aims to empower, educate, and equip individuals and organisations to support suicide awareness and prevention. We offer free online suicide awareness and prevention training and resources.

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How to Talk to Your Child About Mental Health

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How to Talk to Your Child About Mental Health

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Giving our children and young people opportunities to open up is one of the biggest things we can do as parents and carers to support their wellbeing. It can be easy to forget the simple power of sharing what we're going through and feeling heard. But even though you can't fix everything when your child is struggling, you can make them feel seen and understood - and this in itself can make them feel more able to cope.

Talking about how they are, how their day has been and what's on their mind as part of everyday family life shows your child that you're interested in them and want to listen. It also supports them to practise thinking and talking about their feelings, helping them to get to know themselves and what they need.

But talking isn't always easy. You might feel like you don't know where to start, when a 'good time' is, or how your young person will react. Or, you might be worried about making things worse or saying the wrong thing. If this is the case, try to remember that your child doesn't need you to always get it right - they just need to know you're there.

Here, you can find lots of ideas, conversation starters and advice for making talking easier.

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How to Talk to Your Child about Mental Health

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Read our advice on how you can talk to your child about mental health and encourage them to talk about their feelings.

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This is a short series of self-harm and distress tolerance sessions delivered by Dr Pooky Knightsmith available to watch at any time for free with downloadable session notes.

The sessions include:

Self-harm: What to say and do if a child is self-harming

Self-harm: Working with parents and carers

Distress tolerance: Simple skills for managing crisis moments

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Self-harm and Distress tolerance sessions

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Partners across Sussex have jointly commissioned a short series of self-harm and Distress tolerance webinars for all school/college and non-school/college-based staff, governors and local

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This section looks at autism and self-harm and what we can do to help people who might be affected.

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Where to find the FISS-ASC Referral Form?

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Where to find the FISS-ASC Referral Form?

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Email spft.fissasc@nhs.net if you are a practitioner wishing to make a referral.

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What does this service provide?

Who we are

We are a multi-disciplinary team consisting of a specialist weight management nurse, dietitian, personal trainer, consultant paediatrician, and psychologist.

What we do

We work with children, young people, and their families to help them make positive changes to their eating and physical activity habits, which can result in them feeling healthier and happier.

Children and young people who are above a healthy weight are at greater risk of developing health complications in later life such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Our goal is to help children and young people to make healthy lifestyle changes so they can grow into healthy adults and reduce the likelihood of these health risks occurring.

We also aim to help children and young people with emotional difficulties related to their obesity, such as bullying, poor self-esteem and negative body image.

Making adjustments to a child's eating and physical activity habits can be very challenging for parents and carers. We aim to support families with setting personalised realistic goals, and we provide ongoing support with achieving those goals and overcoming difficulties.

Appointment information

Appointment types

We offer a variety of options, including face to face appointments, telephone, and virtual appointments.

Who you'll see at your appointment

Our team is made up of a specialist weight management nurse, dietitian, personal trainer, consultant paediatrician, and psychologist.

During your appointment you may see any one of the above-mentioned professionals or a combination in a multi-disciplinary appointment.

Preparing for your appointment

We provide a combination of behavioural, dietetic, and physical activity advice and manage children's and young people's health needs related to their obesity.

The first appointment is with our weight management nurse, dietitian, and personal trainer who will assess your child's needs and plan an appropriate support package for the family. The nurse is available to support you throughout your time with us and will regularly review your progress to ensure you are receiving the support you need.

Our dietitian will assess your child's diet and provide practical advice on making positive changes.

Our personal trainer will help you incorporate physical activity into your child's day to day life and build their confidence. The activities are tailored to suit your child's level of fitness and interests. The trainer will also keep you informed about Active for Life programmes in your local area.

You will also be offered an appointment with a consultant paediatrician if your child is significantly above a healthy weight and if any associated medical problems are identified. We will ask for the child to have a blood test to determine any possible underlying causes for the child's weight gain and to explore existing complications.

Our psychologist can offer support with addressing any emotional difficulties related to the child's obesity.

Our team will work with your whole family to set realistic, achievable goals, and support you with overcoming challenges and maintaining positive changes.

What happens after my treatment or therapy plan ends?

We will offer follow-up sessions and provide any onward referrals if they are needed.

How can I access this service?

We accept referrals for children and young people who live in Brighton and Hove, are between the ages of 5 and 18 (19 if they attend a special school), and weigh above the 91st centile.

We support children, young people, and their families who have been referred to us because of complicating medical, social, or developmental problems which make other weight management services unsuitable.

Any health care professional can refer a child or young person to our service.

Where can I access this service?

Please see the Child Development Services page for Child Development Centre addresses and opening hours.

Where can I find resources for this service?

Healthier families - website providing information, advice and recipes to help you live a happier and healthier life.

Children and Family Programme: Gloji Brighton and Hove - Brighton and Hove's Tier 2 Weight Management Programme.

FMG Project Youth Gym - Empowering Brighton's Young People Through Fitness

Friends and family test

Have you received care or treatment from this service? Please complete our friends and family test below to help us improve our services to you:

Contact details

You can contact PALS by the following:

Give feedback

Tell us what you think about our services, what we are good at, where we can improve, and what matters to you? All feedback will be shared anonymously wherever possible, but if you have any questions about this, please ask.

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The Waves Weight Management Clinic works with children, young people, and their families in Brighton and Hove to help them to make positive changes to their eating and physical activity habits, which can result in them feeling healthier and happier.

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Gloji Brighton and Hove: Free Service to support Healthy lifestyle

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Gloji Brighton and Hove: Free Service to support Healthy lifestyle

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In January 2024 weight management support in Brighton & Hove will be delivered by Gloji Brighton and Hove. For more information and support to make healthy changes please get in touch with the Healthy Lifestyles team at Brighton & Hove City Council either by phone (01273 294589) or refer online.

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Lose weight. Get active. Feel great. Brighton & Hove, let's go! We've teamed up with Brighton & Hove City Council to give you free access to today's best weight loss and healthy lifestyle programmes. Find your perfect programme Take our quiz to discover which of our weight loss programmes is your perfect match.

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Use this form to get support for yourself or someone else with:

healthy eating

increasing physical activity

reducing alcohol

stopping and cutting down smoking

losing weight

general wellbeing

Please start by entering your address, then you'll need to tell us:

your contact details

what you'd like support with

If you need help to fill in this form, you can:

We process, analyse and use your data in a range of ways to better understand what our customers need and to improve the way in which the council delivers your services.

Information provided in this form will be shared with healthy lifestyle services provided by or commissioned by Brighton & Hove City Council in order to offer appropriate support.

Find more information about how we use your data, and the organisations we work with to offer support, in our privacy and data notice.

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Sign up for support from the Healthy Lifestyles Team

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Sign up for support from the Healthy Lifestyles Team

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NHS Seaside View OT sensory video series covering a range of practical advice

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What does this service provide?

We are a team of occupational therapists, occupational therapy apprentices and occupational therapy assistants based at 5 Child Development Centres across Brighton and Hove and West Sussex.

Occupational therapists (OT) help children and young people under the age of 18 (up to 19 if in special education) to achieve or maintain their independence at home, nursery, or school. We assess and support the development of the skills children and young people need to carry out daily activities. These are called functional skills. Functional skill difficulties can significantly impact a child's ability to perform everyday activities. These can be due to physical, developmental, or sensory difficulties.

We recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers and the child's education setting to maximise a child's practical skills and independence.  This may include supporting the child or young person to carry out an activity programme that the service recommends or making sure specific strategies are included in their daily home and school routine.

We support children and young people to participate in everyday life in several ways, including:

participating in activities at nursery or school such as painting, using a pencil or scissors and sitting on the carpet

Advice may also include examples of how to change everyday tasks so that they are easier for the child or young person to do and suggestions for equipment to use to help them.

Types of services provided

Universal service

This is the first stage of support. Families and professionals are able to access our advice packs and video series via our webpage without the need for a referral. Please see the 'Universal resources' section further down the page for more details.

Services requiring a referral

This level of support is for children and young people who require a little more help or more targeted and specialist assessment and intervention. This may involve a time limited period of assessment, treatment or targeted advice, and may be provided within the home, clinic or education setting.  A referral is required to access this level of support.  In most cases we will require evidence that universal resources have been explored and strategies have been tried prior to making a referral.

Please see the referrals section below for further details.

How can I access this service?

We accept referrals from healthcare and education professionals, for children and young people under the age of 18 years (up to 19 if in special education) who live in Sussex and are registered with a Brighton and Hove or West Sussex GP.   You will find the contact details and forms for your local team in the 'Where to access this service' section.

Parents can "re-refer" if the child or young person has previously been seen by an SCFT Occupational Therapist within the last 12 months by contacting the service directly.

School aged referrals should include evidence of universal strategies already tried at home and within the education setting to address the areas of concern.  Universal support should be implemented for a period of at least 3 months (or one school term) prior to a referral being made.

Exceptions to this may include children with more complex physical needs or identified neurological conditions.

We accept referrals for children or young people who present with at least  three functional difficulties  that are impacting upon participation in everyday activities.

Making a referral

In order to avoid delay, the referrer should include evidence that universal strategies have been trialled prior to a referral being made. Exceptions to this may include children with more complex physical needs or identified neurological conditions.

For children with specific sensory difficulties, we ask that you watch the video series available further down the page and implement appropriate strategies for at least 3 months. If difficulties persist with no obvious improvement being made, then a referral to the service should be considered.

When a referral is accepted, an acknowledgement letter will be sent to the referrer and to the child's parents / carers.

Referrals will not be accepted if:

the referral is incomplete or there is not enough information to make a clinical decision

the referral reasons given do not meet the referral criteria for the Occupational Therapy Service

A letter stating why the referral has not been accepted will be sent to the referrer and to the child's parents / carers.

We are unable to accept referrals for the following:

Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) assessments

Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) Therapy

where the primary need is related to social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Please consider a referral to CAMHS or The Integrated Front Door For Families.

Please see links in the r esources section below.

Where can I access this service?

Once we've received the referral for your child, our team will contact you and provide you with the relevant contact information for your locality team. Further contact details for each location can be found below , please see the Child Development Services page for Child Development centre addresses , opening times and parking information.

Waiting times

We aim to see all patients within 18 weeks of receiving their referral

Crawley and Horsham

Crawley Child Development Centre contact details Hilltop Children's Unit contact details

Where can I find resources for this service?

Universal resources

The following resources are designed to provide support and advice for children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with practical skills that are affecting how they participate in everyday activities. The resources should be used as a pre-referral problem solving tool to ensure that strategies have been tried before a referral to Occupational Therapy is made.

These resource packs and the video series are intended as a guide only and a referral to our occupational therapy service should be considered if:

the need appears more complex, or the solutions offered have been trialed and there is no obvious improvement

the child has an identified neurological condition which may require more specialist support

the child has a degenerative condition, and their needs are changing

Additional resources

Brighton and Hove specific resources

If your child needs an assessment for changes to be made at home to help them be safe and more independent, as well as to organise equipment, this is delivered by a different service. They need to be referred to the  social care occupational therapy service for children .

West Sussex specific resource

Where the primary need is related to social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Please consider a referral to CAMHS or The Integrated Front Door For Families. Please see links below:

Additional support to address social, emotional and mental health difficulties is available via the following local services:

Children and young people who require a housing report or assessment for changes to be made to the home environment and/or equipment provision should be referred to the WSCC Lifelong Occupational Therapy Team.

Requests for an Education Health Care Needs Assessment should be directed to the West Sussex SEN Assessment Team.
Additional impartial advice and support.
Children and young people who are at high risk of or have experienced a breakdown in their educational placement should be referred to the Intensive Planning Team.

Additional advice to support Emotional Based School Avoidance is available to schools via the EBSA toolkit.

Children and young people who require a housing report or assessment for changes to be made to the home environment and/or equipment provision should be referred to the WSCC Lifelong Occupational Therapy Team.

This resource has been designed by the Community Occupational Therapy Team, to focus on the most common functional difficulties identified within mainstream schools.

Occupational Therapy for Children

This resource pack has been designed by the Community Occupational Therapy (OT) Team, with the aim of supporting parents and education staff to address children's occupational therapy needs at home and school.

Occupational Therapy for Children

The Occupational Therapy for Children Service has created a sensory video series, covering a range of practical advice. There are 18 short videos on different topics.

Video Occupational Therapy for Children

Friends and family test

Have you received care or treatment from this service? Please complete one of our friends and family tests below to help us improve our services to you:

Contact details

You can contact PALS by the following:

Give feedback

Tell us what you think about our services, what we are good at, where we can improve, and what matters to you? All feedback will be shared anonymously wherever possible, but if you have any questions about this, please ask.

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functional skills
life skills
occupational therapy

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The Occupational Therapy for Children Service helps children and young people under the age of 18 (up to 19 if in special education) develop functional skills to achieve or maintain their independence at home, nursery or school across Brighton and Hove and West Sussex.

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An activity to go through with your young person to think about and acknowledge their sensory differences

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Using Just Right in schools and at home as a tool to understand emotions