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This free community celebration is part of the Wild Gorse Hill Project and is a celebration of all things green and good in the Gorse Hill area. Hosted by Gorse Hill Studios Youth Arts Community, the festival will bring together local residents, community groups, artists, performers and organisations for an afternoon packed with music, creativity, nature and community spirit.

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Bee Counted is an inspection process where young people inspect health services across Greater Manchester. The aim of ensuring health services are responsive to the needs of young people by listening to their views and acting on them.

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Bee Counted is an inspection process where young people inspect health services across Greater Manchester. The aim of ensuring health services are responsive to the needs of young people by listening to their views and acting on them.

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UA92 Youth Fest – Summer Sports Festival

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UA92 Youth Fest – Summer Sports Festival

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Join us for 3 days of FREE sports, fitness and fun for young people aged 13–17!

Take on fitness and agility challenges, compete in football tournaments, race in the 100m, 200m and relay events, and enjoy games, prizes and great company.

📅 3–5 August
🕙 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
🥪 Free sandwiches provided
🎉 FREE entry

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UA92 Youth Fest Flyer 2026 Sports Festival

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Free Summer Drama Project for Young People (11–18)

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Free Summer Drama Project for Young People (11–18)

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Working alongside professional theatre-maker Chris Brown, participants will create an original performance exploring place, memory, belonging and change.

No previous theatre experience is needed, just a willingness to get involved, share ideas and work creatively with others.
To apply, young people should fill in this link  Come To The Place I'm From – Fill in form (or parents/carers/guardians)  or email me : george@gorsehillstudios.co.uk

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Fridays 16:30-18:30, free, no need to book.

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A club for dads in Trafford who have children with SEND.

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Perform at Gorse Hill Big Community Festival

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Perform at Gorse Hill Big Community Festival

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DJ's and Performers are invited to perform at Gorse Hill Big Community Festival, 29th August 2026. Contact katiemason@gorsehillstudios.co.uk for more information.

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Monday 27th July - Friday 31st July.

Come to UA92 for 1 week of free activities aimed at helping you to develop your skills and build your confidence.

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The timetable for Partington Youth Centre from April 2026.

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Youth Leads Civic Leadership Programme Greater Manchester

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Youth Leads Civic Leadership Programme Greater Manchester

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Our Youth Civic Leadership Programme is for young people aged 16–25 who live in Greater Manchester and want to step into the spaces where real decisions are made. If you care about education, justice, health, or the issues affecting your community, this is your opportunity to take action.

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Youth Civic Leadership Programme Greater Manchester - Youth Leads UK

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Navigating puberty and sexual development

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Navigating puberty and sexual development

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Resources for parents and carers of children and young people who have a learning disability.

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Navigating puberty and sexual development | NSPCC Learning

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Resources for parents and carers with advice, guidance and practical tips on how to support children and young people who have learning disabilities before and during puberty.

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1:1 mentoring for young people at risk of, or involved in violence

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As you get older your body goes through a number of changes, called puberty, and the speed of these changes is different for everyone.

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Puberty. As you get older your body goes through a number of changes, called puberty, and the speed of these changes is different for everyone.

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In some cases, early puberty or delayed puberty could be a sign of an underlying condition that may need to be treated.

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Puberty is when a child's body begins to develop and change as they become an adult.
Signs of puberty include girls developing breasts and starting periods, and boys developing a larger penis and testicles, a deeper voice and a more muscular appearance.

The average age for girls to start puberty is 11, while for boys the average age is 12.

But it's perfectly normal for puberty to begin at any point between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys.

There's not usually any need to worry if puberty does not start around the average age, but it's a good idea to speak to your GP for advice if it starts before 8 or has not started by around 14.

In some cases, early puberty or delayed puberty could be a sign of an underlying condition that may need to be treated.

Early puberty

Early puberty, also called precocious puberty, is when:

girls have signs of puberty before 8 years of age

boys have signs of puberty before 9 years of age

Some girls and boys may develop certain signs of puberty at a young age, but not others.

For example, girls may start periods before the age of 8 but have no breast development.

See your GP if this happens to your child.

Causes of early puberty

It's not always clear what causes early puberty. It may just be a tendency that runs in your family.

Occasionally it can be caused by:

Early puberty mostly affects girls and often has no obvious cause. It's less common in boys and may be more likely to be associated with an underlying problem.

Tests and treatments for early puberty

Your GP may refer you to a specialist if they think there could be an underlying cause that needs to be investigated.

Tests that may be carried out include:

Early puberty can be treated by:

treating any underlying cause

using medication to reduce hormone levels and pause sexual development for a few years

Treatment with medication is usually only recommended if it's thought early puberty will cause emotional or physical problems, such as short height in adulthood or early periods in girls, which may cause significant distress.

Delayed puberty

Delayed puberty is when:

boys have no signs of testicular development by 14 years of age

girls have not started to develop breasts by 13 years of age, or they have developed breasts but their periods have not started by 15

Causes of delayed puberty

It's not always clear what causes delayed puberty. It may just be a tendency that runs in your family. Delayed puberty is generally more common in boys.

Occasionally it can be caused by:

Tests and treatments for delayed puberty

Your GP may refer you to a specialist if they think there could be an underlying cause of delayed puberty that needs to be investigated.

Tests that may be carried out include a blood test to check hormone levels, a hand X-ray to help determine likely adult height, and an ultrasound or MRI scan to check for problems with glands or organs.

Delayed puberty can be treated by:

treating any underlying cause

using medication for a few months to increase hormone levels and trigger the start of puberty

Treatment with medication is usually only recommended if the lack of development is causing problems, such as significant distress.

Page last reviewed: 06 September 2022
Next review due: 06 September 2025

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Read about the signs of early or delayed puberty, what can cause it and how it can be treated.

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Your body goes through all sorts of changes in your early teens. Use the topics below to find out what to expect during puberty.

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Childline is a service provided by NSPCC Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH. Registered charity numbers 216401 and SC037717

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Family Help support is for the whole family; children, young people and adults. We recognise you know your family best and when one person is facing a challenge it can affect others, and sometimes there is a significant life event that affects everyone.

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Family Help in Trafford aims to make sure that services to support children, young people and their families are there when they need them. Family Help support is for the whole family; children, young people and adults. We recognise you know your family best and…

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Conflict between parents is a normal part of relationships and family life. Not all conflict is damaging, but when conflict between parents is frequent, intense and poorly resolved, it can negatively impact children’s mental health, wellbeing and development, irrespective of their age. Conflict can happen between parents whether they are together or separated.

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Conflict between parents is a normal part of relationships and family life. Not all conflict is damaging, but when conflict between parents is frequent, intense and poorly resolved, it can negatively impact children's mental health, wellbeing and development, irrespective of their age. Conflict can happen between parents whether they are together or separated.

Some factors may lead to conflict between parents such as:

Financial problems such as job loss

Alcohol or substance misuse

Transition to parenthood

Poor parental mental health

Children with SEND

Children starting primary or secondary schools

Parents separating or divorcing

* It should be noted that parental conflict and domestic abuse are very different. Where parental conflict is present there is no imbalance of power or no control over one person. There is also no perpetrator as there is in an abusive relationship, conflict usually occurs in equal measures. If your relationship or that of someone you know falls into domestic abuse you can contact Trafford Domestic Abuse Services by calling or texting 07534 066029.
How does parental conflict affect my children?

Understanding how children of any age can be affected by conflict between parents may be helpful in recognising when support may be needed.

Parental conflict can affect children in many ways and impact will differ depending on the age of your child. Below are just a few examples of how parental conflict may affect your child.

Emotionally - fearfulness & sadness, low mood, anxiety,

Behaviourally - poor soothability, increase risk taking, running away

Socially - verbal and physical violence, aggression, anti-social behaviour

Academically - poor early verbal communication, truanting, exclusions

Reducing Parental Conflict Support Services in Trafford

In Trafford we have a number of Relationship Champions. These are practitioners who have undergone training in Reducing Parental Conflict and the Greater Manchester Relationship Toolkit. The Relationship Champions are able to support families who are experiencing conflict using a range of tools and activities.

A number of practitioners have undergone this training from services across Trafford, these services are listed below. If you have a named contact for someone working in these areas you can contact them directly for more information / support, alternatively click on the links below for contact details / more information.

Health

Trafford Council

Schools

Voluntary and third sector organisations

Other

To attend the RPC training, please visit the TSSP training pages, or contact our Reducing Parental Conflict Coordinator, Kate Campbell for more details.

Useful Links

Below are a few links which provide information and support on how to maintain healthy relationships and how to recognise parental conflict. The links include tools and resources to help you manage parental conflict and where to go for any further support you may need.

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Trafford Directory | Reducing Parental Conflict

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Conflict between parents is a normal part of relationships and family life. Not all conflict is damaging, but when conflict between parents is frequent, intense and poorly resolved, it can negatively impact children's mental health, wellbeing and development, irrespective of their age. Conflict can happen...

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The Parent and Carer (PACS) project is dedicated to supporting parents and carers in Greater Manchester who are concerned about their child or worried they may be at risk of violence.

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The Parent and Carer (PACS) project, established in October 2023, is dedicated to supporting parents and carers in Greater Manchester who are concerned about their child or worried they may be at risk of violence.
As parents and caregivers, we all worry about our children from time to time, but when a concern is troubling you it can be difficult to know where to turn. We have listened to parents and our research shows that caregivers are looking for one-to-one support, peer support, advice and guidance when their child's behaviour is becoming a concern.

Request a call back or make a referral and a member of the team will arrange a face-to-face appointment to get you started.

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Oasis PACS is a support service for Parents and Carers that are concerned about their child or worried that they may be a risk.

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Spending time by the water can be fun, especially during the warm summer months. But it’s important to know how to keep yourself, and your friends safe.

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Spending time by the water can be fun, especially during the warm summer months. It’s important to know how to keep yourself, and your friends safe.

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Achieve Trafford: Substance Misuse Service

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Achieve Trafford: Substance Misuse Service

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Trafford Directory | *Achieve Trafford Drug & Alcohol ServiceDrug & Alcohol Recovery support in Trafford

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Trafford Directory | *Achieve Trafford Drug & Alcohol Service

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About our service Drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services in Trafford are provided by a range of different organisations with a wealth of background and experience. Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) is the lead provider.

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A Navigator will support the young person enabling them to develop coping strategies and establish a sustainable support network to enable them to move forward positively.

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The Navigator project was set up in April 2021 and is funded by the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit to support young people aged 10-25 years old in Greater Manchester that have been impacted by violence.

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Our needs-focused services empower victims and witnesses to cope and recover from the impact of crime and anti-social behaviour, by providing a range of support including emotional and practical guidance, advocacy and advice.

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Find services

We work with local authorities and other commissioners to deliver more than 120 public services that meet local needs and support individuals within our communities.

More information

Our impact

In 2020-2021, our teams made a difference in so many communities.

Featured news and resources

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We work with local authorities and other commissioners to deliver more than 120 public services that meet local needs and support individuals within our communities. More information In 2020-2021, our teams made a difference in so many communities. Featured news and resources

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Dedicated to supporting parents and carers in Greater Manchester who are concerned about their child or worried they may be at risk of violence.

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The Parent and Carer (PACS) project, established in October 2023, is dedicated to supporting parents and carers in Greater Manchester who are concerned about their child or worried they may be at risk of violence.
As parents and caregivers, we all worry about our children from time to time, but when a concern is troubling you it can be difficult to know where to turn. We have listened to parents and our research shows that caregivers are looking for one-to-one support, peer support, advice and guidance when their child's behaviour is becoming a concern.

Request a call back or make a referral and a member of the team will arrange a face-to-face appointment to get you started.

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Oasis PACS is a support service for Parents and Carers that are concerned about their child or worried that they may be a risk.

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National Child Criminal Exploitation Support Service

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National Child Criminal Exploitation Support Service

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We offer a free, confidential and anonymous helpline and support service for young people and family members that are affected by missing, county lines and criminal exploitation.

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Criminal Exploitation: Being forced, threatened and/or blackmailed into criminal activity for someone else. This includes drug dealing, carrying weapons, stealing or using a person's bank account to transfer money gained from drug dealing.

County Lines: A specific form of criminal exploitation set up by gangs and organised crime groups to transport and sell drugs from one area to another. This could be over short distances in your own neighbourhood or hundreds of miles across the country.
The 2018 Home Office Serious Crime Strategy states the NPCC definition of a County Line is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas [within the UK], using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of "deal line". They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move [and store] the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence and weapons.
Gangs will use a number of ways to build a relationship with a child and to build trust between them. This is called 'grooming'. Things can turn dangerous very quickly, when they start demanding the young person does things for them. This could include selling drugs to work off a 'debt'. This is often coupled with threats, intimidation and violence to force the young person in to doing what they want.

The risks of criminal exploitation

The risks associated with exploitation can include physical and emotional harm, violence, sexual abuse and exposure to situations that can leave young people extremely traumatized. Gangs might also threaten to hurt the young person's family or to tell their family about some of the 'favours' they've already done for the gang. This is to increase the fear the young person feels.

Gangs will often convince children that they are in debt to them through a practice known as 'debt bondage'.

This could be:

When a child will be set up and robbed of drugs by a member of their own gang and left believing they are in debt.

When a child is told that they owe the gang for all of the 'gifts' they have been given. This could be new mobiles, jewellery or trainers.

The child will often feel that they have no choice but to continue working for the gang for free until this 'debt' is paid off. In reality, the young person is unlikely to ever 'pay off' this 'debt' as gangs will usually keep adding to the amount, trapping the young person.

The indicators of criminal exploitation

A noticeable and often sudden change in personality, behaviour and moods such as becoming hostile, aggressive, secretive, unsettled, anxious, scared, depressed or controlling;

Disengaging from education, family and/ or their normal social life;

Periods of going missing - this could be for short periods or for days, weeks or months at a time;

Unexplained new items - sometimes called 'gifts'. This could include new expensive trainers, mobile phones, jewellery or clothes;

An increase in using their mobile phone with lots of messages and calls coming through as well as multiple phones;

Their attendance, behaviour or performance at school declining;

Spending time with a new group of older friends, or people you are never allowed to meet;

Returning home with rucksacks, boxes or packages that you don't recognise;

Unexplained injuries including bruises, burns or cuts;

Unexplained sums of money;

Coming to the attention of the police.

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are some of the most important indicators to show that something might not be right for your child. You may also have a 'gut feeling' that something isn't right. It's important not to ignore this, and to speak to someone about your concerns.

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National Child Criminal Exploitation Support Service

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We offer a free, confidential service for young people and family members who are affected by missing, county lines and criminal child exploitation.

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What is criminal exploitation?

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Everyone else

Look around

Criminal exploitation is illegal.

When someone is persuaded, coerced or forced into criminal activity in exchange for gifts, money, drugs, alcohol, reward, or status, they are being exploited.

Abusers manipulate their victims into taking part in criminal activity in different ways - grooming their victims with attention or gifts, or by using coercive, controlling behaviour, and sometimes force. The exploitation process can be incredibly subtle. Many young people who are being exploited care about the person exploiting them and do not realise they are victims. They may also be threatened with violence to themselves or their family. Adults can also feel this way, or feel they have no choice but to commit criminal acts.

As you travel around Greater Manchester, look around you. If you are worried that someone is being criminally exploited, ask them if they are ok (if it is safe to do so), or report your worries to a professional such as the British Transport Police, a teacher, a police officer, a conductor etc or call 101, or 999 in an emergency. You can also report your concerns to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Look out for interactions and situations which do not feel, or seem right to you. Our 'gut' feeling is usually a good way of us knowing something is not OK. If you see someone being forceful or threatening to a young person, seek help from a professional or intervene if it is safe to do so. Be curious to what is happening around you. Asking someone if they are OK can be the first step in helping them to seek help.

Keep your ears and eyes open. Is there a young person travelling during the day, when they should be in school? Are they on their own, or with a group of older people?

If you work or travel through a place where lots of children meet up is there any evidence of young people being offered drugs or alcohol? Is anyone being singled out and being 'dared' or made to do things they do not look comfortable with, this could be by their peers? Have you overheard young people talking about travelling long distance on their own, going 'country', or talking about 'trap houses'? Is there anyone actively approaching young people in a way which does not feel right?

If you see a young person who is not in school during regular school hours, ask them if they are ok.

If you see someone collecting a young person in a taxi or car during school and it does not feel right, try to take down the registration number and report it.

If you see a young person, or young people, frequently entering houses on your street that you know they don't live at, report it.

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Programme Challenger - Criminal Exploitation (Trapped)

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Criminal exploitation is illegal. When someone is persuaded, coerced or forced into criminal activity in exchange for gifts, money, drugs, alcohol, reward, or status, they are being exploited. Abusers manipulate their victims into taking part in criminal activity in different ways - grooming their victims with attention or gifts, or by using coercive, controlling behaviour, and sometimes force.

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Child criminal exploitation is a form of child abuse where a child or young person is forced or coerced to engage in criminal activity or commit any type of crime.

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Protecting children from child criminal exploitation | NSPCC Learning

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Increase your understanding of child criminal exploitation, and its potential impact as well as how you can recognise, respond and prevent it from happening.

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Rob Willcocks has produced another awareness video animation for parents and professionals, this time outlining the link between going missing and County Lines exploitation and drawing attention to the warning signs exploitation may be occurring.

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Talkshop is an advice, support and information centre for young people aged 11 to 19.

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Knives can be safely and anonymously deposited in amnesty bins across Greater Manchester.

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Support groups for parents:

SEND support group

Wellbeing support group

School avoidance support group

Dad's creative support

These groups run every 4 weeks up until further notice.

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Join Our Parent and Carer Support Groups

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Join Our Parent and Carer Support Groups

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Trafford has a rich history and heritage of parks and green space, rooted in the local urban character and providing a stage for a wide range of activities which both reflect and define the local culture.

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Bringing our local community together through sport and leisure, BeActive Urmston, formerly known as the George Carnall, offers welcoming, accessible and varied leisure, fitness and social facilities to people of all ages and abilities.

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Memberships | George Carnall Community Hub

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We have a range of memberships to suit everyone. Join Today!

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Easy ways to eat well and move more

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Make a change today! Discover healthy recipes, food swaps, nutritional advice, and top tips and activities to help the whole family stay healthy.

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We support a wide variety of activities at Trafford Leisure, for people of all ages and abilities.

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Skip to content

We support a wide variety of activities at Trafford Leisure, for people of all ages and abilities. Take a look at some of the activities on offer below.

Get the official Trafford Leisure app!

The fastest and best way to access our services.

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Activities at Trafford Leisure in Greater Manchester

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We support a wide variety of activities at Trafford Leisure, for people of all ages and abilities from gyms, fitness classes, swimming,

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Lancashire Cricket Club Community Programmes 

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Lancashire Cricket Club Community Programmes 

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PlayThe Lancashire Cricket Foundation currently engages in excess of 10,000 participants each year from local communities through the development and delivery of health, education, cricket development, and community cohesion projects, programmes and events.

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We host a huge variety of activities at the Sports Hall, some internally managed and others provided by visiting groups.

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All clubs and activities — Altrincham FC-CSH

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Situated on Moss Lane, at the home of Altrincham Football Club, the Community Sports Hall is a registered charity (#1154394), committed to providing a multi-use venue for sports, social and community based functions.

With huge local support in fund raising and donations from fans, companies and trusts, the overall £750,000 building project took just six months to complete, by local firm ‘McGoff & Byrne’.

The hall is open Monday to Friday 9.00am-10.00pm and at weekends for classes, home matches and private hire. View our timetable for all our current classes, activities and times as well as accomodating for private hire.

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We are committed to introducing rugby to people of all ages and abilities, igniting passion for the sport, whilst teaching vital skills, tackling inequality and uniting diverse groups.

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Manchester United Foundation Street Reds

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Manchester United Foundation Street Reds

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Street Reds offers free football and alternative activities for 8-18 year olds and opportunities to gain new skills and qualifications in a positive environment.

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Manchester United Foundation - Street Reds - Kicks - Manchester United Community Football

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Street Reds aims to use the power of football to offer young people the opportunity to pursue their interest in playing, leading and coaching the beautiful game. We offer free sessions and alternative activities to young people aged 8 -18, with the opportunity to learn new skills and work towards qualifications in a supportive and positive environment.

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Children and Young People’s Weight Management Service

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Children and Young People’s Weight Management Service

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We offer a six month ‘Children and Young People’s Healthy Lifestyle Programme’ to support children and young people to manage their weight and work towards a healthier lifestyle.

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The programme can include:

Menu planning and meal ideas

How to motivate the family to change

Getting a balanced food intake

Referral to activity schemes and other sources of support

Portion sizes

Mindful eating

Understanding food labels

And much more

The programme uses a lifestyle approach to weight management and is not a "diet". We do not focus on weight although we will ask to take height and weight measurements at some of the appointments.

To get the most out of the programme families need to commit to regular appointments and working on changes to eating and activity as a family - changing habits is not always easy but we are here to help and support you!

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Children and Young People’s Weight Management Service - Trafford LCO

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We offer a six month programme to support children and young people become a healthier weight.

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Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)

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Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)

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The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is a scheme funded by the Government and delivered by local councils, providing healthy food and fun activities to children and young people, with free places available for those on free school meals.

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What is HAF?

The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is a scheme funded by the Government and delivered by local councils, providing healthy food and fun activities to children and young people, with free places available for those on free school meals.

HAF is being delivered across the Easter, Summer and Chirstmas holidays in Trafford.

Both primary and secondary school aged children will be able to access sessions throughout the holidays, including provisions available for children with additional needs, at no cost to you.

The holiday clubs can involve helping young people get involved with new and enriching activities from sport to music, dance, drama, art, cooking and gardening, as well as improving socialisation, helping young people to have fun with friends during their Summer holidays.

Trafford Council is working with local schools, voluntary and community organisations, and childcare providers to provide the HAF programme. The free places are funded by the Department for Education.

Visit the government website for more information on the national programme: Holiday activities and food programme 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Who is it for?

This holiday provision is for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals.

Further information on eligibility for free school meals is available.
Universal infant free school meals
All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England's state-funded schools receive a free meal under the Department for Education (DfE) universal infant free school meal (UIFSM) policy.

Infant pupils who receive a free meal under UIFSM must also be eligible for benefits-related FSM to be able to access a place on the HAF programme.
Other children and families
Local authorities have discretion to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related free school meals but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF provision.

This may include:

children assessed by the local authority as being in need, at risk or vulnerable

young carers

looked-after children or previously looked after children

children with an EHC (education, health and care) plan

children who have low attendance rates at school or who are at risk of exclusion

children living in areas of high deprivation or from low-income households who are not in receipt of free school meals

children in transition phases between nursery and primary school or primary and secondary school

Christmas 2023 HAF Providers

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Trafford Directory | Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)

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What is HAF? The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme is a scheme funded by the Government and delivered by local councils, providing healthy food and fun activities to children and young people, with free places available for those on free school meals. HAF is...

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You can use your travelcard to travel for free for journeys on all bus services in Greater Manchester and on Bee Network buses that travel across the Greater Manchester boundary to your 25th birthday.

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Information about the Trafford Youth Cabinet

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Working together to transform children’s lives through Sleep and Therapy Services

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Welcome to Trafford Sleep Services (previously known as Sleep Tight Trafford), is a commissioned service provided by Trafford Council and is free for residents of the borough whose children have sleep difficulties.

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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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This service is one step you can take to help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before you were 18.

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This service is one step you can take to help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before you were 18.

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A resource that offers children, young people and parents advice and strategies to support the issues resulting from sexting incidents.

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Designed and Developed by Will Earp, South West Grid for Learning Trust Ltd

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A resource that offers children, young people and parents advice and strategies to support the issues resulting from sexting incidents.

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Parenting Groups for black, Asian and minority ethnic communities

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Parenting Groups for black, Asian and minority ethnic communities

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This ground-breaking project enables families to overcome the multiple challenges arising from family reunion following serial migration: reducing the likelihood of family breakdown, or the involvement of social services or the family courts.

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Family Reunion and Parenting Project | Just Psychology

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We design and provide early intervention and prevention services at a community level.

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Trafford Domestic Abuse Services (TDAS) is a registered charity.

We offer support to individuals and families living or working in the Trafford area who are suffering or who have suffered domestic abuse.

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Our core value of being 'Inclusive' means we support all victims of domestic abuse with our female and male accommodation and group work services delivered separately. We provide safe women only spaces in both our accommodation and group work programmes and safe male only spaces in our accommodation and group work programmes.

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Home | tdas | Trafford Domestic Abuse Services | Stretford, Manchester

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Domestic Abuse Support for adults, children and young people living or working in Trafford; including community outreach, advice, emotional and practical support. Accommodation services including refuge. Work with children and young people including prevention work with schools.

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School Attendance Difficulties and Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)

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School Attendance Difficulties and Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)

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Trafford Early Identification of Need Tool and Guidance

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Trafford's guidance has been developed to provide further information and support for children and young people who are experiencing school attendance difficulties and/or Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA), and to support their families, school staff and other professionals across our Local Authority.

What is EBSNA?

Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) is a term adopted by Trafford Council and a number of authorities to describe children and young people who have significant difficulties in attending school due to a range of factors.

EBSNA can start early on in a child's school life with minor to severe indicators but is often not identified until secondary school.

What can EBSNA look like?

Crying or pleading

Avoidance of getting up, get ready for school or leave the house

Preoccupied with worries about school related issues

Sleep difficulties

Frequent complaints of minor illness e.g., feeling sick, headache

Distressed and aggressive behaviours (usually at home)

Some children mask their anxiety and appear fine at school

At home, or at school, children or young people may display their emotional distress in a variety of different ways. It is also important to acknowledge that children and young people may present as being 'ok' whilst in school yet display a high level of distress at home. This can happen when a child or young person 'masks' how they feel in an attempt to 'fit in'. It is therefore important to listen to parental/carer concerns and what they communicate about their child's behaviours.

In line with the Working Together to Improve Attendance guidance, school staff should proactively use data to identify pupils at risk of poor attendance, this includes identifying those children and young people who may be at risk of school-related anxiety, and paying attention to any parental concerns.

Causes of EBSNA:

Research suggests there is no single cause of EBSNA. Instead it is thought to be an interaction of risk factors unique to your child or young person that can include:

special educational needs

social and communication difficulties

stressors from school

bullying or perceived threats of bullying

family and friendship difficulties

negative thoughts

This can lead to pushing children and young people away from school and pulling them towards home.

EBSNA is more likely to happen when "stress exceeds support". (Thambirajah et al 2008)

Early Identification and working together towards action is essential

Many of our children and young people who live and go to school in the Trafford area are struggling with high levels of anxiety related to attending school.

The need for parent carers, school staff and specialist services to work together has become even more important as children, young people and families try to adapt to the short and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

How can we support children and young people?

The Trafford EBSNA guidance document details the process of support that should be followed when a child or young person is identified as experiencing difficulties attending school (or as at risk of becoming persistently absent). This follows the Assess, Plan, Do, Review process, including:

1. Early identification of indicators of attendance difficulties.

2. Collaborative meeting between home and school to discuss and understand the child's needs. This should include the pupil's views and may also use the Early Identification of Needs Tool.

3. Create an individual action plan and implement. This may include reference to the Ideas Bank within the guidance.

4. Review and update regularly (e.g. every 3 - 4 weeks).

5. Refer to specialist services if required.

It is important that this cycle of support is completed promptly, and that the support and progress is agreed and regularly reviewed with the young person and their family. Further information around each area can be found within Trafford's guidance document.

Trafford's EBSNA Guidance Document

Trafford's guidance document has been developed to provide further information and support for children and young people who are experiencing school attendance difficulties and/or Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA), and to support their families, school staff and other professionals across our Local Authority.

The guidance is based on EBSNA research evidence and similar tools that have been shown to be successful in other local authorities. It includes:

An understanding of EBSNA and how to recognise those at risk

Children and young people's views and experiences of EBSNA

ADPR guidance for school settings, including action plan templates and tools to gain pupil views

Whole school approaches to promoting regular attendance

Ideas bank for support strategies

Who can help?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Example case studies of support

It can be downloaded here.

Trafford's Early Identification of Need Tool (EINT)

Trafford schools and services have also developed a Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) Early Identification of Need Tool (EINT) which aims to be a user-friendly but comprehensive progress document.

It is hoped that the EINT will help prevent families, children and young people reaching crisis point and before EBSNA becomes extremely difficult to change. It can be very effective in helping families and schools to quickly identify what risk factors and triggers might be contributing to a child or young person's anxiety and feeling unable to attend school.

The EINT can be the first but very important step in gaining a shared understanding of what emotional and practical challenges a child or young person faces.

This awareness could then lead to possible adjustments and available support being offered to the child, young person and families. This can go on to change the quality of your child or young person's school experience.

Information about writing and reviewing an action plan to improve attendance can be found in the guidance document, including ideas for support and reasonable adjustments.

What works?

Recent research from the University of Manchester has highlighted the successful use of these approaches in supporting children and young people to return to school following a period of anxiety (Corcoran, Bond and Knox, 2022):

Key areas identified as supportive included:

Effective home-school communications ¸ to ensure parent/carer concerns are heard and support approaches are consistent.

Positive relationships with school staff, were noted as key for students who successfully returned to school.

Awareness of triggers, understanding the push and pull factors to better support the young person before, throughout and after the school day.

Providing an individualised approach, tailoring the intervention to the specific push and pull factors identified by the young person and those around them.

Engagement with other professionals, when needed, seeking further specialist support to inform the assess, plan, do, review process.

Where to get help?

If you feel that your child or young person is struggling with anxiety and difficulties with attending school, then it might be helpful to complete the Trafford EINT with the support of Special Education Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENDCo).

The Trafford pilot EINT and Trafford Guidance Document can be viewed right here on the Trafford's SEND Local Offer.

Our guidance document contains a 'Who Can Help' page, with details of other services in Trafford who may be able to support you.

Trafford's Educational Psychology Service offer whole school training on EBSNA and school attendance, please contact either your link EP or email shannon.corcoran@trafford.gov.uk for further information.

What you can do to raise awareness of EBSNA

Be aware of the early signs of EBSNA (even in early years children)

Share your concerns with the class teacher, SENCO, relevant staff or service

Have a whole school approach to promoting regular attendance

Use the Trafford guidance and toolkit within your cycles of support

We all want our children and young people to enjoy the opportunities of being part of the school community.

There is a huge amount of research that suggests that children and young people who attend school regularly benefit from the experience of greater well-being and stronger social relationships. Also, in the long term they have an increased chance of achieving the qualifications and careers that can lead to job, financial security and better health.

Your Feedback

We are currently gathering your feedback on EBSNA support across Trafford. If you have a spare 10 minutes, please consider completing our form below to help us improve and develop our support in the future.
https://forms.gle/MT7HdkiNbhPSr1t46
- Article by Dr Rhonda Boaler and Shannon Corcoran, Educational Psychology Service

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Trafford Directory | School Attendance Difficulties and Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)

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Trafford's guidance has been developed to provide further information and support for children and young people who are experiencing school attendance difficulties and/or Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA), and to support their families, school staff and other professionals across our Local Authority. What is EBSNA?...

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On this page, you’ll find information to help you support your child or young person with bullying. We'll also help you take steps towards making sure the bullying stops.

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Bullying is any persistent behaviour that is intended to hurt someone. It can happen anywhere - including at school, at work, online or at home. Examples of bullying include name-calling, making threats, being violent or aggressive, spreading rumours and undermining, humiliating, excluding or pressuring someone.

While lots of young people experience bullying, it is an incredibly difficult thing to go through and can have a huge effect on your child's mental health and wellbeing. As a parent, it can also feel very challenging and worrying.

The important thing to remember is that it is possible for your child to get through it and feel okay again, and that there are practical steps you can take to address the bullying and its consequences.

While everyone is different, a young person who is being bullied may:

seem low or anxious

seem less confident in themselves

show signs of distress such as feeling upset, teary or panicky

avoid school or refuse to go altogether

often complain of feeling physically unwell

have outbursts of unexplained anger at home

seem withdrawn, isolated and wary of others

have few friendships

make changes in their behaviour, for example dressing very differently or suddenly doing new activities to meet peer pressure

act in a bullying way towards others

have unexplained physical injuries such as bruises or scratches

do less well at school

eat and/or sleep more or less than usual

use things like self-harm or drugs and alcohol to cope with difficult feelings

Underneath these behaviours, a child who is being bullied may be frightened or anxious, lonely, isolated, worthless, on-edge or desperate about the situation they're facing.

Tips for starting a conversation with your child

Read through the school's anti-bullying policy. This should set out how they need to respond and support your child. It is usually on the school's website, but if not, ask a member of staff to send it to you.

If your child is being bullied by peers from school but it's happening outside of school hours or online, remember that head teachers of state schools have the legal power to make sure their pupils behave outside of school premises - and that the school should still be involved.

Organise a meeting with your child's teacher or form tutor as soon as possible. Agree together on the strategies you will use to support your child and make sure the bullying stops. It's helpful to use your evidence log during the meeting if you have one. Take notes and then follow up afterwards by email to summarise what you've agreed, and to arrange another meeting for a few weeks' time to discuss progress and any next steps. Having an email trail of your communication with the school can be really helpful for making sure the school takes action.

If your child feels worried about you speaking to the school, reassure them that their teacher is there to support them and will want to make sure that the bullying stops.

If your child is worried about going to school or doesn't want to go to school at all because of the bullying, validate their feelings - for example by saying it's understandable that they feel this way. Even though the situation may feel stressful, don't shout, tell them off or physically force them to go to school - as this is likely to increase their anxiety. You can find out more about supporting your child in this situation in our guide to school anxiety and refusal.

If you are unhappy with the way a member of staff is responding to your concerns, escalate them to a more senior person - such as a more senior teacher, a deputy head, or the head teacher. If this doesn't work, you can contact the school governors (their contact details should be on the school's website), and lastly the Local Education Authority or the Academy Trust. If you're finding it difficult to get the school to engage with your concerns, it might help to talk the situation through with friends, family or other parents - so you can think together about what you want to say to the school.

A young person who is experiencing, or has experienced, bullying may struggle with anxiety, low mood or depression, or difficult feelings associated with trauma.

If you're worried about your child's mental health, there are different places where you can find help. Your GP, your child's school and considering whether counselling or therapy might help are good places to start.

You can find out more about speaking to GPs, finding a counsellor or therapist, accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), getting help from your child's school and finding local services on our guide to getting help.

School support with bullying

Wherever your child is experiencing bullying, it's helpful to be open with their school about what's going on and what support they need. Depending on their age, it may be important to make sure your child feels some control over the information that's shared about them - for example by discussing with them who they would feel comfortable for you to speak to.

The initial focus needs to be on making sure the bullying stops, and the school must adhere to its anti-bullying policy. In terms of other support, alongside counselling schools can often provide support such as drop-in chat sessions, mentoring, peer buddying and clubs and activities. Your child's school may also be able to refer them to local services that support young people with bullying.

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If your child is experiencing bullying, or you're worried they might be, read our guide on how to spot the signs and seek support.

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A group for fun activities, making friends, and a chance to share your voice.

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Fast forward is a free short course to help you on your journey to higher education.

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Fast Forward | University Academy 92 (UA92)

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Fast Forward is a free course to develop your confidence and boost your awareness of higher education and the routes to study at UA92.

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Join the UA92 Youth programme. Develop your skills, build your confidence and do something positive for you and your community.

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UA92 Youth | University Academy 92 (UA92)

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Join the UA92 Youth programme. Develop your skills, build your confidence and do something positive for you and your community.

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Encounter is a therapeutic offer based on the principles of Non-Violent Resistance (NVR), which explores ‘connection before correction’ and has proven to be effective even where a child has anxiety, ADHD, or Autism.  https://oasis-gm.org/pacs

Tuesday evening:    starting 8th September 2026.

Thursday evening:    starting 24th September 2026.

Friday morning:       starting 18th September 2026.

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The Parent and Carer (PACS) project, established in October 2023, is dedicated to supporting parents and carers in Greater Manchester who are concerned about their child or worried they may be at risk of violence.
As parents and caregivers, we all worry about our children from time to time, but when a concern is troubling you it can be difficult to know where to turn. We have listened to parents and our research shows that caregivers are looking for one-to-one support, peer support, advice and guidance when their child's behaviour is becoming a concern.

Request a call back or make a referral and a member of the team will arrange a face-to-face appointment to get you started.

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Oasis PACS is a support service for Parents and Carers that are concerned about their child or worried that they may be a risk.

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A link to the Gorse Hill Studios 'what's on' webpage.

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Younify is an early intervention project for 16-25 year old girls and young women struggling with lower level mental health challenges.

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Gorse Hill Studios has a counsellor available for fully funded Face-to-Face sessions every Wednesday evening and Thursday daytime.

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The service provides solution focused interventions and self-management to overcome barriers and achieve aspirations as part of a personalised approach.

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Facebook Twitter Old Trafford Wellbeing CentreSeymour GroveM16 0LNCentre open for general enquiries: Monday - Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm(Centre activities, 7 days a week, dates and times as listed below)Email: reception@bluescisupport.org.

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Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN) 

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Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN) 

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Growing up with experience of the care system can be a challenge. We believe all young people with care experience should be valued.

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Cared-for young people and care leavers - GMYN

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GMYN has been helping young people aged 10-25 since 2012 through programmes to build social skills, encourage positive wellbeing, develop self-esteem and

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The Money Advice Referral Tool (MART) has been developed to boost household income and financial resilience by getting more money into people’s pockets, and helping them access the support they are entitled to.

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Find resources and services in Trafford to help you and your family make the most of your money.

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Find resources and services in Trafford to help you and your family make the most of your money.

Government's Help for Households

Energy Price Guarantee - GOV.UK the UK Government sets out in this page who will continue to recieve the Energy Price Guarantee discount as of 1 July 2023, and how.

Cost of Living Payments 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK is continuing for those who are eligible, such as households on certain low-income benefits like Universal Credit, Income Support, Pension Credit and Child Tax Credit. This is up to 5 payments to help with the cost of living.

Local sources of help

Trafford Assist is the Council's local welfare assistance scheme to help low income residents in short-term acute financial difficulties. Eligible households may qualify for emergency help with food, energy and water bills, essential travel expenses, white goods and furniture.

Digital Trafford - Free SIM cards, discounted Broadband, borrow a Laptop or other devices, digital drops ins and digital champions to help keep you connected as well as free courses from entry level courses to career boosting skills.

Help with money matters - getting help with debts, making the most of your money, where to get benefits advice and help with energy bills.

Support with food - food banks and community grocery schemes, plus help available from supermarkets and Free School Meals.

School uniform costs - including grants to pay for new items of school uniform, or places offering preloved clothes, shoes and kits.

The Money Advice Referral Tool (MART) has been developed to boost household income and financial resilience by getting more money into people's pockets, and helping them access the support they are entitled to.

Community Response Hubs

There are 6 Community Response Hubs located in Trafford.

They are on hand to provide a range of support to the communities they serve, including help with the cost of living resources, improving skills, mental wellbeing and physical health as well as help to become more socially connected and feel less isolated.

They will listen to you to understand your situation and give you information and advice that may help.

Altrincham
The Hub
We run a free community meal each Wednesday evening and we can issue food bank vouchers from the Trussel Trust.

We also run a Community Cupboard for anyone who may need a little extra help with grocery supplies. Every Friday, 10am you can help yourself to some store cupboard staples. First come, first serve. Don't forget to bring your own carrier bags if possible.

Citizens Advice run a drop-in each Wednesday morning and afternoon.

Stretford
St John's Centre
Can provide emergency food parcels, referrals to food banks and clothing banks, referrals to Trafford Assist for financial help, access to household support fund and fuel vouchers.

Citizens Advice provide a drop-in service every Tuesday. We can also provide free SIM cards from the online centres network.

Partington
Hope Centre
Our Hope Store Pantry is available to all local residents via a membership. We stock a wide range of basic essentials and you can pay £3.50 for a bag of shopping, or £5 if there are more than 3 people in your house and you need a bigger bag.

We can also provide referrals for food bank vouchers and kids packed lunches through some school holidays.

Citizens Advice provide a drop-in service every Monday. We can also provide emergency support to help those who find themselves in difficult financial situations and are unable to access Trafford Assist support first. We can provide free SIM cards from the National Databank.

Sale
Our Sale West
Contact the Sale Hub about access to food bank vouchers, food parcels or other food support from The Bread & Butter Thing and Foodshare as well as emergency financial assistance, clothing support and energy top-ups.

We can provide budget and debt advice as well as help with referrals to other support. We provide digital device loans.

Stretford
Stretford Public Hall
Our Stretford Community Hub coordinator can refer residents to Stretford food bank, other food support and household support fund.

We have a free community cafe and community activities. We can help you if you are in need of emergency financial assistance.

Citizens Advice are resident at our hub on Tuesdays.

Urmston
Age UK Urmston Community Hub and West VCFSE Collective
Our community hub services are for all age.

Can refer to food banks and provide emergency food support. Help with energy top-ups. Access to household support fund and referrals to Trafford Assists.

Citizens Advice can be booked via appointment and are at our community hub on a Friday.

Citizens Advice Trafford

Citzens Advice offer Face to Face sessions across Trafford.

Monday

Partington Library Drop in 10am-1pm

The Hope Centre at The Hideaway Partington Drop in 1.30pm-3.30pm

Tuesday

Stretford Public Hall Drop in 9.30am-3pm

St John's Centre (Old Trafford)- Drop in 9.30am - 3.30pm

Wednesday

Altrincham Hub Drop in 9.30am-3.30pm

Thursday

Sale West Community Centre Drop in 9.30am-3.30pm

Friday

Urmston Library Drop in 10.00am to 4pm

Urmston AgeUK Appointment only

You can also give them a call on 0808 278 7803, their phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8:30am 5:30pm. All calls are free of charge.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

There are lots of organisations that offer mental health support, both locally and nationally. You might need different types of support at different times in your life. Sometimes it might just be about getting a bit of advice or sometimes problems are more serious or don't get better with self-help.

Not what you're looking for?

Find services in Trafford to help with:

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Trafford Directory | Cost of living help and resources

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Find resources and services in Trafford to help you and your family make the most of your money. Government's Help for Households Energy Price Guarantee - GOV.UK the UK Government sets out in this page who will continue to recieve the Energy Price Guarantee...

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The scheme helps provide financial assistance towards:

purchasing emergency food

emergency gas and electricity

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Care leavers | Trafford CouncilJust because you are leaving care, or have already left care, doesn’t mean we’ve stopped caring about you. Our aim is to make sure that you feel safe and supported and know where you can get help and advice.

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Fearless is a site where you can access non-judgemental information and advice about crime and criminality.

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Give information about crime 100% anonymously | Fearless | Crimestoppers

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Fearless has launched a new campaign to keep teenagers across Scotland safe this autumn. Focusing on Halloween and Bonfire Night, the charity's pro-social behaviour messaging provides teens with information on how to stay safe and look out for their local community.

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We are always looking to add to and improve our Padlet's, please follow this link to a short questionnaire to provide feedback and suggestions for improvements.

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11- 25 Padlet Questionnaire - Trafford Council’s Citizen Space - Citizen Space

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Find and participate in consultations run by Trafford Council

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Notification of Trafford Sunrise closure

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Give crime information anonymously.

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As the experts in speaking up about crime and wrongdoing, we can support your organisation's crime prevention and detection objectives as well as help protect your target communities and facilitate shared learning in the ever-evolving crime landscape.
Keeping communities safer together.

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Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers

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We're an independent charity that gives people the power to speak up to stop crime 100% anonymously.

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A free 1 hour eLearning course to help you better understand:

the difference between mental health and poor mental health.

the things we can do to help us cope with our negative thoughts and feelings like using Five Ways to Wellbeing and breathing more slowly.

the benefit of talking and sharing our thoughts and feelings with someone we trust

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Healthy Minds Greater Manchester e-learning

Healthy Minds Greater Manchester E-Learning course
#timetotalkGM
Many people experience a mental health problem at some point in their life. It is the single largest cause of disability in the UK. It is therefore important that there is both an understanding of mental health and wellbeing and that there are resources for the public to develop their skills and awareness.

Developed in partnership with Greater Manchester Care Partnership, the Royal Society for Public Health is excited to offer a new eLearning course for anyone living or working in Greater Manchester.

At the end of this 1-hour course you will better understand:

the difference between mental health and poor mental health.

the things we can do to help us cope with our negative thoughts and feelings like using Five Ways to Wellbeing and breathing more slowly.

the benefit of talking and sharing our thoughts and feelings with someone we trust.

At the end of the course, you would be emailed a completion certificate to celebrate your learning.

To access the eLearning course please register below. Please note free places are available only to those living or working in Greater Manchester. RSPH will send you an email with instructions for accessing the course. We will do this as soon as your registration is received.
Privacy notice By submitting this form, you consent to RSPH contacting you regarding your eLearning enquiry. RSPH will use the information you entered above to process and manage your enquiry. RSPH will retain your personal information during the course of dealing with your enquiry and will delete it once the information is no longer required. Please note, if you take part in the eLearning course pilot, RSPH may share your aggregated feedback responses and email address with Greater Manchester Care Partnership for the purpose of reporting and evaluation. You may be contacted to share your further thoughts on the course after completing it. You will be contacted no more than once a month and can opt out at any time. RSPH will not share your personal information with any organisation other than Greater Manchester Care Partnership without your prior consent unless it is required to do so by law. For further information on how your information is used, how RSPH maintains the security of your information, and your rights to access the information we hold on you, please see our privacy policy

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Healthy Minds Greater Manchester e-learning

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A mental health-focused eLearning course for people living and working in Greater Manchester to help get people thinking and talking about how they are feeling

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Eating disorder services and support available in Greater Manchester

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Eating disorder services and support available in Greater Manchester

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If you’re worried someone you care about is showing any signs of an eating disorder there’s support available

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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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HealthWatch Trafford: Youthwatch - Mental Health support

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HealthWatch Trafford: Youthwatch - Mental Health support

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https://twitter.com/YouthWatchTraff
What is Mental Health?
What Does Good Mental Health Look Like?How Can You Look After Your Mental Health? Where Can You Get Help?

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What is Mental Health?

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects our every day life and how we think, feel, and act, making a difference to our capability to cope with situations.

What Does Good Mental Health Look Like?

You might have heard of mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, however a healthy mental state is not just the lack of conditions like these. In fact, a good mental health includes skills we might not often think about such as the ability to learn, manage your feelings, maintain relationships and cope with change. We use these skills every day: in school, with your friends and family - so it is important to take care of your mental health. Even if we don't have mental health problems we all have a mental health - it is just like out physical health. Just like we need to keep our eye on a cough in case it's a chest infection, we should support ourselves in terms of mental health. We should be wary of unhealthy lifestyles, they could turn into disorders.

The symptoms listed below are warning signs of mental illness*:

Withdrawal - recently not joining in with things, losing interest in
people

Drop in functioning - not working well; this could be at school, or in
your social life, e.g. quitting sports, failing in school or difficulty
performing familiar tasks

Problems thinking - you have problems with concentration, memory
logical thought and speech that are hard to explain

Increased sensitivity - Heightened sensitivity to sights, sounds,
smells or touch; avoidance of over-stimulating situations

Apathy - a loss of enthusiasm for participation

Feeling disconnected - A vague feeling of being disconnected from
yourself or your surroundings; a sense of unreality

Illogical thinking - Unusual or exaggerated beliefs about personal
powers to understand meanings or influence events; illogical or
"magical" thinking

Nervousness - Fear or suspiciousness of others or a strong nervous feeling

Unusual behaviour - Odd, uncharacteristic, peculiar behaviour

Sleep or appetite changes - Dramatic sleep and appetite changes or
decline in personal care

Mood changes - Rapid or dramatic shifts in feelings

*according to the American Psychiatric Association

Understanding young people's mental health #HandsUp4HealthyMinds

How Can You Look After Your Mental Health?

Not everybody has a mental illness, but regardless we should take care of ourselves mentally as we do physically. Here are some tips from the Mental Health Foundation to do so:

Self care and support for young people #HandsUp4HealthyMinds

Now that you know a little more about mental health, take this quiz by MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) on your understanding - and make sure to check out the rest of their website for lots more useful information!

Where Can You Get Help?

Your School Nurse - You can access your school nurse to talk about any issues, mental as well as physical. They can link you to other services. Find out where your school's nurse office is and see if you need to make an appointment.

Your GP can assess you and refer you further. Contact your GP directly and make an appointment. You can find GP contact details on the Healthwatch Trafford website (www.healthwatchtrafford.co.uk)

Trafford Talkshop - Talkshop is a specialist advice and information service for young people aged between 11 and 19 years old (up to 25 depending on circumstances). Based at Sale Waterside (postcode M33 7ZF), their aim is to support your needs through offering a variety of services in a friendly environment. The Talkshop staff team consists of qualified youth workers who offer a non-judgemental, confidential service to young people across the borough.
The Talkshop operates a drop-in service Monday to Thursday afternoons where you can pop in to speak to a youth worker. They offer help for mental health, sexual health, young parents, LGBT young people and many more!
Drop-in times (as at Oct 2018):
MONDAYS: 1:00-3:00pm (all) 3:00-5:30pm (sexual health)
TUESDAYS & WEDNESDAYS: 1:00-5:00pm (all)
THURSDAYS: 1:00-3:00pm (all) 3:00-5:30pm (sexual health)
For help from the Talkshop, call 0161 912 2453, or email talkshop@trafford.gov.uk.

CAMHS - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
This is the local specialist service - in our area it's run by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Sometimes problems are more serious or don't get better with support from schools or self-help, so you may need more specialist help. Ask your teacher or GP to refer you to CAMHS.
Their office is based at Waterside House, Sale Waterside, M33 7ZF.
Call 0161 549 6456 or visit their website where you can meet their whole team and get a virtual tour! See https://mft.nhs.uk/rmch/trafford-camhs-formerly-healthy-young-minds-trafford/

Young minds - "We're the UK's leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health.We want to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, and all young people get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what." Find their website here: https://www.youngminds.org.uk

The Counselling and Family Centre - This organisation helps 5 to 17 year olds face the challenges of growing up. They have lots of locations in our borough. For help from them, call 0161 941 7754, email appointments@thecfc.org.uk or visit their website at http://www.thecfc.org.uk/children-young-people for further info and to find your nearest centre:
> The Family and Counselling Centre, Altrincham
> Broomwood Community Wellbeing Centre, Timperley > Also provide services at Trafford Domestic Abuse Service on Talbot Road, Old Trafford Wellbeing Centre on Seymour Grove, and the Kath Locke centre in Moss Side.

Trafford Sunrise - Trafford Sunrise provides support for children aged 5-12 years in coping with stress, learning how to relax and promoting emotional wellbeing. Trafford Sunrise also supports parents in learning about their child's emotional wellbeing. Groups are available across the Trafford borough. To use Trafford Sunrise you need to get a professional (e.g. your GP) to refer you. For more information and help, visit their website at https://www.justpsychology.co.uk/pages/28-trafford-sunrise

Kooth - Kooth provides free, safe and anonymous online support for young people. Monday to Friday 12pm - 10pm, Saturday to Sunday 6pm - 10pm. For help from this organisation, visit their website http://www.kooth.com.

The Mix - Nationwide support for under-25s, including advice around housing, sex and relationships, drink and drugs, and more. Visit their website here: https://www.themix.org.uk/

42nd Street - A Greater Manchester young people's mental health charity. Based in Manchester, they help 13-25 year olds in Trafford. They offer one to one or group interventions by self-referral or referral by GP, useful as an alternative to Healthy Young Minds if you have slightly different needs. For help from them, call 0161 228 7321 or visit their website http://42ndstreet.org.uk/

Beat - Supports people with eating disorders and holds many online groups. You can talk to people going through similar experiences with one of their targeted groups or talk to a trained advisor. Call their Youthline on 0808 801 0711 or sign up for a one-to-one web chat: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/support-services/helplines/one-to-one

Papyrus - This is a national suicide prevention charity, which provides confidential help and advice to young people and anyone worried about a young person as well as helping others to prevent young suicide by working with and training professionals. For help from them, call 0800 068 41 41 or visit their website https://papyrus-uk.org.

Samaritans - f you need to speak to someone you can call the Samaritans day or night. They're always open and here to listen. Call them on 116 123 for free, or get in touch another way: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

Childline - Online support available 24/7, helpful for a range of problems. Tel 0800 1111 or visit their website at https://www.childline.org.uk/

Greater Manchester Youth Network - Their mission is to enable young people to have a positive impact on their own lives and the wider community and our values are

The Trafford Directory - You can find specific local mental health services by using the Trafford Directory. It has a section specifically for services for young people. Click here to go to the young person's mental health pages.

Used any of these services? Tell Healthwatch Trafford about it here.
If you think that you might cause harm to yourself or others, or are going to commit suicide, then you should call 999 or get to a hospital as soon as possible.

You can also get in touch with the Samaritans free of charge by calling 116 123 - they're ready to listen to you and help you talk through your concerns, worries and troubles. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Their number won't appear on your phone bill. https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us/what-happens-when-you-contact-us

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What is Mental Health? Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects our every day life and how we think, feel, and act, making a difference to our capability to cope with situations. What Does Good Mental Health Look Like?

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HealthWatch: Where to find mental health support in Greater Manchester 

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HealthWatch: Where to find mental health support in Greater Manchester 

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Looking for advice, information, or help with your mental health? HealthWatch have compiled a list of resources for you in Greater Manchester

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A report investigating the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Trafford residents due to changes in accessing Occupational Therapy (OT) services, adaptations, and equipment

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Looking for advice, information, or help with your mental health? We've compiled a list of resources for you.

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Trafford THRIVE in Education have developed an interactive newsletter for young people to help support them upon their return to school and the start of a new academic year

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Silvercloud - Supporting An Anxious Child (aged 4-11 years)

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Silvercloud - Supporting An Anxious Child (aged 4-11 years)

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Free online programme will guide you in supporting a child (aged 5 - 11) who is dealing with worry and anxiety.

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SilverCloud Sign-up Start

Welcome to SilverCloud

Before we begin, please note:

Everything you do on SilverCloud will remain completely confidential. Read the

To give you the best experience there are elements of your information that we need to store and process, in line with our

SilverCloud is not an emergency service. If you need urgent help please

I understand and agree

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Welcome to SilverCloud Everything you do on SilverCloud will remain completely confidential. Read the To give you the best experience there are elements of your information that we need to store and process, in line with our SilverCloud is not an emergency service.

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Information and support (helplines, chatrooms, and others) on eating disorders

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Struggling with an eating disorder? Caring for someone who is? Beat is here to support you.

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Mental Health & Wellbeing - Every Mind Matters

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Mental Health & Wellbeing - Every Mind Matters

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Find out how you can help a child to have good mental health, including knowing how to talk to a child about their mental health, and when to spot signs they might be struggling. Plus get self-care tips for you, to help you look after your mental health while caring for others.

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Children’s mental health - Every Mind Matters

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See tips and advice for parents and carers on how to support children and young people’s mental wellbeing, and give them the best chance to stay healthy.

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A video for secondary school children to spot why they might be struggling with feeling worried, stressed or feeling low and how to look after themselves.

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Support for parents and young people themselves on a range of topics. The website has advice and toolkits, there's also a helpline for young people to call

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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Online forum to support young people who feel lonely or for those who want to help others

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A Co-op Foundation campaign created in partnership with young people and specialist co-design agency, Effervescent, to tackle the stigma of youth loneliness.

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A young persons guide to anxiety - includes information on:
What is anxiety and the symptoms
Why does this happen?
What should I do to feel better?
Top tips for managing anxiety

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Trafford's top rated Websites & apps to support your mental health

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Trafford's top rated Websites & apps to support your mental health

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These are the top 10 rated websites and apps designed to support young people, adults and families with their mental health and wellbeing. This leaflet has been co-produced by Wellacre Academy Pupils in Trafford

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HealthWatch Trafford have compiled a list of resources for people looking to access LGBTQ+ support groups, information, and helplines, as well as some resources specifically for young people and parents. Not all of these are Trafford-specific.

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Advice and Information - 22 February 2023

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We have compiled a list of resources for people looking to access LGBTQ+ support groups, information, and helplines, as well as some resources specifically for young people and parents. Not all of these are Trafford-specific.

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NHS guidance on the harms of second-hand smoke, and how to protect against it

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Secondhand smoke is dangerous, especially for children. The best way to protect loved ones is to quit smoking. At the very least, make sure you have a smokefree home and car.
When you smoke a cigarette (or roll-up, pipe or cigar), most of the smoke doesn't go into your lungs, it goes into the air around you where anyone nearby can breathe it in.

Secondhand smoke is the smoke that you exhale plus the "sidestream" smoke created by the lit end of your cigarette.

When friends and family breathe in your secondhand smoke - what we call passive smoking - it isn't just unpleasant for them, it can damage their health too.

People who breathe in secondhand smoke regularly are more likely to get the same diseases as smokers, including lung cancer and heart disease.

Pregnant women exposed to passive smoke are more prone to premature birth and their baby is more at risk of low birthweight and sudden infant death syndrome (cot death).

And children who live in a smoky house are at higher risk of breathing problems, asthma, and allergies.

How to protect against secondhand smoke

The only way to protect your friends and family from secondhand smoke is to keep the environment around them smoke free.

The best way to do that is to quit smoking completely. If you're not ready to quit, make every effort to keep your cigarette smoke away from other people and never smoke indoors or in the car.

You should:

always smoke outside

ask your visitors to smoke outside

not smoke in the car or allow anyone else to

Take steps NOW to stop smoking.

The risks of passive smoking

Secondhand smoke is a lethal cocktail of more than 4,000 irritants, toxins and cancer-causing substances.

Most secondhand smoke is invisible and odourless, so no matter how careful you think you're being, people around you still breathe in the harmful poisons.

Opening windows and doors or smoking in another room in the house doesn't protect people. Smoke can linger in the air for 2 to 3 hours after you've finished a cigarette, even with a window open. Also, even if you limit smoking to one room, the smoke will spread to the rest of the house where people will inhale it.

Children and passive smoking

Passive smoking is especially harmful for children as they have less well-developed airways, lungs and immune systems.

Children who live in a household where at least 1 person smokes are more likely to develop:

Children are particularly vulnerable in the family car where secondhand smoke can reach hazardous levels even with the windows open.

To protect children, smoking in cars and other vehicles carrying children was banned in 2015. It is against the law to smoke in a private vehicle if there's a young person under 18 present.

Read about the law on smoking in private vehicles on GOV.UK.

How safe is e-cig vapour?

Smoking e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, doesn't produce tobacco smoke so the risks of passive smoking with conventional cigarettes don't apply to e-cigs.

Research into this area is ongoing, but it seems that e-cigs release negligible amounts of nicotine into the atmosphere and the limited evidence available suggests that any risk from passive vaping to bystanders is small relative to tobacco cigarettes. But some health professionals have recommended avoiding vaping around pregnant women, babies and children.

Your GP can give you advice about quitting smoking.

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Secondhand smoke is dangerous, especially for children. The best way to protect loved ones is to quit smoking. At the very least, make sure you have a smokefree home and car. When you smoke a cigarette (or roll-up, pipe or cigar), most of the smoke doesn't go into your lungs, it goes into the air around you where anyone nearby can breathe it in.

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Support, advice and information on where to go for help on a range of issues for both parents and young people, as well as a helpline for young people.

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On Thursday 30 November from 2:30am - 7:30am, you won't be able to contact Childline whilst we do some important maintenance to our systems. This means that 1-2-1 chats, calling and messages to Childline will be unavailable. You'll still be able to use the Childline website for advice and information.

If you're in danger or it's an emergency, you should always call 999

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Get help and advice about a wide range of issues, call us on 0800 1111, talk to a counsellor online, send Childline an email or post on the message boards.

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Supporting bereaved siblings - a guide to support your child with the loss of a sibling

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Supporting bereaved siblings - a guide to support your child with the loss of a sibling

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We are so sorry that your baby has died. At Sands, we understand how devastating it is when a baby dies as many of us have been through the experience ourselves.

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Sands - Saving babies' lives. Supporting bereaved families.

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When a child is bereaved we cannot and should not take away their grief. By helping them to explore it and share it, we can help them live through it and beyond.

In the UK 4,500 babies die every year. This means many families need to explain to siblings of all ages that their baby brother or sister will not come home. Young children may not understand the concept of death yet, but the grief experienced by parents and other relatives as they adjust to a baby's death will affect their practical and emotional lives.

This page aims to offer parents some helpful resources to begin conversations with siblings of all ages, as well a suggest activities for children to remember their baby brother or sister and express how they feel.

Resources for teachers and schools are included to help support siblings of babies who have died in school and other settings.

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Support for siblings | Sands - Saving babies' lives. Supporting bereaved families.

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The Burrow-  Trafford LGBT+ youth group 

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The Burrow-  Trafford LGBT+ youth group 

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The Burrow is a weekly group for LGBT+ young people and those questioning their gender or sexuality aged 13-18 who live or spend time in Trafford.

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Get 24/7 support to keep motivated, monitor your health improvements and track how much money you save when you quit with the free Smoke Free app.

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Smoke Free - The help you need to quit for good

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It feels so good to see your time smoke free we show it to the second. Watch the money you've saving go up and your cravings come down each day. Get an idea how your health is improving and how much life you've regained.

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Talkshop Sexual Health Advice and Support 

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Talkshop Sexual Health Advice and Support 

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Talkshop offers a confidential, safe and non-judgemental environment for young people.  Including advice on chlamydia or gonorrhoea STI testing, pregnancy testing, contraception and condoms.

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Greater Manchester Rapid Response Team (GM RRT)(up to 18 years)

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Greater Manchester Rapid Response Team (GM RRT)(up to 18 years)

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GM RRT is a team of mental health professionals who provide rapid assessments and brief intensive support (up to 72 hours) to children and young people under 18 years who present in a mental health crisis at A&E, PANDA, Urgent Care Centre

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The Greater Manchester Rapid Response Team is a team of mental health professionals providing support to children and young people under 18 years old in mental health crisis.  We provide community-based rapid assessment and brief intensive support for up to 72 hours.

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Trafford Special Education and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)

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Trafford Special Education and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)

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Trafford SENDIASS provide free, confidential, impartial advice and support to parent carers, children and young people age 0-25 in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) who live in Trafford.

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Coronavirus (Covid-19) update

Trafford SENDIASS is still open during the coronavirus outbreak. Our staff is working remotely, and you can call us on 0161 912 3150 or email sendiass@trafford.gov.uk and we will get back to you.

Why not follow us on social media?

You can find the latest updates and information on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Trafford Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (Trafford SENDIASS) provides impartial information, advice and support to children and young people with SEND, as well as their parents and carers.
We provide free, confidential, impartial advice and support to parent carers, children and young people age 0-25 in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) who live in Trafford.

We can also support you with:

The law around SEND

Education health care plans (EHCP)

Resolving any disagreements

Health and social care in relation to special educational needs provision

Transition post 16 - Preparing for adulthood

Personal budgets

Information on the Local Offer (Services and provision available for those with SEND)

The work we do is underpinned by The Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND code of practice, which are intended to strengthen the participation of parents, children and young people.

Trafford SENDIASS is available all year-round on 0161 912 3150, our helpline is open from 9am to 12 noon, Monday to Friday. We also have a 24-hour answer machine, and if you leave us a message we will aim to get back to you within three working days.

You can also contact us using our online referral form.

If you need to speak to somebody outside our office opening hours, you can also call the national helpline run by Contact on 0808 808 3555 which is open from 9:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

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Trafford SENDIASS is still open during the coronavirus outbreak. Our staff is working remotely, and you can call us on 0161 912 3150 or email sendiass@trafford.gov.uk and we will get back to you. Why not follow us on social media? You can find the latest updates and information on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

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An introduction to the Community Eating Disorder Service in Manchester  

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An introduction to the Community Eating Disorder Service in Manchester  

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Dr Meenaka Williams, CAMHS Consultant Psychiatrist, talks about how the service is organised, how to make referrals, waiting times etc

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Children and young people with suspected eating disorders: Guidelines for primary care professionals
An Introduction to the Community Eating disorder Service for Children and Young People in Greater Manchester
Dr Meenaka Williams, CAMHS Consultant Psychiatrist, talks about how the service is organised, how to make referrals, waiting times, supporting diagnosis using MEED guidance, and when to consider a hospital admission.
Community Eating disorder Service for Children and Young People in Greater Manchester case study
Lois suffered from an eating disorder for several years. She is now fully recovered following treatment by the Manchester University Foundation Trust Community Eating Disorder Service. Lois is currently studying medicine in Edinburgh.

Download these guidelines: Children and Young People with Suspected Eating Disorders Guidelines for Primary Care Professionals June 2023

These guidelines aim to share information about spotting the signs of eating disorders to inform when and how to refer children and young people to the community eating disorders service (CEDS) for specialist outpatient support.

Key signs and symptoms

History of weight loss or failure to gain weight. Have clothes size changed?

Have parents or carers noticed any weight loss or other physical changes?

How long have they been trying to lose weight & what have they tried?

How much are they currently eating & drinking?

Are they over-exercising, vomiting, or using any other methods lose weight or to limit calorie intake? How often?

If they report they are binging, what do they mean by this? How often?

Any physical health concerns: fainting, dehydration, constipation, chest pain, shortness of breath? If appropriate, when did they last have a menstrual cycle?

Any mental health changes: confusion, distress? Any risk of self-harm, suicide or harm from or to others?

How to refer

Refer by letter or email: see contact details below

Refer as soon as a young person presents to you with any combination of the symptoms outlined.

Consent is needed for a referral. Ensure the child or young person and parents/carers are aware of the referral.

The physical exam
DO NOT DELAY REFERRAL WAITING FOR RESULTS!
Red flags

Weight loss > 1kg a week for a minimum of 2 consecutive weeks AND not eating and/or fluid refusal for more than 24 hours

Cardiovascular compromise and fainting

Percentage Median BMI <70%

BP <0.4th centile sitting and a postural drop

Pulse <40 bpm

Temperature <35 ˚C

IF YOU COME ACROSS THESE SYMPTOMS PLEASE PHONE YOUR LOCAL CYP-CEDS FOR ADVICE
Other considerations

Low weight' is now defined as a loss of 10% of a young person's expected body weight.

Make a referral based on signs and symptoms irrespective of weight.

Consider impact of other external life events and stressors.

THINK: STATE NOT WEIGHT - WHAT IS THEIR FUNCTIONING LIKE?
Timescales

All referrals will be screened within 24 hours of receipt except on weekends or Bank Holidays.

All accepted referrals will be screened for urgency and will be offered either an emergency appointment within 24 hours, an urgent within one week appointment or a routine appointment within 28 days.

DO NOT WATCH & WAIT. REFER ALL CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE SUSPECTED OF HAVING AN EATING DISORDER TO YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY EATING DISORDER SERVICE
How to contact your local Eating Disorder Service
Wigan and Bolton Community Eating Disorder Service Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Community Eating Disorder Service (North) Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Community Eating Disorder Service (South) Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Community Eating Disorder Service
With thanks to the Healthy London Partnership for allowing us to re-use their content to make it relevant for colleagues in Greater Manchester

Beat are the UK's eating disorder charity. Visit www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/ for more information about eating disorders, to access online support groups and one to one chat.

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Children and young people with suspected eating disorders: Guidelines for primary care professionals - Mental Health

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These guidelines share advice about spotting the signs of eating disorders and when to refer children and young people to the community eating disorders service (CEDS) for specialist outpatient support.

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Young Minds: Self-harm - a guide for parents

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Young Minds: Self-harm - a guide for parents

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Read our guide to self-harm to learn more about what self-harm is, what the signs of self-harm are in a young person, and where to get support.

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#NoHarmDone | A Parent's Journey | My Child Self-Harms | YoungMinds

If you're worried that your child is self-harming but they aren't talking to you about it or showing visible injuries, it can be difficult to know what's going on.

Ways that young people self-harm

Some ways that young people self-harm include:

cutting themselves

scratching skin with fingernails

burning skin

biting skin

hitting themselves, or banging their head or another part of their body on a wall

pulling hair out from their head, eyebrows or eyelashes

inserting objects into their body

Things to look out for

If you are worried your child may be self-harming, here are some things to look out for:

unexplained cuts, burns, bite marks, bruises or bald patches

keeping themselves covered, for example wearing long sleeves or trousers even during hot weather, not wanting to change clothes around others or avoiding activities like swimming

bloody tissues in waste bins

seeming low or depressed, for example withdrawing from friends and family

blaming themselves for problems or expressing feelings of failure, uselessness or hopelessness

outbursts of anger or argumentativeness

Self-harm is usually a way of trying to manage very difficult feelings. People often self-harm when life feels hard to cope with - when lots of distressing feelings have built up and it's become overwhelming. In the moment, the sensation of self-harming and experiencing some physical pain can feel easier than feeling out of control emotionally.

If a young person is self-harming, it's often a sign that something in their life isn't quite right or has become too much to deal with. It can be understood as an important message about how a young person is feeling - one that needs to be noticed with care by the adults around them.

Some myths you might hear about self-harm can make it harder to talk about as a parent - including that it's a 'phase' young people go through, or that it's an attention-seeking behaviour.

While it might feel hard to understand sometimes from the outside, self-harm can be a way for a young person to:

manage, reduce or express very strong and upsetting emotions - such as hurt, sadness, anger, fear or feeling bad about themselves

relieve tension and pressure, or reduce feelings of panic and anxiety and temporarily feel calmer

experience a feeling of physical pain to distract from emotional pain

gain a sense of control over feelings or problems - for example, by feeling there's something they can do when things feel too much

stop feeling numb or 'zoned-out' - which can be a protection mechanism our bodies use when we're experiencing overwhelming feelings

However, while it often feels like self-harm brings some relief in the moment, this is only temporary. As feelings build up again, so does the urge to self-harm. As this cycle continues over time, a young person may start to feel ashamed, confused or frightened about the fact that they're self-harming - increasing the load they're carrying on top of what they're already going through. This can become a cycle that's really hard to break, and a habit that's hard to stop.

Helping your child in the short term

When the urge to self-harm does build in the moment, having a list of other things they can do straight away can also help your child to 'ride the wave of' their intense feelings without self-harming.

Remember that different things will work for different people, and that what helps will usually depend on the feelings your child is trying to manage. Some young people will want to do something soothing like wrapping themselves up in a comfy space, while others might want to do something very active to burn off the energy in their body.

Talk to your child about different strategies they could try, while also giving them space to find their own ways of coping and figure out what works for them. Strategies could include:

Making and using a self soothe box

Writing down how they're feeling in a journal

Writing down difficult feelings on pieces of paper and then ripping them up

Ripping up a magazine or newspaper

Hitting a soft cushion, pillow or bean bag

Listening to loud music

Having a shower

Doing some exercise

Going for a walk outside, or taking the dog for a walk

Focusing on their breathing - how it feels in their body to breathe in and out

Wrapping up in a blanket or duvet

Talking to someone - a friend, family member or calling a helpline

Tidying or organising something

Doing a hobby they enjoy that helps them feel calm, such as painting, drawing, colouring-in, watching a favourite TV programme, playing video games, cooking or baking

Your child might want to use an app like Calm Harm so they have something on their phone that suggests different techniques they can try when they feel the urge to self-harm.

Helping your child over the longer term

Over the longer-term, becoming more aware of how they feel when they self-harm, what's making them feel this way and what kinds of things help, will empower your child to feel more in control. This will hopefully reduce the sense of being overwhelmed and the feeling that they need to self-harm. You can find more tips about this below.

It might help to start a conversation while walking outside or doing an activity, which can help your child to feel more relaxed and make it feel less like a 'big chat'. It can also help both of you to be in a neutral space, for example not in their bedroom. You can find our activity ideas for starting a conversation in our guide to talking to your child about mental health.

While you may understandably have lots of questions, it's important to remember your child is going through a tough time and may find this overwhelming. Focus on finding out how they're doing, without bombarding them for information.

Remember that your child may feel ashamed about self-harming and find it difficult to talk about. Let them come to you when they feel ready to talk, and reassure them that they can talk to you as often and for as long as they need to.

If your child is struggling to talk, they might find it easier to text you or write you a letter. This also gives you time to process what they've told you and think about how you'd like to respond.

When your child does open up, try to focus on listening, showing empathy and being curious about what it's like for them, rather than trying to 'fix' things straightaway. Sometimes they will just want you to listen and understand how they are feeling.

What kinds of thoughts are they having, and how do they feel in their bodies? For example, they might start to feel more zoned-out, or like they're full of panic. This can help them to recognise what feelings they're trying to cope with, and what they can do instead to express and manage these.

Keeping a mood diary might help them to understand this overtime - this could be as simple as a word, phrase or emoji that they note down each day.

Responding to self-harm - Roundup | YoungMinds Parents Lounge

There are different places where you can find help for your child. Speaking to your GP is often a good place to start, as they can discuss your concerns, speak to your child to find out how they're doing and let you know what support options are available. Depending on your child's situation, they can also refer them for an assessment by a mental health specialist or to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). You can speak to the GP yourself to explain the situation and ask for advice, even if your child doesn't want to talk to them.

Young people who are self-harming may find it particularly helpful to speak to a counsellor or therapist, who can help them to make sense of how they're feeling and work with them to find new ways of coping. Our guide to counselling services takes you through the process of finding a counsellor or therapist for your child.

You can find out more about speaking to GPs, finding a counsellor or therapist, accessing CAMHS, getting help from your child's school and finding local services on our guide to getting help.

Trying to find the right help for your child and finding your way around different services can be really tiring at times - so keep reminding yourself that you're doing your best and that it's not easy.

Some young people who are self-harming will find it very difficult to speak to a professional, go to appointments or even acknowledge what's going on. If things are feeling stuck, you can call our Parents Helpline for information, advice and support.

Parents have found the following things helpful to keep in mind when seeking professional help:

If you're feeling under a lot of strain yourself, or that the situation is too much to manage as a parent, it's often a sign that more professional help is needed.

Try to speak to professionals early on, before things have escalated to a crisis situation.

Encourage your child to give themselves some time to get to know a professional and build trust, remembering that they might be starting from a very withdrawn place.

Ask if you can see the same professional each time, so that you and your child don't have to keep re-explaining the situation.

Be open minded about different types of treatment - remembering that what works for your child might not be the same as what would work for you.

It's important to take your child to hospital or to your GP if they have any injuries or wounds that require medical attention.

It can be helpful to understand as a parent that self-harm is often a coping mechanism to help someone manage, and isn't necessarily an expression of suicidal feelings or an attempt to take their own life. However, people who experience suicidal thoughts can be more likely to have self-harmed in the past. If you're worried that your child may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, read our guide to find out how you can access help.

Finding out that your child is self-harming can be an incredibly distressing, or even traumatic, experience as a parent. It's completely normal to struggle with feelings of anxiety, confusion, sadness, anger, frustration, guilt or shame.

Try to take time when you can to check in with yourself, and to think about ways you can take care of yourself as well as your child. Remember that it's okay to ask for help when you need it, and to share your worries with someone you trust.

Many parents who have been in this situation find it helpful to reach out to other parents so they can talk through how they have handled difficult situations and found support. You may also be able to find a local parent support group using the Charlie Waller Trust directory.

If you need more help, speaking to your GP is a good place to start, and they may be able to refer you to a local support service. Sometimes it helps just having someone there who can listen to what you're going through - and if you need someone to talk to, you can call the Samaritans anytime on 116 123.

Useful helplines and websites

While we take care to ensure that the organisations we signpost to provide high quality information and advice, we cannot take responsibility for any specific pieces of advice they may offer. We encourage parents and carers to always explore the website of a linked service or organisation to understand who they are and what support they offer before engaging with them.

This page was reviewed in July 2021. It was created with parents and carers with lived experience of supporting their child or young person with self-harm. We will next review the page in 2024. YoungMinds is a proud member of PIF TICK - the UK's quality mark for trusted health information.
Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

Please be aware that this form isn't a mental health support service. If your child is in crisis right now and you want to talk to someone urgently, find out who to contact on our urgent help page.

At YoungMinds we take your privacy seriously. If you'd like to read more about how we keep the information we collect safe, take a look at our privacy policy.

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Self-Harm & Mental Health | Guide For Parents

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Read our guide to self-harm to learn more about what self-harm is, what the signs of self-harm are in a young person, and where to get support.

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Programmes for children and young people who have been bereaved of a parent, guardian or sibling and their families. The support is tailored depending on age and circumstance but include monthly support groups, one to one support, residentials and family activities.

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Once Upon a Smile can provide you with emotional and practical support at your time of need to enable you to adjust to a new life without your loved one. We support children and families when a parent/guardian or sibling has died. We pride ourselves in tailoring our support to the needs of each individual family.

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Health for Teens - LGBTQIA+ information & advice

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Health for Teens - LGBTQIA+ information & advice

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Health For Teens features bite-sized information on a comprehensive range of physical and emotional health topics for young people (aged 11-19 years), including relationships, sexuality, body image and much, much more. Young people can also find out about accessing support from local Trafford services.

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LGBTQ | Relationships | Health for Teens

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We’ve got lots of advice and support around sexuality, including help if you are planning on coming out to your family and friends.

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Speak to your midwife, GP, pharmacist, or a specialist advisory about Nicotine Replacement Therapy: how it can help you to quit smoking, and what options may be best for you

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If you want to stop smoking, several different treatments are available from shops, pharmacies and on prescription to help you beat your addiction and reduce withdrawal symptoms.
The best treatment for you will depend on your personal preference, your age, whether you're pregnant or breastfeeding and any medical conditions you have. Speak to your GP or an NHS stop smoking adviser for advice.

Research has shown that all these methods can be effective. Importantly, evidence shows that they are most effective if used alongside support from an NHS stop smoking service.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

The main reason that people smoke is because they are addicted to nicotine.

NRT is a medicine that provides you with a low level of nicotine, without the tar, carbon monoxide and other poisonous chemicals present in tobacco smoke.

It can help reduce unpleasant withdrawal effects, such as bad moods and cravings, which may occur when you stop smoking.

Where to get it and how to use it

NRT can be bought from pharmacies and some shops. It's also available on prescription from a doctor or NHS stop smoking service.

It's available as:

skin patches

chewing gum

inhalators (which look like plastic cigarettes)

tablets, oral strips and lozenges

nasal and mouth spray

Patches release nicotine slowly. Some are worn all the time and some should be taken off at night. Inhalators, gum and sprays act more quickly and may be better for helping with cravings.

There's no evidence that any single type of NRT is more effective than another. But there is good evidence to show that using a combination of NRT is more effective than using a single product.

Often the best way to use NRT is to combine a patch with a faster acting form such as gum, inhalator or nasal spray.

Treatment with NRT usually lasts 8-12 weeks, before you gradually reduce the dose and eventually stop.

Who can use it

Most people are able to use NRT, including:

adults and children over 12 years of age - although children under 18 should not use the lozenges without getting medical advice first

pregnant women - your doctor may suggest NRT if they think it would help you quit; read more about stopping smoking in pregnancy

breastfeeding women - your doctor can advise you how to do this safely

Always read the packet or leaflet before using NRT to check whether it's suitable for you.

Sometimes it may be advisable to get medical advice first, for example if you have kidney or liver problems, or you've recently had a heart attack or stroke.

Possible side effects

Side effects of NRT can include:

skin irritation when using patches

irritation of nose, throat or eyes when using a nasal spray

difficulty sleeping (insomnia), sometimes with vivid dreams

an upset stomach

Any side effects are usually mild. But if they're particularly troublesome, contact your GP as the dose or type of NRT may need to be changed.

Varenicline (Champix)

Varenicline (brand name Champix) is not currently available. It has been withdrawn as a precaution because of an impurity found in the medicine. It's not yet known whether it will be available again in future.

Varenicline is a medicine that works in 2 ways. It reduces cravings for nicotine like NRT, but it also blocks the rewarding and reinforcing effects of smoking. It was only available on prescription.

Speak to your GP or NHS stop smoking adviser who will be able to recommend an alternative treatment.

Bupropion (Zyban)

Bupropion (brand name Zyban) is not currently available. It has been withdrawn by the manufacturer, and it's not yet known whether it will be available again in future.

Bupropion is a medicine originally used to treat depression, but it has since been found to help people quit smoking. It's taken as tablets.

It's not clear exactly how it works, but it's thought to have an effect on the parts of the brain involved in addictive behaviour.

Bupropion was only available on prescription.

Speak to your GP or NHS stop smoking adviser who will be able to recommend an alternative treatment.

E-cigarettes

An e-cigarette is an electronic device that delivers nicotine in a vapour. This allows you to inhale nicotine without most of the harmful effects of smoking, as the vapour contains no tar or carbon monoxide.

Research has found that e-cigarettes can help you give up smoking, so you may want to try them rather than the medicines listed above. As with other approaches, they're most effective if used with support from an NHS stop smoking service.

There are no e-cigarettes currently available on prescription.

For now, if you want to use an e-cigarette to help you quit, you'll have to buy one. Costs of e-cigarettes can vary, but generally they're much cheaper than cigarettes.
Read more about using e-cigarettes to stop smoking

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Find out about the medicines that can help if you want to stop smoking, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

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Health For Teens is a website that features bite-sized information on a comprehensive range of physical and emotional health topics for young people, including relationships, puberty, sexuality and much more. Young people can also find out about accessing support from local Trafford services.

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Your sexual health is incredibly important so we're on hand to provide information on sex, contraception, consent and sexually transmitted diseases in an easy to understand way.

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CFC - Children and Young People Counselling

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CFC - Children and Young People Counselling

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Counselling helps support young people who may be struggling, offering a safe space for the young person to understand what's happening and how to move forward. It can help with a range of concerns including anxiety, bullying, loneliness and depression

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Feeling angry? Alone? Sometimes life can feel too much

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Trafford THRIVE in Education have developed an interactive newsletter for young people to help support them upon their return to school and the start of a new academic year

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Eating disorder services and support available in Greater Manchester

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Eating disorder services and support available in Greater Manchester

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If you’re worried someone you care about is showing any signs of an eating disorder there’s support available