Tag: Medics Against Violence

Mental health support for children and young people

Expansion of service helping those in crisis

A programme supporting young people with complex social issues attending A&E is to be expanded. The Youth Navigators programme, delivered by Medics Against Violence, supports young people aged 12-16 arriving at Emergency Departments who are in distress.

The service provides trained youth workers – Youth Navigators – to identify the help young people need and provide practical support so they can access relevant longer-term support.

The initiative has supported more than 600 young people since 2021 – most had experienced issues with their mental health and wellbeing; some on a chronic basis related to issues at home, with friend groups or bullying, and some more acutely experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings and who may have caused harm to themselves.

Scottish Government funding of £64,000 will allow the expansion of the service to University Hospital Wishaw and a pilot of the Youth Navigator programme in schools.

Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “I am pleased to announce additional funding to pilot the expansion of the Youth Navigator programme to University Hospital Wishaw and to pilot a new Youth Navigator approach by partnering with Taylor High in New Stevenson in Lanarkshire to place Youth Navigators in their school.

“Since the Youth Navigator programme started in mid-2021 it has supported over 600 young people.

“This additional support for the programme is in addition to the substantial investment we are already making to improve the mental health and wellbeing support provided to children, young people and their families in Scotland.

“This funding is the result of the Scottish Government listening to children, young people and families and taking direct action in the areas where they have told us more support is needed. Ensuring that all children and young people can get the right mental health and wellbeing support at the right time is a key priority for this government as our continued record investment in this area goes to show.”

Co-Director and founder of Medics Against Violence, Professor Christine Goodall said: “We are delighted to receive funding from the Scottish Government to pilot the expansion of the Youth Navigator programme.

“The youth work approach that the Youth Navigators take provides young people with a trusted adult with whom they can discuss their feelings and through discussing what is most important to them, put plans in place to support a safer future.

“The expansion of the programme in the hospital setting is much needed and often requested by hospitals, the new approach of placing Youth Navigators in the school setting helps to take prevention further upstream to try and support young people with any issues they are facing before they get to the crisis point where they require medical intervention.”

A young person who received support from the Youth Navigator programme said: “I appreciate what the Youth Navigator programme has done for me – giving me someone to talk to who won’t invalidate my feelings and genuinely help me is something I’ve always wanted.

“I am so grateful to those involved – they really made a difference in my life.”

£1.6 million to support community-based drugs projects

 Grants worth a total of £1.61 million have been allocated to community-based drugs organisations and support services providing access to treatment and residential rehabilitation.

The Local Support Fund – for groups with an annual income of under £1 million – issued 24 awards. Recipients included the Navigator project, run by Medics Against Violence, which will get £37,256 to help patients who attend Emergency Departments access appropriate local services after  discharge.

Grants of up to £100,000 were awarded to 17 organisations under the Improvement Fund which supports services leading to fast access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and initiatives which help drug users address the underlying challenges they face.

This round of funding is from the £18 million package announced in March to support the national mission to reduce drug related deaths and improve lives.

Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “I am pleased we have been able to support these organisations to improve and extend their services.

“The Local Support Fund will help community based projects increase their capacity so they can reach more people who experience problem drug use and offer increased support to them and their families.

“The Improvement Fund supports initiatives which lead to quick access to treatment and help for families. It can also be used for residential rehabilitation and to provide access to additional support, such as mental health services, to enable people to address any underlying challenges they face.

“Over the next five years we will spend £250 million on addressing the drug deaths crisis, £100 million of which will go on improving the provision of residential rehabilitation and I will update Parliament on progress in this area after the summer recess.

“As I have said before, I am determined that every penny of this additional funding will make a difference to all those affected by drug use in Scotland.”

Director of Medics Against Violence Christine Goodall said: “Medics Against Violence are absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to expand the capacity of the Navigator Project. 

“This project provides relational and responsive support for people who are at risk or in crisis, so this expansion will play an important role in keeping even more people safe and connected.  We hope that by continuing to working together with partners we can support people towards safer and healthier lives.” 

Full list of funding recipients

NHS Lothian launches Youth Navigator initiative

Medics against Violence, a charity founded and led by senior clinicians, are partnering with NHS Lothian and Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation to deliver Youth Navigator, a Youth work based community outreach service which will be based in the Acute Receiving Unit at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and St John’s Hospital, Livingston.  

Youth Navigator aims to support young people through a joined-up hospital and community youth work approach with some of the life challenges they face that can bring them into contact with health services.

Presentation to hospital at a time of crisis is known to be a ‘reachable moment’. This is when people are more open to accepting support. The Youth Navigator will work alongside the medical and nursing staff to make sure that those important opportunities are not missed. 

Dr Christine Goodall, Director of Medics against Violence said: “We are really looking forward to being able to offer the Navigator service to younger people.

“We will also have the opportunity, with the adult and youth Navigator services co-located in Lothian, to offer holistic support to the whole family should they need it.”

Tam Begbie National Co-Ordinator for the Navigator service said: “Starting up a Youth Navigator service just makes sense to us, we’ve seen many people within the adult service who would really have benefitted from this had it been available to them when they were younger.

“We hope it will give the young people who are supported by the service the connections and tools for a happier and healthier future.”

Sanjay Singh, Head of Funding Programmes at Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with NHS Lothian and Medics against Violence to provide match funding for this innovative programme.

“Having the Youth Navigator service available at such a critical point will really benefit vulnerable young people, particularly during these times of increased stress and anxiety.”

Dr Alison McLuckie, Lead Clinician for Youth Navigator in NHS Lothian said: “We are really excited to be able to offer this new service to our adolescent patients which will build on the success of the adult Navigator service and be based around the ethos of one trusted adult and community based outreach to provide the right care at the right time.”

Medics Against Violence: tackling violence in young people

250 health volunteers reach over 30,000 young people across 90 schools

School pupils are benefitting from the advice of their peers as part of an innovative programme aimed at reducing violent crime. Medics Against Violence is led by health professionals and was created in 2008 in response to the level of young people sustaining injuries following violent incidents. Continue reading Medics Against Violence: tackling violence in young people