1st June 2021
Volunteers Week
Our Thriving Kirklees partners are celebrating Volunteers Week from 1st to 7th of June. Find out more about what they are up to mark the achievement of around 150 volunteers across the partnership on our Volunteers Week page.
25th May 2021
Please click here for the latest update from the Thriving Kirklees Partnership
1 July 2019
Big shout out to our Thriving Kirklees partners for being highly commended at the recent MJ awards.
We’re so proud that the innovative work of the partnership towards boosting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people has been recognised on a national platform. Representatives of the successful Thriving Kirklees partnership attended the glamorous MJ Award ceremony and were not disappointed with being highly commended.
Through genuine collaboration between agencies and comprehensive engagement with families and front line workers, Thriving Kirklees has replaced a disjointed system with a modern, responsive intelligence-led approach that reflects local needs for improving childhood wellbeing.
What’s been done?
Through collaboration, enabling sharing of both physical and financial resources, experience, knowledge, expertise, and approaches, a range of tangible benefits are being seen after just 2 years:
• Sharing of financial resources the programme has helped offset the 15% budget savings without reducing the services being offered.
• Shared resources have increased capacity available throughout the workforce.
• New mothers engagement has increased by; 11% for birth visits, 13% engaged with breastfeeding and 80% receive maternal mood assessments.
• Parenthood courses have enabled 98% of expecting parents to feel better prepared.
• Establishing a single practitioner for a family-centred approach meets the needs of families who have children of varying ages.
• 90% of Children Looked After who need a mental health intervention now receive one within 28 days – up from 50%.
• Increased emotional health in schools through School Link work targeting the upskilling of staff to support young people.
• 10% of people accessing online 24/7 support and “self-serve” outside of the historic “open hours. Improving quality of service and increasing specialist service capacity.
• Over 90% of mental health crisis cases being seen in under 4 hours.
• ASC assessment reduced from 36months to 12 months,
• Specialist CAMHS waiting times reduced from 60 days to 41 days,
• Increase Mental Health support within education settings increased from 0% to 20%.
The MJ awards are a prestigious annual celebration where local authorities come together to celebrate innovative and inspiring ways of working within local government. To be highly commended is a wonderful achievement and we wish the partnership every success in flourishing over the next three years.
11 March 2019
A new text messaging service is being launched in Kirklees to offer young people aged 11-19 confidential advice and support about a range of health issues and improve their access to health care.
Thriving Kirklees, the local partnership of health and well-being providers, is launching the award-winning service, called ChatHealth, from Monday (11th March). The service allows young people to speak to a Thriving Kirklees nurse via text message by contacting 07520 618866.
Messages sent to the new number are delivered to a secure website, and responded to by one of Thriving Kirklees’ healthcare professionals. The service is available between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday. Out of hours, anyone who texts the service receives a bounce back message explaining where to get help if their question is urgent, and when they can expect a response. Texts will be replied to within one working day.
The service offers confidential advice and support on issues including advice on bullying, drugs, self-esteem, alcohol, smoking, relationships, mental health and sexual health.
Helen Jones, Chair of the Thriving Kirklees Board and Locala’s Assistant Director of Operations, said: “With young people increasingly using technology to access services we feel ChatHealth is a great way to encourage them to get in touch with Thriving Kirklees services and get the help and support they need.
“It’s really important that young people feel they have someone to contact to ask questions about issues connected with their health and wellbeing, and our healthcare professionals can support them on a wide range of issues.
“Having the option to contact someone confidentially right from their mobile phone opens up a new opportunity for those young people who don’t want to speak to someone face-to-face about the issues they want help with.”
The service is also available to parents/carers of children and young people who can contact Thriving Kirklees now via text message on 07520 618867.
ChatHealth, is an award-winning service originally developed for a health trust in Leicestershire, which has been introduced by several NHS health trusts and health partnerships in other parts of the UK.
Texts to the service on either the young people, or parents/carers numbers are charged at the standard message rate and people have the option to give their name or use the service anonymously.
A Chathealth app is due to launched later this year which will offer support direct from smartphones and tablets.
Young people can also contact Thriving Kirklees services by calling 0300 304 5555 or by clicking the “Request Support” button above.