Clackmannanshire Council, as part of the Family Wellbeing Partnership, has made the digital mental health service Qwell available to parents and carers of children and young people aged up to 18 years.
The free, safe and anonymous digital tool offers personalised mental health support 24/7 and crucially has no waiting lists or thresholds to meet. In addition, it is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BCAP) so users can be confident in the service they receive.
The service is delivered by kooth.com, which has been providing invaluable support to young people aged 10-18 in the region since September 2021. At the end of last year, Qwell was awarded an exceptionally high assessment score of 90 percent from the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA).
Lesley Taylor, principal educational psychologist at Clackmannanshire Council, said: “It’s important that we provide timely and professional mental health support for those who are caring for and parenting young people.
“By extending our commissioning of Kooth to include its adult service – Qwell – we are offering a choice of personalised mental health services that can be accessed 24/7 at a mere click (or tap) of a button.”
There is no need for parents or carers to have a referral from a medical profession to access the service, which is available immediately at www.qwell.io.
The digital tool offers parents and carers access to experienced counsellors and wellbeing practitioners in the form of one-to-one, text-based chat sessions that run from 12-10pm on weekdays and 6-10pm on weekends.
The support also includes a fully safeguarded and pre-moderated Qwell community of peer support. This includes articles written by the Qwell community alongside the Kooth team, which cover topics in an age-appropriate way and include personal experiences and helpful tips.
Discussion boards allow users to seek advice from their peers and join or start pre-moderated conversations. Finally, the daily journal tool offers a place for parents and carers to track feelings and emotions to reflect on how they’re feeling.
Dr Lynne Green, chief clinical officer at Kooth, said: “At Kooth, we are on a mission to ensure that everyone has access to timely and effective mental health care based on their individual preferences and needs.
“Our Qwell service will ensure that parents and carers in Clacks have access to anonymous, safe and effective mental health care and support that is available around the clock. No matter how big or small the issue, our team of experienced practitioners and professional counsellors are here to help.”