Eikon continues its role delivering child and adolescent mental health services on behalf of the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Eikon has successfully built, led and managed a partnership with four other Surrey organisations: Step by Step, Relate West Surrey, Learning Space and Heads Together ─ part of the YMCA East Surrey.
The Eikon Partnership was initially commissioned to deliver a preventative programme in schools and one-to-one early intervention for 600 children and young people. However, since the start of the contract, in April 2016, there has been a very significant demand for therapeutic support for children, young people and their families, far outstripping the level of demand expected.
The Partnership responded to this increased demand and in the last financial year, delivered 11,500 counselling sessions to over 2,100 children and young people. This proactive early intervention approach is at the core of how Eikon works. Getting involved before problems escalate is key to the success of the Partnership, particularly in an area of need that continues to grow.
We have also addressed the priorities for transforming Children and Young People’s mental health and emotional wellbeing services, as set out in Surrey’s own transformation plan and more recently in the Government’s Green Paper, by recruiting new staff to train as Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners (CWPs).
The CWPs are trained to deliver evidence -based guided self-help to young people experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and to parents of younger children experiencing anxiety or behavioural issues.
In addition to the ongoing delivery we are delighted to be involved in strategic discussions with Commissioners looking to the future development of this work in 2021, emphasising the importance of working collaboratively with Public and Third Sector Partners; an approach that Eikon has always advocated.
Head Smart – Wellbeing Ambassadors in schools. Delivering prevention & early intervention work such as this is a core principle of our work.