Wellbeing
Wellbeing is a term that refers to the state of being comfortable, healthy and happy. It encompasses physical, mental, emotional and social health factors.
There are many services and organisations in the Dover District that can offer you support, advice and treatment. Whether you need urgent help, ongoing care or just someone to talk to, there is a service that can help you.
We have researched local partners, organisations and charities that can offer you a wide range of support. Please click on the helpful links below for more information.
Family Support
Healthy Start
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk. If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. We’ll add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks.
You can use your card to buy:
- plain liquid cow’s milk
- fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
- fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
- infant formula milk based on cow’s milk
You can also use your card to collect:
- Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old
To find out more, visit the link below:
Get help to buy food and milk (Healthy Start)
KCC Youth Services
Providing a range of support services including:
- Building relationships
- Group work
- 1:1 support
- Peer groups and friendships
- Online/virtual, centre based, outreach and detached youth work
- Partnership work with the community, faith groups and uniform organisations
- School based youth work
- Holiday programs
- Accredited programs including Duke of Edinburgh award, ASDAN & Arts Award
To find out more visit the link below:
Dover Youth Hub (Linwood Youth Centre) | Local Kent Directory
Kent Family
Kent family can help support you and your child as they grow and develop. You can browse support available by age range or visit some of our popular topics here: Home - Kent family (kentcht.nhs.uk)
Dover Children's Centres
Each centre offers different services, including:
- childcare
- early education
- training or finding a new job
- antenatal classes
- baby clinics
- support with breastfeeding
- support with parenting and speech and language
- drop-in sessions for parents and children
- services for children with special needs and disabilities
- opportunities for families to get involved with volunteering and designing services
Please check with your local children's centre and for their virtual offer.
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/childcare-and-pre-school/childrens-centres
Inspire
Our Inspire Project has been set up to provide funding support to help young people that are facing challenges. The fund helps young people to create new friendships, introduce them to healthy lifestyles through sport, and open new doors into work with opportunities to learn new skills.
The project can be used to pay a wide variety of things including a range of sports and educational activities. The project can also help pay towards equipment for the young person to do their activity.
To find out more, visit the link below:
Inspire Project (dover.gov.uk)
Home-start Dover District
Home-Start Dover District is a voluntary organisation that is committed to promoting the welfare of families with at least one child under five years of age. Volunteers offer regular support, friendship and practical help to families under stress in their own homes helping to prevent family crisis and breakdown.
Visit here for further information: http://www.home-startdoverdistrict.org.uk/
BeChange
Bechange works with communities throughout the Dover District, providing support with: Skills and employment, Finance and housing and Families and relationships. Bechange’s Support Workers provide individual and group support, listening to all the needs of a client and addressing those needs, not just focusing on one area of their life.
Call 01304 840134 or visit here: BeChange – Bechange works with adults, families and young people who need support to make lasting change to reach positive futures
United Families UK
United Families UK support families that have separated as well as providing support for school uniforms, food banks and fuel poverty.
For further information click here: United Families UK
One You Kent
Provides health improvement services in Kent. This includes, the weight loss team, smokefree, health checks, the smoking in pregnancy home visiting service, health walks and the expert patient programme as well as the lifestyle adviser service. To get supprot from One You Kent, tell us abit about yourself, and one of our lifestyle advisers will contact you about the support available.
www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/health/one-you-kent
Social Prescribers - Social Enterprise Kent
Social prescribing enables organisations to refer people to a range of services that offer support for social, emotional or practical needs.
This could include feelings of loneliness, as well as for debt, employment or housing problems, or difficulties with their relationships.
Social prescribing connects people to community groups and services, often through the support of a ‘link worker’.
The exact nature of the role can vary depending on where you live in Kent and Medway.
www.kentandmedway.icb.nhs.uk/mental-wellbeing-information-hub/social-prescribing
Mental Health
Kent Children & Young People’s Mental Health Service
The Children and Young People's Mental Health Service (CYPMHS) provides emotional wellbeing and mental health advice and support for young people and their families across Kent.
This service is available to young people from the age of 0-18 (up until their 19th birthday) and up until the age of 25 for young people with special educational needs or as part of a wider network of support for children and young people in the care of the Local Authority.
CYPMHS offers advice and support for stress, low mood and depression, anxiety, self-harm or difficult to manage behaviors and support for neurodevelopmental difficulties such as ADHD or ASD.
Visit here for more information: https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/services-kent-children-young-peoples-mental-health
South Kent Mind
We’re your local mental health charity and here to support anyone with a mental health problem. If you’re from Folkestone, Hythe, Dover, Deal, Sandwich, New Romney, or anywhere between, we will guide you along the pathway towards better mental health.
See their website for further details: South Kent Mind
Dover Counselling Centre
To support those who might be feeling anxious or depressed for a variety of reasons. Offering support and a safe place to talk about how you are feeling, in confidence, and without being judged.
Call 01304 204123 or visit: https://dovercc.org.uk/
KOOTH Counselling
Kooth, from XenZone, is an online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people 10 -16 years, accessible virtually free at the point of use. Young people can access text-based chats with a counsellor safely, anonymously and for free. There is also a range of self-help resources including a magazine, forums and an activity hub. results. Kooth staff can also provide resources and training for free to anyone in Kent that works with young people.To create an account any young person can go to: www.kooth.com and enter some basic information.
Email kent@xenzone.com to find out more.
Qwell
Offering a variety of anonymous support options to meet your needs with free digital mental wellbeing support adults across the UK.
Click here to find out more information: Home - Qwell
Samaritans
You can talk to us, anytime you like, in your own way. You don't have to be suicidal, we're here anyone who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those thoughts which could lead to suicide.
Visit: www.samaritans.org/branches/folkestone/ or call the emergecny free number - 116123 or 03300 945717
The BeYou Project
The BeYou Project, offered by Porchlight, connects young people in Kent who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or unsure of their sexual orientation and / or gender identity.
BeYou offers a safe, welcoming and non-judgemental space where young LGBT+ people can meet to socialise, have fun and help each other.
See the link for further information: https://thebeyouproject.co.uk/
Addiction
We are With You (formally Addaction)
Get free, confidential support with alcohol, drugs or mental health from one of our local services or online. Visit here for more information: https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/
The Forward Trust
Dover and Folkestone Hub. Service delivered in the community. We help people that have issues with drugs and/or alcohol and want to make a positive change. We also support the family and friends of people who are worried about their loved ones substance use.
Visit here for futher details: https://www.forwardtrust.org.uk/service/dover-and-folkestone-hub
Homelessness
Porchlight
Working across the South East to help vulnerable and isolated people get support, for ages 17 and over Health and wellbeing services – Mental Health, Primary Care community link service, Aspirations, Community Inclusion and Mentoring, Jobs, education and training Housing Services – Routh Sleeper Service, adult support accommodation, Specialist supported housing, homelessness prevention.
Visit: https://www.porchlight.org.uk/ or call 0800 567 7699
For more information on Homelessness, please review our Homelessness page on the Housing webpage.
Homelessness (dover.gov.uk)
SEN / Care
Dover Smart Project
Young Carers Club every Saturday in Smart Gallery, 3 Waterloo Crescent, Dover.
For carers aged 5 to 18 years old.
Visit: Dover Smart Project – LOCAL CHARITY TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH ART & CREATIVITY
Or call: 01304790223
Special Educational Needs
The SEND Local Offer tells families what support is available for children and young people with SEND. Kent’s Local Offer is being reviewed and updated as a part of the SEND Improvement Programme. One of the improvements is an online tool called, Explore your options. This handy online tool helps families explore what are the right options for them if they think their child may have SEND and depending on the answers given offers a range of options for support.
Here is the link for the ASD page which has links to other organisations on it:
Autism spectrum condition - Kent County Council
Here is the link to the page which has the Kent ASD handbook:
Information for families about autism and ADHD - Kent County Council
Includes Us 2 Family Support Partnership Service
The Family Support Partnership is a new service specifically for parents/carers of children with a disability or SEN by providing a tailored package of support for up to 12 weeks. The project is funded by the National Lottery and delivered in partnership with the charities Includes Us 2, For Us Too and Space 2 Be Me. The service is being offered across Includes Us 2: Ashford, Folkestone & Hythe, Dover.
Call 07525589321 or visit: www.facebook.com/IncludesUs2
Domestic Abuse
Oasis
Oasis supports people who have been affected by domestic abuse - how to get help if you've experienced abuse, details of services that you can use, advice on keeping safe, information about abuse. Child and young people services incudes: iCan programme for boys age 13-16; Young Person's outreach: 1-1 mentoring for ages 7-25; Recovering Together programme for mothers and their primary school aged children, post domestic abuse.
For further information click here: http://www.oasisdaservice.org/
Kent and Medway Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Executive Group
This website has been produced in order to provide a central, comprehensive resource of all Domestic Abuse related services within Kent and Medway for victims, friends & family and perpetrators.
Visit here: http://www.domesticabuseservices.org.uk
For more information on Domestic Abuse, please review our Domestic Abuse page on the Commnity Saftey webpage.
Domestic abuse (dover.gov.uk)