Find out more about what we do and how you can also help your child.
Samaritans work with young people in schools, colleges and other youth settings in a number of ways.
Every year over 590 young people take their own lives. Through our work with schools and colleges, we aim to create an understanding of emotional health and its impact on the wellbeing of young people and raise awareness of the importance of emotional support. Ultimately our work aims to reduce the incidence of suicide in young people.
What is Emotional Health?
Emotional health is about the way we think and feel, and the ability to cope with difficult things in life.
Having good emotional health is not the same thing as being happy all the time. If something happens and we feel low emotionally, getting back on track can sometimes be difficult. Young people passing through adolescence often need particular support. During this time of their lives, they experience huge physical, psychological and behavioural changes as they mature from children to adults. Young people are also developing greater independence and responsibilities, and experiencing changes in the way they think and feel. Many young people have developed positive coping strategies and are generally resilient to these challenges, but some will need additional help to develop resilience and stay emotionally healthy.
Other sources of support
If you're looking for specific advice or support for a particular problem, you can find a list of helpful organisations here.
Has your child been affected by a suspected suicide?
A suicide in a school or college is a very sad and traumatic event for students, staff, parents and the wider school community. When a suspected suicide occurs our specially trained volunteers offer support to schools’ senior management teams.
Read our information for parents to help you support the child in your care and help you understand your own feelings during this tough time.