A MAJOR project in the Wee County is seeking to find fresh avenues to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of young people.

The move by Clackmannanshire Council's Educational Psychology Service comes after a year of disruption and lack of social contact for young people, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Whitney Barrett, principal educational psychologist, said: "We know that the past year has been really hard for lots of our children, young people and their families in terms of managing the mental health impact of lockdowns and the move to remote learning.

"This has made it harder to access services and do all the things we would do normally that we know help in these situations, so it was important to find services that were as freely available as possible – this is why we've turned to digital supports, to complement and extend the face-to-face services we already have.

"These services are part of a much wider project that is seeking to transform not only how we view mental health and wellbeing for children, young people and their families in Clackmannanshire, but what we can offer to support it as well."

The digital services that have been commissioned offer support to different age groups experiencing different levels of difficulty.

They include Mind Moose, a series of online modules for young people between the ages of five and 12.

It covers topics such as resilience, anxiety and mindfulness with modules delivered in-school with a trusted adult.

Another avenue of digital support is Togetherall, an online community offering peer support, courses and information on a wide range of topics for those aged between 16 and 24, or 26 of care experienced.

Shout, a text-based intervention service, is also available to anyone between the ages of five and 26.

Those looking for support can text "Clacks" to 85258 to be put in touch with a trained volunteer.

Lynda McDonald, improving outcomes manager for the Wee County's Education Service, added: "We are hopeful that each of these digital services will bring new and accessible ways to support the management of mental health and wellbeing difficulties for our children and young people in Clackmannanshire."

For the services, young people can visit togetherall.com and giveusashout.org to receive support.

The education service is also looking for volunteers to become part of a group and help shape the wider support project going forward.

Parents and young people with a particular interest in mental health can email mfox@clacks.gov.uk or spaul@clacks.gov.uk to find out more and to receive an invite to an online meeting.