News and events

Hertfordshire Mind Network will be providing Hertfordshire’s funded community counselling services for children and young people ages 5-19th birthday from 1 April 2025, when contracts with the county’s current service providers' come to an end. This innovative new service will be offering a broad range of easily accessible support options based on the specific counselling needs of each child/young person.

Hertfordshire’s Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) have also announced that from 1 April 2025, Signpost will be providing a new funded community therapies service for children and young people ages 5-19th birthday.

Further information about both services and how to refer to them will follow in the coming weeks and months.

Interim arrangements and support whilst waiting (updated 24 January 2025)

Up until 31 March 2025, children and young people who are registered with a Hertfordshire GP can access funded counselling sessions by making a referral to one of Hertfordshire's existing community counselling service providers: Signpost, YCT or Youth Talk.

• Signpost: 
  • Tel: 01923 239495
  • Signpost - Home Page - One YMCA

 

• YCT: 
  • Tel: 01279 414 090 
  • yct – yct

 

• Youth Talk: 
  • Tel: 01727 868684 
  • Home - Youth Talk

Signpost, YCT or Youth Talk will discuss all the options with them, but if the young person’s assessment shows that counselling sessions funded by Hertfordshire County Council is the most suitable option to meet their needs, they will be placed on a waiting list for this service.

Due to Hertfordshire County Council’s contracts with Signpost, YCT and Youth Talk coming to end on 31 March 2025, the young person’s sessions may be with the new service providers: Hertfordshire Mind Network, who will begin on 1 April 2025. With consent, the young person’s referral/assessment information will be forwarded to Hertfordshire Mind Network, who will contact them to arrange their first appointment.

Please also direct young people, parents and carers to Hertfordshire’s other early help services that can be accessed straight away and don’t need a professional referral. This includes digital services from With Youth (for ages 5-18) and The Sandbox (for ages 10-25). Both services can carry out assessments and one-to-one sessions if needed. With Youth sessions are with trained Mental Health Support Workers and The Sandbox sessions are with UK qualified Counsellors. You can find details of these and other Hertfordshire CYPMHS at:

• www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/youthmentalhealth.

These services can also provide support whilst a young person is waiting to be seen by another service.