Health and wellbeing for care leavers

Our Leaving Care Team and your worker can support you to:

  • stay healthy
  • look after your physical health
  • look after your mental health and well-being

Your social worker or personal advisor (PA) will help you to download the NHS App. You can use it as a digital ‘Health passport’:

  • It shows your health history
  • gives online health advice
  • you can make GP appointments online (with participating GPs)

It is important that you take care of yourself and speak to your PA if you have any health concerns.

Your pathway plan will detail your health needs, if you have any. It will include your NHS number, GP, and Dentist information. Please remember to keep your PA updated.

Compass – Harrow Young People’s Drug Misuse Service

Compass is a free and confidential support service. It's designed for young people who need support around their own, or another's, drug or alcohol use.

Young people under 18 can be referred to Compass, or you can self-refer. Compass can work with young people up to age 24.

Compass Harrow is co-located with other providers of children and young people’s services. These services include support around:

  • domestic violence
  • sexual health (including free condoms and HIV testing)
  • mental health

They also provide career and employment support.

Compass’s caring and friendly team are available at a time and place that suits you. 

Sexual Health

The Caryl Thomas Clinic is a sexual health and contraceptive service. It's based in Headstone Drive, Wealdstone, HA1 4UQ.

Call 020 3893 8575 for the Contraceptive Service and 020 8966 6429 for the Sexual Health Service. You can access free condoms here, or at many other pharmacies which display the “C-Card”.

Sexual Health London (SHL.UK) is a new online sexual health service. It is available t residents of Brent, Ealing and Harrow. The service provides convenient testing for sexually transmitted infections. There is no need to visit a clinic. SHL’s testing service is for people who have mild or no STI symptoms, and would like to get themselves checked.

You can also request free regular and emergency contraception. It's effective up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Just complete a simple, secure online consultation at www.shl.uk

Mental and Emotional Health

If you are in crisis, please call your worker for help, or 999 for emergency services straight away. If you’ve hurt yourself, it’s important you go to Accident and Emergency quickly. There you'll receive medical treatment.

If you are struggling to cope and need to talk, text Shout 85258. It's a free, confidential, anonymous text support service. You can text from wherever you are in the UK.

Their trained Shout volunteers are here for you, day or night: giveusashout.org

Another service is Kooth, www.kooth.com. It provides anonymous and personalised mental health support for Children and Young People. It was commissioned by the NHS, Local Authorities, charities and businesses.

With over 4000 logins per day, they provide end to end support whatever the need. Kooth is an anonymous site. So you'll feel safe and confident to explore concerns and seek professional support. Access to Kooth is immediate. There is no need for a referral, no waiting lists and the service is available 24/7.

A specialist organisation based in Harrow is HeadsUp. This is a specialist young people’s mental health service provided by five local organisations:

  • Mind in Harrow
  • Centre for ADHD and Autism Support
  • Mosaic LGBT Youth Centre
  • Paiwand
  • WISH Centre

HeadsUp is a free and confidential service for young people aged 13-25 in Harrow. The service helps improve mental health, resilience, and build self-esteem. They provide peer-led mental wellbeing workshops and specialist one-to-one and group sessions. They are tailored for young people from the:

  • LGBT+ community
  • refugee and asylum-seeking families
  • those with a diagnosis, or suspected diagnosis of ADHD or Autism

For further information:

Or you can contact one of the services directly