Mental health support for children and young people with SEND

Many children and young people with SEND experience worries, low mood or changes in their behaviour at different points in their lives. If your child has SEND, they may need a bit of extra help to manage their feelings. This page explains where to start, who to speak to, and what support is available.

Thriving

Most children and young people need general support to stay well day‑to‑day. This often comes from the people who already know your child best,  usually their school or setting. Staff can talk with you about how your child is feeling and help put simple steps in place. These might be clearer routines, time to calm, support with transitions or small changes to make the day feel more manageable.

If your child already has a support plan, their emotional wellbeing can be included so everything works together. Keeping routines predictable and offering gentle reassurance can help many young people stay well and feel more in control.

Getting advice

If you’ve noticed changes in your child’s mood or behaviour, it can help to talk to someone early on. Many families start with their child’s school or college. Staff can help you understand what’s going on, explore what’s already been tried and suggest what might help next.

You can also speak to your GP if you’re unsure where to go or if your child’s emotions are beginning to affect daily life. Young people may prefer to explore information online or talk to someone outside the family. Trusted local and national services can offer guidance, coping tools and safe ways to talk about how they’re feeling.

This stage is about understanding what’s going on and getting the right information so you can decide what to do next.

If you’re looking for general mental health and wellbeing support for adults, families or young people, you can visit our Mental health and wellbeing page. It includes wider advice, self‑help information and links to general services.

If you're a parent or carer you can find options for support in our Mental health toolkit for parent carers (PDF, 1.7MB).

Getting help

Some children and young people need more focused support when their symptoms start to change. This might include short‑term work with emotional wellbeing services, structured sessions to build coping skills or targeted interventions that support specific goals.

Schools, GPs and other professionals can help identify what kind of support would be most useful. They may bring together information from home, school and other settings so everyone understands the full picture and can plan the best next steps.

At this stage, support usually feels more structured but still aims to help children manage day‑to‑day life and build confidence.

Getting more help

If your child’s symptoms are having a bigger impact on daily life, they may need more specialist input. This can include services that work with children and young people who have more complex emotional or mental health needs.

Referrals are usually made by a GP, school or another professional involved with your child. They will explain what has been tried so far and why more support might be needed now. This helps specialist services understand your child’s needs and plan appropriate help.

Support at this level focuses on helping children manage more significant changes in their emotions or behaviour, and on making sure the right people are involved.

Getting risk support

Sometimes children and young people experience distress that feels overwhelming or difficult to manage safely. When risks increase or when a child is finding it hard to keep themselves safe, support may focus on managing these risks and making sure they are not facing this alone.

Specialist services will look at the whole picture and work with you, school and other professionals to keep your child safe. This level of support usually sits alongside other work already in place.

If your child is ever in immediate crisis or you’re worried about their safety, you should seek urgent help straight away. NHS 111 (select the mental health option), A&E and emergency services are available for children and young people as well as adults