The Youth Health Service want to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ young people to come and get support with their health and wellbeing, without any fear of judgement. Although we are not a Gender Identity Service and therefore not able to provide the specialist treatments they can, we are ready to listen and support. Below are some local services and resources that might be helpful for an LGBTQ+ young person or their parent or carer.
LGBT Youth Scotland
LGBT Youth Scotland are working to make Scotland a place where all LGBTQ+ young people can flourish and thrive. On their website you can find your local youth groups and access their live chat for digital support. There’s also lots of really practical resources on many different topics such as coming out, sex and relationships and gender.
This organisation supports LGBTQ+ people aged 16+ years with service, social events and resources. The LGBT Helpline Scotland is available for LGBTQ+ people but also parents, friends and professionals who are supporting LGBTQ+ people. The Helpline team will be able to give information on sexual health, coming out, gender identity amongst other issues.
The form below is for parents, carers and young people only. Please complete the form below and we will phone you back. Professionals and youth organisations should phone our team on 0141 451 2727.
Our team continues to support young people aged 12-19 years in Glasgow City with their health and wellbeing. Over the past year we have received just under 1,500 referrals and delivered over 6,000 appointments at our venues. Over 2,000 Counselling appointments were offered to young people struggling with their Mental Health, with wellbeing issues such as anxiety and stress remaining the most common reasons for a young person seeking support. Our partners Lifelink provide this aspect of the Youth Health Service and we are very grateful to them for the way they have responded to the growing need for Mental Health support within the service.
137 young people were supported with risk-taking behaviour through our Multiple Risk programme, with 79 completing the programme. We are delighted to continue our partnership with includem who provide the Multiple Risk element of the Youth Health Service. Using the “A Better Life Toolkit” and tailored activities, young people have been supported with anger, self-esteem and vaping, among other concerns.
Overall feedback about the service from young people has been positive, with comments about being able to be open and honest and not worry about being judged. One young person said, “I found it helpful that I could really open up to my counsellor about the past, I was not able to do that before”. Another young person said: “This service has really helped me become more confident in myself and has helped me manage my eating in a more positive way. It’s also helping me learn more strategies to help cope with my stress.”
Our Youth Employability Coach, Jane, has supported 32 young people with career planning, identifying skills and interview preparation. Jane advocates for the young people she supports, liaising with schools, employers and colleges to help the young person find their path. This role is funded through the Scottish Government Young Person’s Guarantee. Another highlight of the year has been the addition of Young Volunteers into all 9 of our venues. Volunteers provided a friendly face for young people attending Youth Health Services, helped with completing paperwork and shared health information with young people.
The Youth Health Service supported young people aged 12–19 across nine venues in Glasgow, with 1,454 referrals and 1,339 individuals engaging in over 5,100 appointments. Mental health and wellbeing issues such as anxiety, low mood, self‑esteem and self‑harm remained the most common reasons for attendance.
The tiered model of support — Listening Ear, Single Session and counselling — continued to show positive outcomes. The Multiple Risk programme entered its fourth year with 138 referrals and 63 completions, supported by additional staff. Other highlights included a new Youth Employability Coach, 14 volunteers, completion of a Modern Apprentice post, strengthened digital engagement, LGBT Charter Gold accreditation, family wellbeing support at Maryhill, extended partnership with CAMHS, and training opportunities for medical students and GPs.
The Youth Health Service supported young people aged 12–19 across nine venues in Glasgow, with 1,758 referrals and 1,182 individuals engaging in 5,105 appointments. Mental health and wellbeing issues such as anxiety, low mood, anger and self‑harm remained the most common reasons for referral, with increasing complexity in presentations.
A new tiered model of support — Listening Ear, Single Session and counselling — was introduced, improving access and reducing missed appointments. The Multiple Risk programme continued into its third year with 163 referrals and 69 completions, while the A&E referral pathway provided further opportunities for early intervention. Other developments included migration to EMIS Web, enhanced digital engagement, progress toward LGBT Youth Scotland Gold Charter status, and funding for a new Employability Coach.
Youth Health Service accredited with LGBT Charter Gold April 2024
We are delighted to announce that we have been accredited with the LGBT Charter at Gold level. The LGBT Charter is awarded by LGBT Youth Scotland and supports organisations to review their policies and practices to ensure they are inclusive to LGBTQ+ people. The programme also offers opportunities for staff training, the development of resources and raising awareness of LGBTQ+ issues.
The Youth Health Service Charter Champion group has collected evidence over the past 18 months that reflects the team’s work to make the service a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ young people and their families.
During this process, Youth Health Service staff attended LGBTQ+ awareness training to improve their knowledge and confidence in supporting LGBTQ+ young people. The team hosted several events including Purple Friday at Youth Health Service venues, where staff shared information to increase awareness of the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ young people and Purple Friday posters were signed to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. The team also took part in a process mapping exercise where they evaluated a young person’s experience when they come to the service for their first appointment. The exercise also considered how staff interact with young people who attend the Youth Health Service and identified ways in which LGBTQ+ young people might be positively or negatively impacted. The Youth Health Service is proud to support LGBTQ+ young people and their families and will continue to look for ways to provide an inclusive service to this community.
Read our Annual Report 2022-2023
The Youth Health Service had another busy year, with 1224 young people attending the service. Referrals continue to increase with 1895 received this year. The majority of these came from GP Practices, and we are very grateful to the practice staff who continue to support the service. This year saw a large increase in the number of Multiple Risk sessions attended by young people, with 1034 utilised compared with 578 in 2021-2022. As with previous years, the most common issues young people presented with were related to Mental Health including anxiety, stress and low mood.
The pilot project to develop a referral pathway from Glasgow A&E departments to the Youth Health Service came to an end in March 2023. Despite the challenges associated with establishing a new project during the Covid-19 pandemic, 200 young people were referred to the service for support with drug or alcohol use. In 2022 our Youth Employability Coach supported 17 young people with CVs, interview skills and applications, Glasgow Life Youth Workers supported young people at all 9 of our venues and we were delighted to welcome a Modern Apprentice to the Business Support Team.
The Youth Health Service continues to establish itself, with uptake increasing in the North East and South of the City. Click here to read our Annual Report covering April 2022 to March 2023.
Read our Annual Report 2021-2022
Coronavirus continued to affect our return to normal service in the year April 2021 to March 2022, with new variants of the virus resulting in staff sickness and self-isolation and appointments being cancelled at the last minute.
Referrals to the service reached a record high, with 1837 young people referred for an appointment over the year. The majority of these came from GP practices, family members or young people themselves (58%). 78% of young people who attended an appointment came for the first time in 2021-2022. As with previous years, the most common presenting issues were related to Mental Health including anxiety, stress and low mood.
A pilot project with Glasgow A&E departments was launched in April 2021, forming a referral pathway between A&E staff and the Youth Health Service for young people who present intoxicated with drugs or alcohol but don’t meet the criteria for a Social Work intervention. Other service developments included a refreshed Multiple Risk programme provided by commissioned partners includem, the addition of a Youth Employability Coach to the team through Young Person’s Guarantee funding and the development of further Mental Health support options for Glasgow young people through extra Counselling sessions and iHeart group programmes.
The Youth Health Service team have been working towards achieving the LGBT Youth Scotland Gold Charter Award since June and we are making great progress. We are currently looking at creating a guide to supporting LGBTQ+ young people for our team and agreeing how we can help young people that want to change their name or pronoun when they come to the service. The LGBT Awareness training has helped us all consider LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences when they come to the Youth Health Service and what we could do better.
Our consultation is now live so our Nurses, GPs, Counsellors and Multiple Risk Workers will be chatting to LGBTQ+ young people over the next few weeks to find out what they need from our service and how we might overcome any barriers this community experience when trying to get the support they need.
Follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts for updates on how we’re getting on!
Read our Annual Report 2020-2021
We are delighted to be able to share our first Annual Report as Glasgow City Youth Health Service, covering the year from April 2020 to March 2021. The team are really proud of what we have managed to achieve during this time and the challenges that we have overcome. Similar to many NHS services, the Youth Health Service was affected by Coronavirus restrictions and appointments were provided remotely from March-December 2020 with consultations taking place by telephone or video call.
Demand for the Youth Health Service increased rapidly during this time, with mental health being the most common reason for seeking support. This theme continued throughout the year and reflected a national increase in youth mental health concerns, with research carried out by YoungMinds in Summer 2020 finding that 81% of young people aged 13-25 years felt that the pandemic and resulting restrictions had made their mental health worse and 87% saying they felt lonely or isolated during lockdown.
In January 2021 we were able to get back into our venues and hold some appointments in-person, with others still taking place virtually or over the phone. New services in Pollok and Easterhouse helped to provide more appointment opportunities for young people in the South and North East of the City. A new citywide brand for the Youth Health Service was co-produced with local young people engaged with Scottish charity Impact Arts and launched in April 2021.
Glasgow City Youth Health Service Launch September 2021
We are pleased to confirm that the expansion of Glasgow City Youth Health Service is complete. Services at Springburn and Elderpark opened in August, bringing the total to 9 venues across Glasgow City.
Julie Gordon, Youth Health Service Manager said:
“I’m absolutely delighted to be able to announce the launch of Glasgow City Youth Health Service, with 9 venues now open. We have come a long way since we opened the first service in Maryhill, but our core values remain very much the same: listening without judgement, building trust and treating everyone fairly and with respect.”
We are aware of the ways in which the pandemic has impacted young people and widened inequalities and so the need for our service has never been greater. There has been a particular focus on youth mental health over the past 18 months and as a priority, we are currently exploring additional ways of offering support. Our Multiple Risk programme is becoming established and complements the broader, holistic support provided by the Youth Health Service team. Our commissioned partners Lifelink and includem are a key part of this.
We asked one of our young service users about their experience:
“The GP was so friendly, someone to talk to every week and I could talk to her without feeling embarrassed or judged at any point. It’s amazing that more services are opening as more young people will get the help they need”
In addition to the expansion programme, we have embraced a number of opportunities to improve the support available to young people. This has included a referral pathway from A&E to support intoxicated young people and the addition of a Youth Employability Coach, funded by the Young Person’s Guarantee.
Funding for the Youth Health Service is provided by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).
Simon Carr, Chair of the Integrated Joint Board had these reflections:
“The Youth Health Service model is closely aligned with the HSCP’s strategic priorities, with a particular focus on early intervention and prevention. These nine services will provide person-centred support for young people in Glasgow City. We are really pleased that the service has managed to complete the expansion programme over the past 18 months, despite the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic and I join with the team in celebrating this achievement.”
New Multiple Risk provider for Glasgow City Youth Health Service July 2021
We are excited to announce a development to Glasgow City Youth Health Service. From July 1st includem will be delivering Multiple Risk support in each of our venues. Multiple Risk Workers will address risky behaviours, supporting young people to make changes, build resilience and find a positive path.
This could help young people who are involved in risky behaviours, gaming, gambling, antisocial behaviour or alcohol and drug use includem Chief Executive Martin Dorchester said: “The launch of the Multiple Risk service marks a new partnership for includem and we are delighted to be part of the Glasgow City Youth Health Service working with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the other partners to help support and transform the lives of Glasgow’s young people who need it the most.”
Appointments are available for young people aged 12 to 19 years who live in Glasgow or are registered with a Glasgow GP by phoning our team on 0141 451 2727.
New services for Easterhouse and Pollok April 2021
Glasgow City Youth Health Service are delighted to announce the opening of two new venues in Easterhouse and Pollok. This completes phase II of the expansion programme approved by Glasgow City Joint Integration Board in 2019. Appointments can now be made on Monday evenings at Easterhouse Health Centre and Pollok Health Centre with the Youth Health Service team by phoning 0141 451 2727.
The Youth Health Service is available to young people aged 12-19 years who have a Glasgow City post code or are registered with a Glasgow GP. Referrals can be made by young people themselves, teachers, school nurses, parents, GPs or any other organisation working with young people. The only requirement is that the referral is discussed with the young person first.
Youth Health Insights
Youth participation in public health research
A new Lancet Child & Adolescent Health article explores the development of the Health Hive, a co‑created digital platform that trains and supports young people to take an active role in public health research and advocacy. The piece highlights why meaningful youth involvement strengthens research quality, confidence, and wellbeing, and offers useful insights for services working with young people. (A Lancet account is required to view the full article.)
Glasgow City Youth Health Service take a holistic approach to care. This means that we try to support the young person with all aspects of their health, rather than focusing on just one.
Our team have a legal and ethical duty of confidentiality to young people who attend the service. We will not share what is discussed at an appointment unless we are concerned that the young person or someone else is at risk of harm. Read information on confidentiality and consent when using NHS services.
Most of the help we provide comes under one of the following categories; however we recognise that being healthy can mean different things to different people and our health can be affected by many different factors. We will often link with other services across Glasgow City to offer a wide range of support.
Mental Health
We take a preventative approach to mental health – this means we will provide young people with coping strategies to help them deal with life’s challenges in a more constructive way.
We can offer short-term support with difficulties such as stress, anxiety and low mood. This may take the form of sessions with our Lifelink Counsellors or other mental health support such as group sessions.
Sexual Health
We can offer support with contraception including implant insertion and removal, emergency contraception, contraceptive injection and contraceptive pills. Pregnancy testing and advice and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing are also available at the Youth Health Service.
Free condoms are available at all our venues.
Multiple Risk
Our Multiple Risk Workers are here to support young people to make positive choices and changes and improve their resilience. This could be to do with peer pressure, substance use, gaming or any other risky behaviours.
The Multiple Risk programme is provided by our partners includem and uses their “A Better Life” toolkit which includes topics such as health and wellbeing, offending and risk-taking behaviours. Sessions take place over several weeks and involve activities to create a personal development plan and work towards goals set by the young person. The activities used in the programme are tailored to the young person’s learning style and interests to ensure their support is personalised.
One to one appointments are available in each of our venues with our Multiple Risk Workers, with potential for appointments in the community, where appropriate.
Weight Management
Weigh to Go weight management service is available in some of our Youth Health Service venues and open to young people aged 12-18 years who are overweight (BMI 25+) and want to lose or manage their weight.
We can accept referrals for young people who are aged 12-19 years, live in Glasgow City local authority or are registered with a Glasgow GP.
Young people can refer themselves or be referred by a teacher, school nurse, parent, GP or any other organisation working with young people. The only requirement is that the referral is discussed with the young person first.
To speak to our team or to make a referral, please phone 0141 451 2727 Monday – Friday, from 8.30am – 4.00pm.
Go to the reception desk and tell our team member your name and appointment time. You don’t have to tell them what the appointment is about. If it’s the first time you’ve come to the service, there will be some information to read and registration paperwork to complete. We will take your details and you will be asked to sign an agreement. At any time you can let us know what pronouns or name you prefer to use and we’ll make sure our team are aware.
You might notice that our waiting areas look a bit different to a normal health centre reception area. Some of our venues have dimmed lighting and music playing. We’ve set them up in this way to create friendly and relaxed environment and to help you feel comfortable.
If there’s anything we can do to make your visit easier, please let us know in advance if possible. All of our venues have a Hearing Loop system and we can provide an interpreter if you require support with spoken languages, British Sign Language or Deafblind communication.
Giving feedback or making a complaint
We hope you have a positive experience at the Youth Health Service but we recognise that we don’t always get it right. Your comments and feedback can help us to improve.
We have comment boxes in all our venues where you can give feedback.
If you want to talk to us about your experience you can either speak to a member of the team at one of our venues or phone us on 0141 451 2727.
Ideally we would like to deal with any complaints within the service. One of our team may be able to resolve the issue, but if this is not possible, you can contact our service manager by phoning 0141 451 2727.
In the event that the issue still isn’t resolved, there is a formal complaints process you can access through Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership.
Our values and vision
Our values underpin everything we do as a service and form the basis of what young people and their families should expect from us. These are trust, respect and listening without judgement. We commit to living out these values in the following ways:
We will work in such a way that builds and maintains trust with young people.
We will treat everyone fairly and with respect.
We will listen without judgement.
Our vision articulates our purpose, our long-term goals and the way we will work to achieve our values:
“To improve the health and wellbeing of young people in Glasgow City with a focus on early intervention and prevention. To work with young people, their families and partner agencies to provide flexible, holistic support using a youth friendly model, and to help young people achieve their potential.”
We describe ourselves as an early intervention and prevention service; this means getting someone help before problems arise or things get worse.
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