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 the best place for LGBTQ+ young people to grow up. 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.
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.
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.
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, 8.30am – 4.30pm.
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 form. At any time you can let us know what pronouns 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.
