Mental health app for young people in Oxfordshire
County Council partners with Tellmi to provide 11-18 year-olds across the region with pre-moderated digital peer support
Oxfordshire County Council is aiming to improve outcomes for local young people by commissioning a specialist app to provide additional mental health support.
Image courtesy of Oxfordshire County Council
The Tellmi app is already being employed by a wide range of local authorities, NHS services and others. With it, young people across Oxfordshire now have 365-day access to a space where they can anonymously discuss their feelings and receive pre-moderated peer support, without needed a referral.
The app offers scheduled, one-to-one therapy focused on practical solutions. Users also have access to more than 700 crisis specialist services and local support through the Tellmi directory.
What’s more, the system can provide dedicated support to high-risk users and young people in crisis, with in-house counsellors ready to intervene pre-emptively as needed.
The new app can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store, with a web version accessible at Tellmi.app. It has been commissioned in response to rising demand across Oxfordshire. Since 2015, the county has seen a consistent increase in the number of school pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.
In fact, according to the 2023 OxWell Student Survey, an average 33% of students in Years 7 to 13 – that is, those at secondary school and sixth form – reported serious thoughts about self-harm. Some 19% secondary school students stated they often felt lonely.
Cllr Nathan Ley, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety at Oxfordshire County Council, says: ‘This app will be freely available to support all young people in secondary schools in Oxfordshire and local organisations that would like more support to help them deal with young people’s concerns about mental health and well-being.’
Kerstyn Comley, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Tellmi, adds: ‘We look forward to working closely with schools and organisations to build trust in our new service and improve outcomes for young people. In addition to our digital service, we will be delivering outreach activities, which include outreach campaigns, school resources, workshops, and training for anyone working directly with young people.’
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