Hospital
Youth Team
Scotland’s first & only Emergency Department based youth service delivered by 6VT is returning to Edinburgh emergency department’s at the end of August 2024.
This pioneering service was originally funded by the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity in 2018 to December 22 and now is being funded by the Whole Family Well-Being Fund in collaboration with other 3rd sector youth organisations. The collective collaboration is called Time to Talk.
6VT youth workers will be in the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People's emergency department and the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary emergency department on a Friday and Saturday night (7-12pm)
The team will support young people 10-18yrs (under 26 for care experienced) in various ways, and their priority group are young people presenting with:
• Mental Health issues
• Over consumption of substances
• Harmed by others
• Presenting with challenging behaviour
In the first instance, their role is to provide emotional and non-clinical support to young people in need and encourage young people to positively and safely engage with the medical staff. The staff will also be on hand to support friends & family of young people in the ED.
The service will be able to provide follow up support in the community for young people who would benefit from this, by way of a referral which will link the young person to the appropriate partner organisation.