To empower young people and adults to overcome the obstacles mental health problems present
Since 1988 Youthline has been providing a FREE, BACP Accredited,
individual & face-to-face counselling service to young people from 12 years upwards, their parents or carers, professionals working with young people, and to secondary school students at their schools. We work across various locations within Bracknell Forest including our main base at Portman Close, as well as all borough secondary schools. We offer a safe and supportive environment with a team of counsellors - all of whom have had a criminal record check, are professionally supervised, and continuously update their skills.
We are a registered charity, managed by professional staff and overseen by a team of trustees who come with vast experience of working with young people. Our many volunteers include counsellors, placement students, fundraisers, and office volunteers all freely giving their time to Youthline.
We work with people who present a variety of often complex emotional, behavioural, and mental health problems.
Counselling
We all need support from time to time and asking for help in a safe and confidential space may help you work through the things that are troubling you. One of our friendly counsellors will be assigned to work with you whatever your issue. You may not know what the issue is - it could be a general uncomfortable feeling. If things are getting you down, then talking to someone may help.
All we ask in return is that you make a commitment to attend a weekly session, at the same time and day each week and that you let us know if you are unable to attend.
Therapy usually lasts for 6 to 12 sessions. The service is primarily staffed by trainee and volunteer therapists, who are all registered with professional bodies, supported by qualified professional supervisors and have been trained in safeguarding. Sessions run from 3pm to 9pm at 7 Portman Close in Bracknell on Mondays through to Saturdays.
If you would like to arrange counselling or discuss the counselling process further, please call us on 01344 311200 or email us on
ask@youthlineuk.com.
Counselling in Schools
Youthline offers a counselling service to all Bracknell secondary schools. All counsellors are professionally qualified and experienced in working with young people’s issues in a school environment.
The counselling itself is free at the point of entry, however, Youthline must cover costs for supervision, which is mandatory for any counsellor, plus training, DBS checks, insurance, resource materials, literature, expenses, & management. We assume all accountability for the counselling.
The benefits of our service
Youthline prides itself in monitoring the effectiveness of our service. Every young person or adult who has received counselling has shown a positive change in their level of wellbeing from using our counselling service. They can often make more informed choices about their lives.
Support Volunteer
What do they do?
Support Volunteers provide a highly visible role within our organisation. You will be acting to greet visitors in a timely and friendly manner, welcome clients and maintain client privacy and confidentiality in supporting all the work we do. These volunteers provide a leading way to engage with our organisation and work directly and provide a life-changing engagement with those we work with.
Job description here: https://www.youthlineuk.com/wp-content/uploads/Support-Role-JDPS.pdf
To apply, please complete a Volunteer Application Form here: https://www.youthlineuk.com/wp-content/uploads/Volunteer-Application-Form-20-3.docx.
If you require further information about volunteering at Youthline please contact us on 01344 311200 or email collette@youthlineuk.com
Young Ambassador
What do they do?
The Youthline Young Ambassadors are key individuals who help to champion our profession and raise our profile. They believe in our work and are committed to spreading the word of how helpful counselling can be and to help create awareness of the service in our local community. Ambassadors help us promote our services and to be involved in some of our fundraising campaigns and general mental health and wellbeing campaigns in and around our community.
You will have the opportunity to get involved in promoting mental health issues in young people and through this be an important part of a community of young people who help Youthline raise awareness of the service and the work we are doing. You could support in publicising and promoting our work to your school, through social media, attendance at events and discussions with the press.
Our young ambassadors are all given the opportunity to help shape Youthline, and work by assisting with the design of new promotional material. You will be working with us to ensure that the service we offer to young people is the best it can be.
More Information
Find out more about this role here: https://www.youthlineuk.com/wp-content/uploads/Young-Ambassador.pdf
To apply please complete the Young Ambassador Application Form at https://www.youthlineuk.com/wp-content/uploads/Young-Ambassador-Application-Form.docx and send to collette@youthlineuk.com
We’re looking for a new Trustee/Non-Exec Director!
About us:
Youthline is a local charity, with 30 years history, providing high quality face-to-face one to one counselling services to young people aged between 12 and 25. Our geographical area covers the borough of Bracknell Forest and stretches into Ascot and Sunningdale.
Currently we operate at a Town Centre location, eight Bracknell Forest secondary schools, two independent schools, one in Bracknell Forest and one in Ascot. We are developing links with Family Intervention Teams and Youth Service in Bracknell Forest to expand our reach to parents.
Our service is designed to be an early intervention service that prevents more serious problems arising. At any one time, we have a team of approximately 30 counsellors working with us providing counselling sessions in the afternoon and evenings on five days per week and sometimes weekends(including school holiday times). We have an excellent staff team who manage the day to day business.
Check out our website- youthlineuk.com – for much more information about what we do and how we do it.
Our existing Trustees are a dedicated and friendly team with lots of different experiences to draw upon. We are all proud of the way in which we work together to guide and support the organisation. All are committed to ensuring Youthline’s long term sustainability because we recognise the importance of what we do. We will welcome the challenge and fresh thinking that will come from new Trustees!
About you:
• You will have a real interest in (and maybe experience of working with) young people and want to help make a difference their emotional well-being.
• You will want to help ensure the continued success of Youthline – that involves helping us to continue to run smoothly, seeking funding opportunities, protecting our reputation and acting as an advocate for us in the local community.
• You will have some time that you can devote to attending Board meetings and meetings with staff during the year.
• You may be looking for experience in this type of role for career development reasons.
The duties of our Trustees
Ensuring that Youthline is carrying out its purposes for the benefit of the public:
This means knowing what we can and cannot do within our stated purposes; understanding how we are fulfilling these purposes and benefiting our community; and being confident about the difference that Youthline is making to our clients.
Complying with Youthline’s governing document and the law:
Trustees need to be familiar with our governing document; up to date with filing accounts, returns and any changes to our Charity Commission and companies registration details; and aware of other laws that apply to our charity. We do not claim to be experts in these matters but it is the duty of the Trustees to take reasonable steps to find out.
Acting in Youthline’s best interests:
We should make balanced, informed decisions; listen to the advice and reasonable suggestions of our staff team; recognise and deal with conflicts of interest; be prepared to question and challenge; and accept majority decisions. We are not focussed on preserving Youthline for its own sake, nor are we here to serve our own personal interests.
Managing Youthline’s resources responsibly:
Trustees should ensure that we manage risks, protect our assets (including our reputation) and people; seek the resources that we need; have appropriate controls and procedures and follow them; maintain of office base; and hold responsibility for, and to, staff and volunteers.
Acting with reasonable care and skill:
This means using our skills and experience; deciding when we need advice; preparing for meetings; getting the information that we need (financial management); and being prepared in case something goes wrong.
Ensuring that Youthline is accountable:
Trustees must meet legal accounting and reporting requirements; show that Youthline complies with the law and is effective; ensure that we meet the terms of any SLA or grant funding that we receive; be accountable to those within the community who have an interest in our work; ensure that staff and volunteers are accountable to the board; and welcome accountability as an opportunity and not a burden.
Interested?
If you think that you’d like to make a difference and help our organisation the starting point is to contact our Practice Manager, Collette Reynolds on 01344 311200 or email collette@youthlineuk.com. Collette will send you an application form and/or put you in contact with one of the trustees for an informal chat. Please be aware that we are an organisation that takes our responsibilities to the safeguarding of vulnerable children, young people and adults extremely seriously and expect all who work with us to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
