Kent School Health

School health nurse Welcome to Kent School Health. We support children and young people aged four to nineteen.

We can help with a range of issues young people might face including:

day and night-time wetting and soiling
children and teen's sleep
children and teen's behaviour
children and teen's healthy lifestyle
puberty and growing up.

You can find lots of helpful information to support your child's development, and keep them healthy and safe in our Kent Child and Kent Teen sections.

Some young people struggle with their feelings and find this impacts on their day-to-day activities – they might seem low, or have trouble eating, sleeping or concentrating at school. Visit our emotional health and wellbeing section for more advice on supporting your child.

Children and Young People's Counselling Service

Teen talking to counsellor The Children and Young People’s Counselling Service offers counselling to support the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people aged four to 19. Accessing support to explore, manage and understand difficult feelings can be helpful.

Children and young people might show signs they are struggling and need more support including:

nervousness or anxiety
difficulty concentrating
difficultly sleeping
avoiding school or activities
feeling low and not good about themselves
loss of appetite, or sometimes increased appetite
not wanting to be with friends or family.

We offer up to six counselling sessions to help a young person gain understanding and develop strategies to help them feel better. For primary school-aged children, we can offer the child six sessions with a counsellor, or if more appropriate, we can offer parents six weekly online sessions with advice on practical, easy to use strategies to support your child.

Our team achieved the Royal College of Psychiatry Quality Network for Community CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) Accreditation in 2024. This achievement shows the high standard of care and best practice that our service delivers to children and young people.

The accreditation recognises the excellent care given, with 97 per cent of clients rating the service positively.

Read more about the accreditation

The service was commended for its adaptability, professionalism and commitment to client satisfaction along with the passion, energy, and cohesiveness of the entire team, with reviewers describing them as: ‘Exceptional, reflective, and unique.'

They were impressed with their innovative approaches, including a play/parent coaching and cognitive-based behavioural intervention (CBBI) pilot. The reviewers commented: ‘The staff seem incredibly passionate and proactive, with a solution-focussed ethos.’ The service's ability to manage risk effectively and make safe, confidential spaces for therapy was also noted as a significant strength.

The accreditation process began in 2020 with a comprehensive self-review, followed by a peer review and assessment day. Access to care, interventions offered, safeguarding, multi-agency working, staff training, consent and confidentiality were all key areas assessed.

Feedback from families was also included in the assessment. One parent/carer said: “I think this service has 100 per cent helped. I can’t praise them enough. It’s been fantastic, and we’ve seen a change at home.”

Children and young people’s feedback were also considered. One young person said: “I like that you get to know me. I can say all my weird stuff and you just get it” and “My new year’s resolution was to make a friend and now I have, because I met you. I am so happy.”

Jane Edwards, Clinical lead for Counselling and Emotional Wellbeing said: “I am pleased we have been given this recognition as it proves what I already knew, that we have a team of highly experienced, dedicated, diverse counsellors, who are always willing to do whatever it takes to help the young people and families they serve. The panel was impressed with our willingness to engage and implement change to give children a good experience. From the outset the whole team were behind the process and fully engaged at every step. It was a real team effort, a team, which as Clinical Lead, I am incredibly proud of.”

ChatHealth

ChatHealth is a text service for 11 to 19 year-olds. Young people can text with a member of our team about any physical or emotional health concerns they have. This service is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on 07520 618850. This service is confidential and anonymous.

Screening

Cute little boy visiting children's doctor, space for text. Eye examination Our team visits your child’s school to offer vision and hearing in reception, and height and weight in reception and year six.

We also offer health and development questionnaires for your child to help identify any emerging health conditions or concerns. You’ll receive more information and asked if you’re happy for your child to consent via a letter.

School transitions

Starting at school or moving to secondary school are big steps and we’re here to support you and your child at these key milestones.

Families who might need further support

All children are unique and we can offer support based on your child’s needs using one-to-one packages of care. Visit our special educational needs and disability or neurodivergence pages for more information on support we can offer you and your child.

The Children’s Special Schools Nursing Team works in special schools to support children and young people with complex health needs.

Contact us

If you have any concerns, you don’t need to wait for us to visit your child’s school, you can contact us at any time. You can also access our services if your child is not attending school.

Phone 0300 123 5205 and select option two.

kentchft.kentschoolhealth@nhs.net

Complete our online referral form.

We take referrals directly from:

children and young people
parents or carers
schools, colleges and higher education colleges
other health care professionals or partner organisations
voluntary agencies.

You will receive a confirmation email that your referral has been submitted. If you don't get an email within a few minutes, check your junk folder in case it has gone there.

You can find lots of helpful information to support your child's development, and keep them healthy and safe in our Kent Child and Kent Teen sections of the Kent Family website. Check out young people's websites HealthforTeens and Moodspark.