Your health and well being is really important to us and we want to make sure you have access to everything that you need to feel healthy and well.
Your PA will help to make sure that you are registered with health services such as a GP, dentist and opticians.
We will provide care leavers who are not entitled to free prescriptions with a free Prescription Prepayment Certificate, until you are 25 years old.
When you are 18, if you haven’t already, we will provide you with a ‘health passport’ which details your health history and informs your GP of any health needs so that they can support you. This also includes details of services available for you to access.
Monthly health drop ins are held at The Hub by the Specialist Children in Care Nursing team, no appointment is necessary and you can get advice on any aspect of health, including sexual health and contraception support.
Monthly Lads group held by the Specialist Children in Care Nursing team with a focus on emotional wellbeing, outdoor activities and promoting your physical health.
All care leavers have access to the Specialist Children in Care Nursing team until aged 25, for advice, support and signposting where needed.
We can support you with any drug or substance treatment with priority assessments and and support you to develop your confidence and resilience to help you make good decisions.
Care leavers can also have free entry to the following activities with a plus one:
If you are interested in joining a sports club, you can ask your Personal Advisor to help you using our Sports Directory.
Throughout the football season, we also sometimes have access to free tickets for Wigan Athletic matches, if this is something that you may be interested in, please talk to your Personal Advisor.
You are also eligible to access to Wigan Council employee benefits (via a platform called Wellbeing Hub and Helpline) to provide help with your emotional wellbeing including counselling, therapy and debt advice.
Emotional health and well being drop ins take place at The Hub and your PA can sign post you to support services.
Care leavers in Wigan can access Kooth, a free, safe, and anonymous online mental health and wellbeing platform, for support. Kooth offers counselling, advice, and support to young people aged 11-25, and care leavers are specifically included in the 11-25 age range. No referral is needed; young people can register independently on the Kooth website (external link).
If you are feeling alone, and would like to chat to someone, you are always welcome at The Hub. We love seeing you and we are proud to have somewhere for our young people.
If you are feeling anxious or suffering from low mood, you can also self-refer to Wigan Talking Therapies via the NHS. You need to be registered with a Wigan GP and Talking Therapies can help with common mental health problems like mild to moderate depression, anxiety and stress or panic attacks, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Talking Therapies are also able to help if you're experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression linked to a long term physical health condition, pregnancy or being a primary carer for an infant under the age of two.
You can find more information on the Wigan Talking Therapies website (external link) or speak to your Personal Advisor.