Northorpe Hall: Mirfield charity that helps young people faces 'challenging time' as it loses Kirklees Council mental heath contract

Northorpe Hall Child and Family Trust, which provides emotional wellbeing support and therapeutic services for children across Kirklees, has been told its council contract will not be renewed as the council moves to a new model – Kirklees Keep in Mind.

This means that as of April 1, a number of services will no longer be able to be provided.

These are Thriving Kirklees Single Point of Access, children’s emotional wellbeing service, and parent and community work as part of the mental health support team.

The plans have put over 40 members of staff at risk of redundancy.

At the start of this month, the trust entered into a consultation period with its staff and said that if no alternative solution can be found, “highly-valued, dedicated and experienced” staff members will lose their jobs.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “This is truly a challenging time for the trust and our immediate priority is to ensure that our staff are treated with the respect and consideration they deserve.

“In tandem, we will do our absolute best to continue helping the children, young people, and families under our care as this contract is wound down/transitioned to a new set of services from Kirklees Keep in Mind.

“To give credit to the staff members affected by this change, their first concern was for the families they support rather than themselves.”

A statement from Kirklees Council and Kirklees Health and Care Partnership said: “Our priority is to ensure that people who use these services are able to access consistent and high-quality support.

“We are finalising the details of the new Kirklees Keep in Mind service and will contact those who are affected by the changes. Our aim is to deliver a service which has the maximum positive impact on people’s lives.

“Northorpe Hall has been an important partner within the Thriving Kirklees Partnership and we would like to thank Northorpe Hall and their staff for the hard work and commitment towards supporting the wellbeing of children and young people.

“We appreciate the professionalism of those involved and would also like to thank them for their support as we transition into Kirklees Keep in Mind. We are working hard to make sure the changes happen as seamlessly as possible for all concerned.

“Kirklees Keep in Mind aims to offer a single point of entry for young people so they can access the right services, in the right place at the right time, and only have to tell their story once.

“The current model is inconsistent, fragmented and doesn’t offer a service to almost half of schools. The new model will offer support to children and young people, parents and carers, and all educational settings.

“The offer will be based around good practice, national requirements and will reflect the feedback we have received from parents, families, people who work in educational settings and, most importantly, children and young people.”

Due to the current situation, the charity says that fundraising and donations have “never been more important”. More information can be found at: www.northorpehall.co.uk