Young people’s services

aq

We have young people’s services across the Midlands.

We offer specialist services to support children and young people who use substances or who are affected by a parent or carer’s substance misuse.

You can find our young people’s services in Bedfordshire, Birmingham, Northamptonshire and Derby; we’re also part of partnerships which support young people in Telford and Wolverhampton.

We work with everyone based on their needs, interests and aspirations. Support might be offered on a 1:1 basis, between you and a specific Aquarius worker, or it might be in a group activity session.

  • Information and advice about drinking and drug use
  • Prevention campaigns to raise awareness about substance misuse
  • 1:1 advice and group support  for children and young people using or at risking of using substances
  • Outreach to specific groups of children and young people identified as at risk
  • Structured, evidence-based support that help you to take control of your life and opportunities
  • Opportunities to take part in social activities, training and volunteering.

We offer some ‘brief’ support appointments, which are one-off and take less than an hour. The kinds of things we offer in these sessions includes:

  • Advice on how to reduce the harms alcohol or drugs may cause to you
  • Personalised feedback about alcohol and drug use and risks
  • Encouragement to increase self-confidence
  • Goal-setting
  • Information about recommended guidelines
  • Signposting to other services Individualised care plan
  • Structured advice/support to reduce harm Relapse prevention.
  • 1:1 support group activity sessions
  • Appointments with you and your parent/carer or other family members who are supportive
  • Appointments with you and relevant professionals working with you
  • Finding alternatives to substance use
  • Relapse Prevention
  • Support attending appointments
  • SMART self-help groups
  • Social activity groups
  • Referal to other appropriate services.

We also offer some more unique services for children and young people, including Evolve (our social enterprise café), The Grow Project, and Aquarius Cares. Read more about those services on their dedicated pages.

You can find links to all young people’s services offered by Aquarius here.

Evolve Cafe

A unique social enterprise – changing lives one coffee at a time.

Aquarius Cares

Supporting children, young people, and families who have experience of the care system.

Hope for the future

“Aquarius helped me see I still deserve a place in society, despite what I’ve been through.” Shonah, Evolve