Branch FAQs
This FAQ page has been designed to cover some of the common questions about Branch. If you don’t find what you are looking for, do get in touch with us at [email protected].
Is Branch available 24/7?
Branch is an online mental wellbeing hub for children and young people in Wirral. You can browse our website and complete a questionnaire for support whenever you want. However, Branch is not monitored 24/7, and it’s not a crisis service.
If you match to a local service or to our matching team, you will receive a response in approx. 5-10 working days.
If you’re feeling low and want to talk to someone. You can try the following 24/7 helplines:
- Call Samaritans on 116 123 for free, at any time, day or night
- SHOUT – Text SHOUT to 85258, for 24/7 text support
- HOPELINE247 – for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts. Call 0800 068 4141 or text 88247 for 24/7 support
Can anyone use Branch?
Branch is for young people in Wirral, up to the age of 18, or up to 25 with additional needs.
If you are 13 years and over, you can complete the Branch questionnaire by yourself and look at what local support and wider resources are out there for you.
Parents/carers and professionals can also use Branch to find support for their child or young person, but the support is primarily directed towards the young person. Where possible, we recommend that trusted adults go through the Branch questionnaire with the young person. This is particularly useful if the child is under 13 years of age, and unable to search for support by themselves.
Branch is for those who live in Wirral or have a GP in Wirral. If you live nearby, you are welcome to use Branch to look at support, but please be aware that all local services on Branch are in the Wirral area. And some services like MyMind, can only support those who have their GP in Wirral.
If you live elsewhere in the UK (or further afield!) we always recommend speaking to your doctor about your mental health.
In the UK you could also or try The Hub of Hope local service finder for local mental health services near you, and search Mind for their local support services and helplines.
Can young people use Branch without parental consent?
If you are 13 years and over, you can complete the questionnaire by yourself and look at what local support and wider resources are out there for you. However, please be aware that some local services need parental consent for you to access their service. This will be clearly explained on each service profile.
If you are younger than 13 years, you will need support from your parent/carer or from a trusted adult such as a teacher or GP to fill out the questionnaire. However, you can still browse the website and find support and resources to help.
We always recommend that you speak to your parent/carer or trusted adult if you are struggling with your mental health or wellbeing.
Can I access Branch services, while on the waitlist for My Mind CYPMHS Wirral (formerly known as CAMHS)?
It may be helpful to access other services that are on offer in the Wirral whilst you are waiting for My Mind Wirral CYPMHS, this will depend on the timeframe for you receiving a therapeutic intervention.
If you are on the wait list for My Mind Wirral CYPMHS therapy, you should have been allocated a Care Navigator. It is best to seek advice from your Care Navigator around what will be helpful at what point in your journey. They may be able to support you through Branch to explore other services while you wait.
Please remember that you can always access the Drop In if you are struggling. No appointments are necessary for this, just drop into Pilgrim Street Arts Centre, 1 Pilgrim Street, Birkenhead, CH415EH, Monday to Friday 2pm – 6pm
If you are in mental health crisis, please call 111 and select option 2 for crisis mental health support.
If you are in immediate danger or feel like you might harm yourself, please call 999 or go to the nearest Emergency Department.
Does Branch use AI?
Our questionnaire uses an algorithm to pick out the best-matched services and support for you depending on your answers. This isn’t AI. The algorithm was built in collaboration with mental wellbeing service providers and specialists from My Mind Wirral CYPMHS.
Branch doesn’t make decisions for you, but instead offers suggestions and provides you with all the information in one place. We know it can be confusing sifting through different websites. At Branch we aim to make it easier for you to know what support is out there, and easier for you to connect with those services and wider resources.
Behind Branch is a team of people committed to getting you the right support for you.
Does Branch provide support for young people with self-harm or suicidal thoughts?
Branch doesn’t provide support directly – it’s more of a guide, helping young people to find the best tools and local support. Some people who come to Branch may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, self-harm or other significant difficulties such as eating disorders. We will do our best to match you up with the right support, and wider resources.
However, Branch is not a crisis service. If you are in mental health crisis, please call 111 and select option 2 for crisis mental health support.
If you are in immediate danger or feel like you might harm yourself, please call 999 or go to the nearest Emergency Department.
There are departments at:
- Arrowe Park Hospital
- Countess of Chester Hospital
How does Branch escalate safeguarding concerns?
If you are in immediate danger or feel like you might harm yourself, please call 999 or go to the nearest Emergency Department.
Branch is not a crisis service, and we advise anyone who is in crisis to call 111 and select option 2 for crisis mental health support.
If any safeguarding concerns are disclosed to the Branch team, which includes if someone is in mental health crisis, then the Branch team will follow the safeguarding procedures and policies. Concerns will be raised immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead at Branch, and to appropriate external agencies. Branch staff are required to record and escalate any concerns.
In addition to this, our team follow the safeguarding threshold as defined for children in Working Together to Safeguard Children Statutory Guidance 2023 and for adults in relation to ‘adults at risk’ within Care and Support Statutory Guidance 2022.
Our staff also adhere to local safeguarding policies and procedures for the Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership.
Once a young person has been matched and is receiving support from a service, if there are any safeguarding concerns or allegations of a Serious Incident, this will be actioned by the relevant organisation for that service, and the organisation will follow their own policies and procedures.
If there are any concerns that relate to a serious crime or allegations against Branch staff or volunteers, these concerns will be taken seriously and will be actioned immediately as per the Open Door Charity’s policy on Managing Allegations Against Staff and Volunteers.
Is what I say completely confidential?
Anything you tell us is private, and we will only share it with people or services that you have given permission to. If you tell us that you or someone else is in danger or at risk of harm, then we will have to pass this information on for safety reasons. By danger or harm, we mean if you are experiencing abuse of any sort.
In addition, anything that may be life-threatening to you or others or cause mental distress where you may be in danger of harming yourself or others. People we may need to inform are parents/carers, social workers, school, police or medical staff. We will aim to keep you fully informed of the process along the way and try to take your wishes into account where possible.
Who does Branch share data with?
At Branch, we will not share your data with anyone without your consent, unless there is a safeguarding concern that requires us to do so for your safety or the safety of others.
You can complete the Branch questionnaire and look at articles and support services without sharing any contact details. Data is also gathered from website analytics for trend monitoring.
Once you have matched with a service, you will be asked if you consent to share your data with the Branch team, support partners and the local service you are matched to. This is needed to complete the match to the service.
- To be clear, by the Branch team we mean the Branch matching team. Your information helps them to know what your situation is, and from that, they will work hard to ensure that you get a good service match.
- Support partners are those within our Alliance and services we work with on Branch. Our Branch Alliance consists of organisations Open Door Charity, Action for Children, Kooth, Utopia, Koala NW and My Mind Wirral CYPMHS (formerly ‘CAMHS’).
- The local service you are matched to, is the one that you have selected as wanting to get support from. They use the information you have inputted to give you the best support, and it prevents the need for you having to repeat yourself.
You may also be asked if you are happy for your GP to be informed of your service match. This is optional. If you do not provide consent, no information will be sent to your GP.
For further information about the privacy and security of your personal data, please read our privacy statement.
I’m not happy with Branch. How can I make a complaint?
We’re sorry that you are not happy with your Branch experience, and we want to do what we can to rectify any problems and to improve so that next time we can get it right.
As Branch is delivered by several different organisations, and it connects young people and their families to wider services in Wirral, you can raise a complaint or comment in several ways.
- If you or your child/young person has started to receive support from one of the services through Branch and you have a complaint about that service, please go through the complaint procedure of that organisation.
- If you or your child/young person has any comments or complaints about the Branch website and/or the matching function of Branch (this includes the online questionnaire and any direct contact with our Branch matching team), we welcome feedback through the following ways:
- In person by talking with the relevant staff member
- By email to our complaints email address [email protected]
For further information please see our complaints policy.