Pilot mental health and wellbeing service to close its doors
The Haven in East Lothian will close its doors in summer, promising no family receiving support will be left alone
A wellbeing and resilience pilot, developed to tackle Scotland’s mental health crisis will come to an end in the summer, after demonstrating unquestionably that early intervention can reduce mental health challenges among young people.
The Haven opened at The Fraser Centre, Tranent in September 2023 under Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity’s ‘No Time To Wait’ strategy. It later moved to bigger premises in Haddington due to demand, and over the last eighteen months the service attracted 3,461 visits. Of these, 2,041 were children and young people and 1,420 were their affected family members.
Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity said: “We are incredibly sad that our pilot wellbeing and resilience service is coming to an end, but that was always our intention, as a charity we couldn’t fund this forever.
“However we will close our doors with a huge sense of pride in what The Haven has achieved and a promise to all families receiving support that we will not turn our backs on them, we will continue to provide vital assistance, ensuring that the care and connection established through The Haven remain.”
The Haven passes the baton to SAMH, leaving behind a wonderful legacy, proving Scotland’s mental health crisis can be reversed.
Roslyn Neely, CEO of ECHC
Scotland’s national mental health charity, Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH), has recently announced the Nook – a network of mental health support Hubs – which will build on the foundations laid by ECHC and the team at The Haven, marking a significant step forward for mental health support in Scotland.
Roslyn Neely continued: “We are delighted that our work will now contribute to a long-term, sustainable national approach to Scotland’s mental health crisis. The Haven passes the baton to SAMH, leaving behind a wonderful legacy, proving Scotland’s mental health crisis can be reversed, and we celebrate the fact that a major organisation like SAMH is stepping in to continue this important work.
“Their ability to advocate for long-term government support means that children’s mental health remains firmly on the national agenda, and we wholeheartedly support this.”