About Footsteps

Footsteps is our holistic one stop shop for children and young people experiencing mental health issues in the Stockton area.

Designed by young people, for young people, it's a GP-led service which supports young people and their families with the aim of treating mental health problems before they become more serious.

Footsteps started when a local GP and national expert, Dr Fiona Smith, realised that the number of children and young people struggling with their mental health was rapidly increasing, and decided to create a local support offer. 

In 2017, she consulted 1,500 young people across the area and we used their responses to guide how we built the service.

Footsteps is accessible via referral from local practices and other support services, or via self-referral. It offers expert triage from local GPs who assess the young person in a holistic way, before recommending the best treatment, with follow-up available.

We work closely with schools, Stockton Borough Council, VCSE providers, and TEWV mental health trust. Our youth panel regularly gives feedback on the service and how we can best support our young people.

We are proud to have treated well over 1,000 young people.
Check out the Footsteps website for more information and support.