About Under18

Under18 is a new service for young people who need advice, information and support around drugs and alcohol. You may have worked with T2 or IMPACT before, had a Matthew Project lesson or assembly in school, or visited the Voicebox caravan. Under18 provides all these services now with teams based in Kings Lynn (Providence Street), Norwich (OPEN youth venue) and Great Yarmouth (Northgate Hospital). We also have workers in the north and south of the county.

The Under18 service has workers who:

• Will help you on a confidential 1-2-1 basis to cut down or stop using substances, provide you with information and advice around drugs and alcohol and to learn about staying safe.
• Can support you if you are concerned about someone else's drug or alcohol use.
• Deliver assemblies, lessons and provide information to groups of young people that want more advice about drugs and alcohol. Ask your teacher or youth leader to contact us if you feel that your group needs this!
• Will bring the Voicebox outreach caravan to your area. Look out for it and drop in!
• Provide counselling to help you through any issues affecting you around your own substance use or someone else's use.
• Include nurses who will be able to work with you on a 121 basis. They will be able to help with more specialist interventions including harm reduction strategies, testing for blood borne viruses and offering Hepatitis B vaccinations. They can give you information about the impact of substances on the body and how you can reduce these risks through help and support.

Under18 workers will meet you in a place that is convenient for you, which could be in school or college, in a local café, at a Connexions centre or even in your home.

The Matthew Project Youth Team also has a number of different activities for young people. Click Youth Team to see what other activities they can provide.

'So how can I get help?' - See How to contact Under18

Is it safe to talk here? - See our Confidentiality Statement

How to Contact Under18

If you want to get some help you can contact us yourself on the numbers below or you can ask a parent or carer to call on your behalf.

· 24/7 helpline - 0800 970 4866 or 01603 774355

· Email - under18@matthewproject.org

· Text - 07797 800 966 (answered during office hours only)

Your teacher, youth group leader or Connexions PA can also contact us but they will need to call a different number for advice on how to refer you to Under18. They can also look on the 'Professionals' section of the website to find out how to do this.

The contact details for adults working with young people are:

· 01603 774360 during office hours only

· Email - under18@matthewproject.org

We will always try to find the right worker to help you as soon as we can.

Under18 Confidentiality Statement

Is it safe to talk here?

We want you to feel safe and be able to talk openly when you meet with your Under18 worker. We respect your rights and this includes confidentiality and your right to disagree.

It is important to us that we do not share information you give us unless we have your permission. In very exceptional circumstances we may have to disclose information. This means we will not tell anyone what you tell us unless we have concerns that you or someone else is at risk of suffering serious harm.

With your permission we will collect information for statistics to help plan our services. This will not identify who you are - it will be things like date of birth, whether you are male or female, your postcode and the sort of needs you have.

If we need to talk to someone else about what you told us for safety reasons, we will always try to talk with you before sharing this information. We will only share information they need to know. We will work with you to try to make things safer.

If you are concerned about the service you get or want to complain, you can discuss this with your worker or contact Julian Bryant, The Matthew Project Director, on 01603 626123.

The Under18 service is made up of workers from The Matthew Project, Norfolk & Waveney Mental Health Trust Alcohol & Drug Service and Children's Services.

Under18 24 Hour Telephone Helpline:

0800 970 4866 or 01603 774355