ReFresh Hull goes online to support city’s young people

Drug and alcohol service Refresh Hull has created a space online to better help the city’s young people.

Refresh is a confidential support service that works with young people and families around drugs and alcohol. The service also provides stop-smoking support for under 16s.

Staff at ReFresh can support people where they feel comfortable, whether online, over the phone or face to face.

It has now launched a new online space to help more of the city’s young people.

Sarah Turner, ReFresh service manager, said “Most of our work with young people has been face to face.  We pride ourselves on being flexible and meet up with young people in the best place for them – school, home, chat in the car, meet at a community venue.  Then lockdown came and all we really had was the phone.

“We quickly realised that we needed more, we needed to be able to support young people and get information out in different ways.  We needed a way for young people to contact us, and the flexibility of having this website is essential.

“Now we have an online space that means young people or parents/carers can not only contact us at a time that is convenient but also if you’ve got an allocated worker at Refresh you can engage in some of that work and look at things that they think might be helpful for you, at the best time for you.  And most importantly it’s still confidential.”

A young person from Hull, who did not wish to be named, said: “Refresh has helped me a lot and have given me a second chance to sort my life out. This is the first time I have actually opened up and I like talking to you about my past about my problems and my substance use.

“I have been honest, I’ve opened up and I’m surprised to be honest because I am never really comfortable with talking about these things and it’s usually my mum that would talk for me to doctors. I knew from the first phone call that I could open up and I know I can get the help without being judged and thank you for that.”

Find out more at www.refreshhull.org.uk or email refresh@hullcc.gov.uk