Edinburgh mental health charity to close unless new operators are found

The Haven, which is based at The Fraser Centre in Tranent, near Edinburgh, will close in July despite helping over 1,300 children in just one year.

However, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, which funds The Haven, says someone else will need to take over the running of the centre after this date as the charity “can’t fund this forever”.

The Haven supports children and their families in the area with various mental health struggles in a bid to avoid referrals to the NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

The charity now says it is willing to hand over the model to another organisation that is willing to take The Haven on.

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Roslyn Neely, CEO of the charity, said: “Our entire team is completely invested in The Haven and the thought of it closing at this point is almost unbearable, but it was always the intention this would be a two-year pilot, and as a charity we sadly can’t fund and resource this forever.

“It is our vision that every community in every local authority area across Scotland will have a Haven for those who need it.

“The model has shown without any doubt that it works, and at the end of the pilot we hope to demonstrate that, at the very least, it has provided valuable support and intervention which has helped a child and their family to cope better with their situation - and at best, may have negated the need for CAMHS support later down the line.”

In the first 12 months, The Haven has supported 1,360 young people and 1,502 family members, and staff say they have been “overwhelmed” by its success.

The most common issues The Haven deals with are anxiety and depression, followed by challenges with school and school attendance, neurodiversity and self-harming.

However, it has also been dealing with children who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and eating disorders.

Ms Neely said: “Poor mental health is one of the biggest challenges of this generation and to have been able to support so many young people, and their families, struggling with their mental health is really inspiring.

“The Haven model has been created by experts and delivered by hugely passionate and committed members of our team, but it is not a complex or complicated process.

“This is a model that can be taken and delivered all over the country - it simply needs the will and the funding.

“If we, as a charity, can evidence this much success in one pilot service in just 12 months, imagine how many people dealing with poor mental health could be helped if this model was scaled up and rolled out throughout Scotland.”

The Haven is due to move to new premises in Haddington in December, where it will be able to open five days a week.