Social Prescribing for Young People

Who we are

is a group of professional link workers who have a passion for supporting young people to make positive changes to their lives and to feel connected.

We provide an award-winning social prescribing service for young people aged 14 to 18 or up to 25 for those with additional needs.”

We work with young people who are registered at a GPs practice in either the North-East Derbyshire, North Hardwick and Bolsover, North Derbyshire or South Hardwick PCNs (a full list of the surgeries can be found on our referral page). In addition to these young people, in the Chesterfield, Glossop and North Derbyshire Dales areas, we work with care leavers, young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, young carers or those who have refugee or have asylum seeker status.

Our Mission

We support young people to:

  • Reduce loneliness and isolation,
  • Build positive relationships,
  • Feel more connected to their communities,
  • Instigate positive change,
  • Feel they have agency/control of their own lives

What is Social Prescribing?

Thr1ve Social Prescribing for Young People offers short term support.  Our objective is to connect young people with their communities, to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

We encourage young people to feel better about themselves and their lives by helping them access opportunities. Through a non-judgemental, person-centred approach, we support young people and nurture their confidence through changes in mindset and behaviour. 

We work closely with young people not only to discover their anxieties and concerns, but also to determine the things that they enjoy, the things they value and the things that matter.

We support YP who want to make positive changes to their lives, by helping them to:

  • find appropriate services, activities, education or training, and voluntary opportunities
  • gain confidence by developing independence skills and meeting new people
  • engage with new activities or volunteering opportunities

How does it work?

There is no one size fits all model to what we do. As a person-centred service, we wrap around the wants and needs of the young person. We meet young people on a 1:1 basis, building trust and offering non-judgemental support, respecting their diversity and life choices.

For our first visit, we decide on the most appropriate place to meet. Initially, this could be at home, but after this first visit, we encourage our young people to meet outside of the home, to gain confidence and independence, either at our base at the Hub at Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust, or elsewhere in the community. 

We work with our young people to identify their main concerns and in what areas they feel they would like support. Following this, we would work together to produce a simple, personalised plan based on their priorities, interests, values and motivations. 

Where appropriate, we will support them with their first visits to attend community groups, activities, or other services, ensuring they are comfortable and feel at ease. With regular check-ins with them afterwards, we will ensure they are happy and feel able to engage. 

There is no prescriptive time frame, but as a guide, we would look at 8 meet-ups between a Link Worker and a young person. For some, it may be less, and for others, it may be longer. 

Social prescribing isn’t for everyone, or perhaps now is just not the right time. With this in mind, young people who are referred to us need to be actively willing to engage in self-care and self-help activities and want to make positive changes to their lives.

Who can be referred?

We have tried to remove barriers for young people to access the social prescribing we offer. However, there is some criteria for being eligible for our service.

We work with young people who are registered at a GPs practice in either the North-East Derbyshire, North Hardwick and Bolsover, North Derbyshire or South Hardwick PCNs (a full list of the surgeries can be found on our referral page). 

In addition to these young people, in the Chesterfield, Glossop and North Derbyshire Dales areas, we work with care leavers, young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET, young carers and those who have refugee or asylum seeker status.

In order for us to work with a young person, they need to:

  • be registered with one of the North Hardwick & Bolsover PCN surgeries,
  • be registered with one of the North-East Derbyshire PCN surgeries,
  • be registered with one of the South Hardwick PCN surgeries,
  • be registered with one of the Royal Primary Care, Chesterfield surgeries,

Or, if they live in the Chesterfield, Glossop or North Derbyshire Dales areas, they need to:

  • be a care leaver,
  • be NEET or at risk of becoming NEET,
  • be a young carer
  • have refugee or asylum seeker status.

How to make a referral?

Anybody can make a referral to us. You do not need to be a health care or social care professional. We are happy to receive self-referrals as well as referrals from parents and guardians, school nurses and GPs, or any other professional working with the young person.

However, it’s imperative that the Young Person is aware of the referral, understands what we do and actively wants to make positive changes to their lives.

To make a referral, please click the button below:

Make a referral to Thr1ve
Meet the Thr1ve Team

Our Funders

The Thr1ve Social Prescribing Service for Young People is currently funded by:

Chesterfield Health and Wellbeing Partnership Board through Derbyshire County Council Public Health 

Derbyshire County Council Public Health

North Hardwick and Bolsover Primary Care Network 

North-East Derbyshire Primary Care Network 

South Hardwick Primary Care Network 

North Derbyshire Primary Care Network

Contact Us

For more information about social prescribing, please contact us at: socialprescribing@spireitestrust.org.uk