Always on
This project successfully funded on 21st April 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Making Children's Mental Health Support Accessible
London, England, United Kingdom
Aim: To raise funds to provide accessible mental health support for disadvantaged children and families in Waltham Forest
About Where We Start
Where We Start is a new, community interest company (CIC) offering free and very low-cost therapeutic support for children, young people, and families in Waltham Forest.
Where We Start has been created in response to ongoing conversations with families and schools, who consistently voiced the same challenges: the difficulty of accessing therapeutic support due to long NHS waiting times, high eligibility thresholds, and the unaffordability of private therapy. Many families also described a profound sense of isolation as they tried to navigate their child’s mental health needs alone. In response, Where We Start is community-centred, bringing together families with shared experiences, creating space for connection, peer support, and the exchange of knowledge and wisdom, while being supported by experienced professionals who can offer guidance.
Where We Start is different. We offer:
- Free to access one-to-one therapy for families facing financial hardship.
- A “pay-what-you-can” model for those who want to contribute to their child’s care but can’t afford the high cost of private therapy. All profits will be reinvested into our free to access service.
- Wraparound support for parents and carers because we know the importance of supporting parents and carers as well as their children during a crisis.
- Peer-led parenting groups, community networking, and workshops, all supported by experienced professionals. We believe there is a wealth of wisdom, experience, and insight within our community—and that strong communities thrive when people come together to share their stories, support one another, and build lasting connections.
- Support embedded in schools and trusted local spaces.
What will your donations fund:
£65 - funds 1 hour of psychotherapy for a child and young person who is currently unable to access support.
£130 - funds 1 hour of psychotherapy for a child or young person and 1 hour of parenting therapy for their parents/carers.
£95 - funds community based parenting network groups that will support parents of children with mental health issues, Special Educational Needs (SEN) and neurodivergence.