There are now also more than 1,000 professionals using ReferKent to make simple, safe and secure referrals for residents in Kent and Medway who are in need of support.
Funded by Kent County Council’s Helping Hands Scheme, it encourages partnership working across the voluntary and public sectors, including schools.
It is designed as a collaborative online referral system, streamlining referrals (currently standing at 1,450) to a wide range of support - from debt to mental health to wellbeing.
The expanding network of organisations, which now also includes Medway Council, means that frontline practitioners can use ReferKent as a one stop shop to search and find out more about new projects and organisations that can support their own clients.
ReferKent also facilitates a monthly online forum, which brings together its members to hear more about the projects and services represented so they can ask questions and ensure a more robust referral is made.
The platform is very easy to use, made even easier by ReferKent’s launch of a new YouTube Channel, which includes short videos on how to navigate the system: www.youtube.com/@ReferKent/featured
ReferKent has also joined LinkedIn, providing another opportunity for organisations to remain up-to-date with news.
To sign up, please complete the short registration form: Join ReferKent as an Agency (office.com) or email the team to find out more: ReferKent@Kent.gov.uk
The 200th organisation onboarded to ReferKent is Amparo. Jenny Talbot is its Projects and Partnerships Lead covering the south of England, which includes Kent and Medway.
Jenny said: “Amparo is part of a larger charity called Listening Ear, which started in Cheshire and Merseyside eight years ago. Amparo is the commissioned service across Kent and Medway that provides support to people who have been bereaved, or affected, by suicide. This may be very recent or historic.
“The word Amparo is Spanish for protection, shelter or help. These are all things we try to offer to our clients. We offer bespoke, open-ended, support which is both practical and emotional. Our liaison workers will liaise with the police or coroner’s office on behalf of the client, help with overwhelming feelings of isolation, support through the inquest process and signpost to local services.
“I heard about ReferKent from Sophie Kemsley, Senior Project Officer at the Kent & Medway Suicide Prevention Programme.
“The benefits to Amparo will be the increased awareness of our service, which will hopefully mean more people will be able to access the support they need. The risk of those bereaved or affected by suicide going on to take their own lives is increased by approximately 30 per cent. Therefore, the support that Amparo provides is vital in reducing this risk and preventing more suicides.
“The benefits to the Kent community is that the much-needed Amparo postvention support will be accessible to far more people across the Kent footprint.
“There is also the benefit of the suicide prevention that the Amparo service brings. The more that suicide is talked about, the less stigma is attached to it, the more people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts feel able to talk to someone, resulting in the reduction in numbers of suicides within the community and the better the overall mental health outcomes for people within the community.”
To find out more, visit www.listening-ear.co.uk
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