“My Dad left when I was three and I don’t know where he is…”. “My Mum and step Dad are getting divorced. I don’t feel like I belong anywhere…”. “I know that hanging around with him doesn’t help me, but he’s my mate, what can I do?” There are some stories that we hear time and time again across the inner-city schools we mentor in. Stories from young people who use weed, or who self-harm, or are violent as a matter of course. Simply because they don’t know how to deal with what life throws at them.

Schools of course aren’t there to deal with these issues. They’re there to educate. But it’s difficult, sometimes impossible to educate because the underlying issues manifest in poor attendance, behaviour or attainment.

We’re really pleased to announce that the LifeLine Institute has recently achieved independent school status! Whereas young people were previously referred to LifeLine exclusively by the Local Authority, it is now also possible for schools that don’t believe mainstream education is benefitting a pupil to refer them to LifeLine. This has broadened the service that LifeLine can provide to schools.