January 2022
Healthy London Partnership in partnership with Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, have launched new eating disorder guidelines for voluntary and community sector professionals. The guidelines share advice about spotting the signs of eating disorders and when to refer children and young people to the community eating disorders service for specialist support.
They have been endorsed by Catherine Roche, Chief Executive of Place2Be: “Voluntary and community organisations provide vital support, services, and projects for young people. Healthy London Partnership has developed a new easy-to-use guideline to support voluntary sector professionals to spot the early signs of eating disorders. These guidelines will help your staff know what to do if they are worried about a young person. Eating disorders are complex with many underlying causes and it’s crucial to recognise the symptoms early.”
Our updated guidelines also provide information on free additional support for parents and carers. Beat in partnership with London’s 3 Children and Young People’s Mental Health Inpatient Provider Collaboratives and Healthy London Partnership is offering Nexus, a telephone support service for parents caring for a loved one who has an eating disorder and Solace, an online peer support group where parents can find support and empathy from people who truly understand what they’re experiencing.
Andrew Radford, Chief Executive of Beat, said: “We know that caring for a loved one with an eating disorder can be an isolating experience, that’s why we are pleased to offer our free programmes Nexus and Solace. To make a referral call Beat’s Support line – 0808 801 0356. Parents and carers can also access these services through their GP or by calling the CarEd support line directly.”
Our VCSE, education and primary care guidelines can also be accessed on our children and young people’s eating disorders resources page.