Update on the Folkestone Safe Haven Project

District Councillors have received an update on the Folkestone Safe Haven Project, which is due to open on April 6th:

"The Folkestone Haven will be opening from the 6th April 2020 as planned, but as mental health phone support initially rather than face to face support.

The Haven has been designed for people in a self-defined MH crisis and was due to be an open access, face to face service every evening, weekend and bank holiday.

In order to reflect social distancing directives and to reduce the risk of the spread of coronavirus, from 6th April 2020, the service will only be delivered through three dedicated phone lines from 18:00 - 23:00 Monday - Friday, and 12:00 - 23:00 every Saturday, Sunday and bank Holiday.

Each phone line will be diverted to one of two Recovery staff and so callers will have a 50% chance of talking to the same person if they use the same number.

The phone numbers are:

07827 533 871
07827 533 887
07827 416 697

Staff will help the callers to de-escalate immediate anxiety, and to safety plan to help keep themselves as safe as possible.

I have attached a poster for more information and would be grateful if you could share this poster and the content of this email, with your networks as widely as possible.

We will transition to a face to face service as soon as is safe to do so."