The Hangout is a mental health and wellbeing hub for young people aged 11-18 in Cardiff and the Vale. We’re run by the charity Platfform and funded by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Timetables and Contact Information
We’re open every day of the week, including bank holidays. Our opening hours for both sites (Barry and Cardiff) are below.
Days with social space availability are split by age, but young people of any age can access 1-1 or crisis support on any day.
| Day | Opening times | Availability | Location |
| Mondays | 3pm – 9pm | 1-1s, drop-in, social space for 14-18 year olds, crisis support | Cardiff and Barry |
| Tuesdays | 3pm – 9pm | 1-1s, drop-in, social space for 11-13 year olds, crisis support | Cardiff and Barry |
| Wednesdays | 3pm – 9pm | 1-1s, drop-in, crisis support, groups | Cardiff and Barry |
| Thursdays | 3pm – 9pm | 1-1s, drop-in, social space for 14-18 year olds, crisis support | Cardiff and Barry |
| Fridays | 3pm – 9pm | 1-1s, drop-in, social space for 11-13 year olds, crisis support | Cardiff and Barry |
| Saturdays | 12pm – 6pm | 1-1s, drop-in, crisis support | Cardiff only |
| Sundays | 12pm – 6pm | 1-1s, drop-in, crisis support | Barry only |
Who can access the Hangout
The Hangout doesn’t have any formal criteria that young people need to meet to access us. We’re ‘open access’ because we know that everyone can benefit from mental health and wellbeing support at some point. This means that anyone aged 11-18 in Cardiff and the Vale can come to us.
If we feel like a young person could benefit from some additional support as well as The Hangout, we’re able to signpost to other organisations, discuss the young person with our EWMH (formerly CAMHS) Single Point of Access (SPoA), or refer/discuss directly to the EWMH Crisis Team.
Although we don’t have a criteria for access, we are not a youth club service. We encourage young people to explore other community settings if they’re looking for a space to exclusively get involved in activities and youth work.
Young people experiencing a mental health crisis can access The Hangout instead of going to A&E (please note that this is only for mental health support, and not for medical support/intervention. If there are any physical medical risks identified, please attend A&E). This means that they can be seen by one of the team and a EWMH crisis nurse if necessary in an environment that is comfortable, supportive and safe. We work closely with both the EWMH crisis team and our A&E teams to keep young people safe and make sure that they have professionals to support them in a way that feels right.
Safeguarding and confidentiality
Our team are trained in keeping young people safe, and are able to support young people through whatever they need. While we keep most of the things that young people speak to us about confidential, if we are worried that a young person may be at risk of harming themselves or others then we will share this information. This may be with an adult at home or school, or with other services such as A&E, the local council, or the police. Where possible, this is discussed with the young person beforehand.
Young people can also ask us to share information with different adults in their life. We’re happy to do this.
We have access to young people’s health records as part of an information sharing agreement with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, who fund the Hangout. We’re able to look at support that young people have had in the past if necessary, and liaise with other professionals if we think this can improve the support being given to a young person.
We work closely with both the EWMH crisis team and our A&E teams to keep young people safe.
If a young person is experiencing a mental health crisis, we help to keep them safe by making a safety plan, and encourage them to share it with adults at home. We carry out risk assessments if we feel a young person is at risk of harm. If a young person is in crisis and not accompanied by a safe adult, we will contact their emergency contact to collect them.
We encourage young people to stay at The Hangout for the duration of their stay rather than dropping in and out, so that our staff know where they are. We do not routinely contact parents or carers to inform them of young people’s arrivals or departures. If this is something that you feel is necessary, it can be organised following a discussion with a member of the team.
FAQs
- What do you do for those turning 18?
Our partner project, Power Up, supports young people up to age 25. In the lead up to a young person turning 18, they’ll be offered a supported transition to Power Up’s services. We don’t end suddenly with young people on their birthday.
For safeguarding reasons, we don’t have people aged 18+ accessing our social spaces. If those over 18 are looking for spaces to connect, Power Up runs social groups and activities. - Can I come for a look around, or wait during sessions?
We’re happy to show trusted adults and professionals the space.
You’re also able to wait in the lounge or kitchen area while a young person in your care has their 1-1 session, however we do encourage that young people access the space independently following initial sessions. - Can young people come on their own?
Yes. Lots of young people access The Hangout on their own, especially after their first time visiting. Some young people travel to and from the space independently. We are able to support them with travel advice. - What kind of things can you support young people with?
We offer a wide range of support to different young people experiencing different challenges. We often support young people with topics like bullying, anxiety, feeling low, self-harm, friendship difficulties, family challenges, living circumstances and more.
Support isn’t one size fits all, so we’re able to discuss anything a young person would like to. If we think that support from another team would be useful, we’ll suggest this to the young person (& their trusted adults if appropriate) and can support with referrals while they’re accessing us. - Do you have a waitlist?
No. Young people can access support from us on the first day they visit. If there are specific requirements for support (such as times or days), it may take a little while to accommodate this, however this rarely takes more than a week. - Are you able to diagnose and prescribe?
No. If we think that a young person could benefit from some additional or specific support, we’re able to consult our Single Point of Access team and refer as professionals. - Do you have any support for families, parents or guardians?
Not yet. We’re currently developing our parent/guardian support offer.
In the meantime, we refer families, parents and guardians to CAVUHB’s commissioned parent support service from Family Lives – Cardiff and Vale Parent Wellbeing Support.
We also direct to the Family Gateway in Cardiff. Here you can get free advice and a range of support tailored to your circumstances.