Birmingham Connect to Support

Public Health - What they can do for you!

Public Health - what they can do for you!

Public Health is about helping people to stay healthy and protecting them from threats to their health.

Sometimes public health activities involve helping individuals, at other times they involve dealing with wider factors that have an impact on the health of many people (for example an age-group, an ethnic group, a locality, or a country).

While medicine and nursing are vital for helping and supporting people when they fall ill, public health contributes to reducing the causes of ill-health and improving people's health and wellbeing.

Each local authority has a public health department and you can find out more about what Birmingham's Public Health teams are doing and their work on their dedicated webpages (opens a new window).

Below are some of Birmingham's Public Health offers that you may be interested in.

Many people struggle with addiction of one sort or another. Public Health have pulled together resources provide support to help people with different additions such as smoking, alcohol, drug use and gambling.

Public Health's Addiction Support webpages

This support includes several services which are people can refer themselves or access through drop-ins. 

Change Grow Live (CGL)

Free, confidential support for Birmingham residents concerned about drug or alcohol use. Services include:

  • Treatment options (reduction, detox, rehab)
  • Medication for withdrawal
  • Harm reduction advice
  • Peer support (in-person & online)

Self-refer: http://www.changegrowlive.com/birmingham

Telephone: 0121 227 5890

DATUS Enabling Recovery

Peer-led support for adults (18+) in recovery from drug/alcohol addiction. Services include:

  • See Change – community engagement & employment skills
  • Peer advocacy & group work (incl. HMP Birmingham & CGL)
  • Allotment Project – therapeutic activity
  • LIFE Groups – mutual aid for addiction recovery
  • LIFE Family & Friends – support for those affected by addiction

Contact

KIKIT Recovery Services

Support for 18+ individuals, especially from marginalised communities, with:

  • Drug & alcohol recovery programmes
  • Outreach & peer mentoring
  • Training, volunteering & self-help groups
  • Family/carer support & open drop-ins

Contact Details for KIKIT Recovery Services can be found on the CtS Community Database or by self-referral on their website: http://kikitproject.org/. 

Lindale Recovery Housing

Supported living for adults (18+) in recovery or not ready for treatment consisting of 16 abstinence-based properties (mixed & gender-specific). 

  • Strict no alcohol/drug policy
  • 12-week rehab programme
  • Help with employment, benefits, education & independent living
  • 1:1 support sessions (in person/phone)

Contact via

To support you to stop smoking, Public Health has a range of services and programmes that help you to stop. 

Giving up smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health - and the health of the people around you.

Evidence shows you are 3 times more likely to successfully quit with specialist support than by trying just on your own.

Across Birmingham there are over 100 GP and local Pharmacies that can help support you to stop smoking. To help you find your local service, a directory of all of services is available. 

Help and support around food including those having difficulty affording food. Additional information and support around healthy eating. There is also information about the "Food Revolution" strategy. More information can be found at:

Food and health eating - https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50351/food_and_healthy_eating 
Food Revolution - https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50279/food_revolution 

Healthy Start

Healthy Start is a national scheme providing food vouchers and vitamins for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under 4 years old. The support provided is £4.25 a week (or £8.50 if a child under 1years old) and vitamins (folic acid, vitamin C & D for women; A, C & D drops for children). For full details and how to apply go to:

Information about health checks and screening programmes run by the NHS. These include health checks for those aged 40-74, cancer screening programmes and pregnancy screening

Public Health have a range of commissioned services for sexual and reproductive health. They includes the provision of access to testing for sexually transmitted disease and HIV testing, but doesn’t include infertility treatment or HIV treatment and care.

Support and resources available to help improve wellbeing and support your mental health. Alongside advice and general support, this includes NHS services, as well as information & resources for coping different crises - bereavement, financial, housing insecurity, severe weather.

In additional to these, there is also a section on suicide prevention and support.

Details on the full range of services are available on the Public Health's Mental Health and Wellbeing pages as well as Connect to Supports mental health page and community directory of local support groups.

Peer Mentoring Service for Young Adults (16-25)

The peer mentoring service is a free confidential support service for young people (aged 16-25) who are from:

  • LGBT+ communities
  • Disabled young people
  • Black, Asian & diverse ethnicities

What’s offered:

  • Safe, supportive mentoring by peers with similar lived experience
  • Up to 30 trained mentors each year
  • Focus on building relationships & promoting mental health

Self-referral by

Online: http://referral.ourplacesupport.org/peermentoring

Email: peermentoring@ourplacesupport.org

Telephone: 0121 354 4080

 

Information and resources to help you look after your health and wellbeing. Specific section covering those aged 50 to 65 and those aged 65 and over. Additional sections on aging well and your brain health.

  • Your health - aged 50-65
  • Your health - aged 65 and over
  • Aging well services
  • Your brain health

Public Health's Health at Different Ages webpages

The benefits of being active every day are huge and being active benefits both physical and mental health and wellbeing at every age and not just that it can be a lot of fun too!

Pubic Health's Staying and Being Active webpages provide information on the benefits of staying active, along with resources to help you too to be active.

You can also find more activities across Birmingham using the Active Birmingham Activity Finder. 

 

Other Support

Every Steps Matters

One-mile marked tracks in 8 Birmingham parks encourage 15 minutes of daily activity (walk, jog, wheel, run) at your own pace. Tracks are safe, accessible, and remain in place to promote active lifestyles. This is part of the Commonwealth Games legacy fund. You can find out more about the legacy from Legacy-WM. 

The parks are: 

  • Ladywood (Summerfield Park)
  • Handsworth (Handsworth Park)
  • Nechells (Bloomsbury Park)
  • Aston (Phillips Street Park)
  • Balsall Heath West (Calthorpe Park)
  • Pype Hayes (Pype Hayes Park)
  • Bordesley & Highgate (Highgate Park)
  • Castle Vale (Centre Park)
Be Active + (BAP)

Free 12-week programme for people with long-term health conditions, focusing on:

  • Physical activity
  • Healthy eating
  • Weight management

Delivered by trained professionals to boost confidence and wellbeing. Includes 12 months free access to Be Active facilities after completion.

If you have a long-term health condition and would like to be considered, speak to your GP.

Public Health has a range of support to help families and children. These include:

Healthy Child Programme (0-5 years)

Delivered by Birmingham Forward Steps, this national early help programme supports children’s health and development through:

  • Health & development reviews
  • Screening & immunisations
  • Parenting support & wellbeing

For more information and to find your local Health Visiting teams and Children’s Centres go to http://bhamforwardsteps.co.uk/. 

Child and Family Weight Management

Funded by Public Health, this support from Beezee Families is a free, award-winning healthy lifestyle programme for the whole family

  • Healthy eating tips & easy meals
  • Support from coaches & nutritionists
  • Move around every week with games and activities
  • Have fun learning about healthy living

Sessions are In-person or online sessions. Self-referral at:

School health support service

Delivered by Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, this confidential service supports school-aged children and families with:

  • Health advice & safeguarding
  • National Child Measurement Programme
  • Reducing school absences & promoting wellbeing

The service can be used by children:

  • in Birmingham mainstream schools,
  • children who live in Birmingham who are home educated
  • Children who live in Birmingham and are excluded,
  • or new-to-city children

There is extra support available for children aged 11 or over through the Chat Health Text Service. This provides confidential help on mental health, relationships, bullying, drugs, healthy eating and more. Text 07480 635 485

You can access on:

GAIN (Guidance, Advice, Information, Network) is a support service available to adults aged 25+ with no dependent children living in Birmingham, including singles, couples and their pets.

Eligible applicants will be supported by our community-based advisors who will be able to offer them in-person, digital or telephone support in the following areas:

  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Financial Inclusion and Money Management
  • Social, Community and Family Engagement
  • Digital Support
  • Accommodation
  • Over 65 specific support

You can fill out a self-referral form or you can refer on behalf of someone else: https://gainbirmingham.co.uk/make-a-referral/

Further information is available on the GAIN website. You can also contact GAIN by:

It is a community based service provided by Citizens Advice Mid Mercia, commissioned by Birmingham City Council Public Health and Adult Social Care.

Last updated: 06/02/2026
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