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Connexions Personal Advisers

Sometimes life can be difficult and in your teenage years there can be some tough decisions you have to make on a variety of issues like your school education, training, health, relationships and more. If you need somebody to turn to for help, you can talk to a Connexions Personal Adviser.

Personal Advisers are professionals - they won't judge you and everything you say to them (unless it is deemed to be a Child Protection issue where they will seek further advice in consultation with you) is in total confidence. They will give you the information you need on any choices and decisions you want help on.

They can advise you on learning and working opportunities; give you information on personal development opportunities; point you towards services that are able to help you and overcome barriers to learning; refer you to appropriate agencies and organisations; act on your behalf with opportunity providers.

Personal Advisers are available in school from Year 9 onwards and they can also be contacted at a range of other community access point venues in addition to the Kingston Connexions Centre. You can talk to generalist or specialist personal advisers

Generalist Personal Advisers

Get general advice about issues such as:

• Career planning
• Jobs and training vacancies
• Writing CVs, covering letters and completing applications
• Applying to college, sixth form and university
• Help with claiming EMA and other benefits
• Volunteering opportunities
• Learning and work, including referral to appropriate support agencies
• Helping you overcome barriers you may face
• Provision of public computers for online applications
• Computer based information and career quizzes and questionnaires
  

Generalist Personal Advisers can also help you by acting on your behalf and working with your parents, carers and families.

Specialist Personal Advisers

You can talk to a Targeted Adviser on issues such as:

• Drugs and alcohol counselling
• Sexual health
• Housing and homelessness
• Emotional issues
• Teenage parents / young mums to be

To contact a Targeted Adviser please telephone 020 8547 5731 for more information or write to:

   Room 205
   Guildhall 1
   Kingston upon Thames
   KT1 1EU

There are also specialist advisers for:

Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities (LDD)

If you need additional support in learning, our LDD adviser can help by providing  information about suitable courses  and jobs or training and by acting on your behalf to get the help you need.  You will be supported to choose the right option to meet your needs and helped to progress into it.  You can get continued support until the age of 25 should you need it..

Connexions Direct

As well as contacting a adviser at your local Connexions centre or in your school, you can alternatively call Connexions Direct, a national helpline and chat to an Adviser anytime between 8am and 2am.