This is a voluntary sector service which is offered borough wide.

Early Break is a service designed to meet the needs of young people and their families with regard to drug and alcohol use/mental health in Bury, Rochdale, Bolton, Salford, Trafford and Oldham.

The Service aims to provide treatment interventions together with education, prevention and early intervention underpinned by unbiased, clear and concise information. Office opening hours are 8am - 6pm Mon-Thurs and 8am - 5pm Fri. An assertive outreach service is delivered out in the community in evenings and weekends.

Services available include:

Advocacy Support

If you are a young person who feels they would like some support around substance use, or if you would like to refer a young person to us please download a referral form from our website (earlybreak.co.uk) fill it in and scan back to info@earlybreak.co.uk - alternatively, drop us an email or call 0161 723 3880 (am).

Any young person referred to Early Break for substance misuse issues will be responded to within 24 hours. Advocacy Workers work with young people to gain a greater understanding of their needs and identify the support the young person may require. Early Break is a person-centred organisation which means the young person is always at the centre of the decision making process.

Together, the worker and young person will look at goals the young person wants to achieve. This process is known as care planning and will normally cover a whole range of areas such as substance use, physical health, emotional health, sexual health, family, education, finance and employment etc. Advocacy Workers offer one-to-one support, education and advice and offer harm reduction interventions. 

Family Service - Holding Families

The award winning Holding Families programme provides whole family support for children and family members affected by parental substance misuse. We work with parents and carers at any stage of their recovery from drugs and alcohol use.

We work with each family member separately and also as a family unit. We will work with families where there is at least one young person under the age of 18 living in the family home or where the substance using parent is pregnant. At least one of the parents should have problematic drug or alcohol use. Families can be referred by themselves or by any professional working with them.

Family Service - Holding Families+ work with children and families of alcohol and substance dependent parents who are in prison. The service is delivered across Rochdale, Bury, Bolton, Salford and Trafford. The project works with mothers in HMP Styal and fathers in HMP Forest Bank to provide pre and post release support. The service recognises the multiple and complex needs of such parents, children and families and why alcohol (and other substances) may have been used previously.

It aims to improve emotional and mental health and reduce family conflict to improve children and family outcomes in the short term and intergenerationally. Holding Families+ is a whole family approach which recognises the differing individual needs and aspirations of all family members.

Streetwise@EarlyBreak (emotional health and wellbeing services) - please check out our website for more services we offer around emotional health which include mindfulness, holistic therapies and bereavement & loss counselling.

Closing the Gap - is a transitional service for young people in Bury and Rochdale. The project aims to provide age appropriate support for 16-25 year olds who commonly do ‘fall through the gap’. The project provides holistic support for their emotional health and substance use and provides referrals/signposting for education, employment, housing, relationships, social prescribing, financial, sexual health etc.

The projects in Bury and Rochdale differ slightly, please see our website for details.

Getting Help Line 0161 464 3679 - Early Break provides a confidential helpline for all residents in Bury who are experiencing difficulties with their mental wellbeing. The helpline is open to residents of all ages. Our experienced call handlers offer support by giving advice, guidance and signposting to appropriate services.

We offer non-clinical, non-urgent support for anyone experiencing difficulties with their mental wellbeing. The service is available Monday to Saturday 8am – 8pm. Calls are charged at the standard national rate for landlines and mobile calls vary, dependent on provider.

If you would like us to call you, please complete the contact form below and one of our call handlers will be in touch as soon as possible. If you have any additional needs that we need to know about that might alter the way we get in touch to support you, please let us know on the contact form on our website.

Training - Early Break is an Accredited Training Provider (CPD Accredited) and has developed a range of training courses. All training courses are up to date and address new and emerging trends in the fields of substance use/mental health, supporting the complex needs of young people and adults.

Early Break also provides bespoke training packages to cater for all needs and offer age appropriate training for young people/adults/professionals.