A SPECIALIST service that won national acclaim for its work with children is to pass on its expertise to improve the plight of young people with mental health problems.

Darlington Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, which was awarded Beacon Status earlier this year for its high standards of care, will share its best practices with professionals throughout the North-East and North Yorkshire at a series of events next month.

The service, the only Beacon one in the region, is a partnership between County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust, Darlington Primary Care Trust and the borough council.

It involves a team of doctors, psychologists, nurses and social workers who use a blend of practical advice and therapies to support youngsters in need.

It also uses the Tubwell Project, a one-stop-shop in Tubwell Row, which provides practical and emotional support for vulnerable youngsters. The service won Beacon status because it is said to be unique in being designed by the young people who use it.

Senior social worker Bill Dixon, who is executive member for the council's social services and non-executive director of Dar*ington PCT, said: "We consult the youngsters all the time and they helped to design it.

"Transport is a big issue for young people which is why, after talking to them, we located the Tubwell Project where we did, in the centre of town.

"They really told us what we needed to know, which means there is a better chance of getting it right - and it also gives them a lot of self-esteem."

One in three people will suffer from some form of mental illness at some time in their life making it a more common problem than coronary heart disease and cancer. In the Darlington area there are between 30 and 50 attempted suicides a year involving children aged 11 to 16.