Youth counselling charity’s creator retires – leaving 30-year foundation as a legacy

The founder of a free and confidential counselling service for young people in South London is calling it a day – with a flood of tributes marking her exit.

The charity – Off the Record Youth Counselling – will soon be celebrating its 30th anniversary, having been firstly established in Croydon in 1994 before expanding to work in Sutton (from 2013) and Merton (from 2017).

A counsellor herself, Karen Stott has been the director of Off the Record since starting the charity in a tiny rented basement office, which is just a few hundred yards from their new Portland House hub in Croydon.  

Karen has overseen the expansion of the charity from a counselling-specific service in one borough with three staff, to a multi-faceted community-based mental health provision working across three South-west London boroughs and employing almost 70 staff.

Some key milestones for the charity include: The launch of the BME Mental Health Outreach (1997), a Young Persons Drug & Alcohol Services (2000) a refugee counselling service (2008) an online counselling platform (2013).

Karen Stott said: “I’ve reflected a lot on Off the Record’s remarkable history in these last few months and I often still find it hard to believe how the charity has grown and developed over that time.

“Thirty years have been built around dozens of trustees and volunteers, hundreds of committed staff and many thousands of young people who have trusted us at the most vulnerable points in their lives.”

Geoff Jones, chief executive of Off the Record said: “Many of the children that Karen counselled 30 years ago will now be raising children of their own.

“Karen has established the DNA of Off the record – that every child and young person is important and that with timely mental health interventions including empathy and respect young people can successfully navigate the challenges of adolescence go on to establish successful and healthy lives.”

Mr Jones added: “Karen is ‘handing the baton’ over to us and our vision is to build a strong compassionate and inclusive mental health community that responds to the new modern challenges facing young people – including the Covid pandemic, serious youth violence, cost of living pressures and the pressures of AI and social media.

“We are indebted to Karen for the legacy that she has left us at Off the Record and will do our very best to grow and honour that at every opportunity,” Geoff Jones.

The charity celebrated Karen’s retirement with staff and partners who have all played a key role in their dedication to building a compassionate mental health community for children and young people.

Pictured top: Karen Stott (Picture: Off the Record)