Who we are

Our Charitable Objectives & Values

Everything we do at Early Break is driven by purpose, compassion and belief in young people.

As a registered UK charity, we exist to support young people and families facing challenges related to substance use, emotional wellbeing, and family life.

Our charitable objectives are the foundation of our work; they define why we exist and who we serve.

  • We believe in early intervention, person-centred support, and creating accessible services that remove barriers and build trust.

    Our work is free at the point of access, inclusive to all, and rooted in both compassion and evidence.

“We’re not here to judge. We’re here to listen, understand, and walk alongside you, whatever your journey looks like.”
— Gemma Philburn (Operations Director)

Early Break’s Charitable Objectives

Early Break’s formal charitable objectives are set out to reflect our mission to improve the lives of young people and their families.

These include:

  • Promoting physical and mental health and wellbeing
    By offering advice, information, and direct support to help young people and families live healthier, more stable lives.

  • Reducing harm from legal and illegal substance use
    Through confidential treatment, advocacy, and harm-reduction strategies that respect individual choices and needs.

  • Supporting families and carers
    With whole-family interventions, including programmes like Holding Families, which empower families to recover together.

  • Advancing education and awareness
    By delivering CPD-accredited training and sharing knowledge with professionals, schools, and community groups.

  • Conducting and sharing research
    On youth substance use and emotional wellbeing, contributing to wider understanding and best practice across the sector.

Our Charitable Values

At Early Break, our values guide every conversation, service and decision.
They are reflected in how we treat one another, how we work with young people and families, and how we represent ourselves in the wider community.

We are proud to be:

Trustworthy – We are a reliable, consistent presence for our clients, conducting ethical business with all stakeholders.

Accountable – We work with openness and transparency, ensuring our excellent standards are upheld and open to scrutiny.

Fair – We act with integrity, ensuring that people we encounter are treated with respect. We embrace the diversity of our communities and strive to make our offer equal to all.

Collaborative – We believe that working effectively with others strengthens available resources and improves outcomes.

Innovative – We are forward-thinking and morally creative in our work and desire to improve our services continually.

Compassionate – Because we care, we take a fearless presence in our professional commitments.

A colorful hexagon infographic highlighting six key values around the word 'Early & Break': Trustworthy, Accountable, Fair, Collaborative, Innovative, Compassionate.

Our values are not just words; they shape our culture, inspire our teams, and ensure that young people always remain at the heart of our work.

Quick FAQ’s

  • They define our purpose as a charity, including supporting health and wellbeing, reducing substance-related harm, and offering education and advocacy for young people and families.

  • Our head office is in Bury, but we deliver services across Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Trafford, Bolton, and Blackburn with Darwen.

    We work flexibly from local offices in these areas and also provide support in schools, community venues, safe spaces, and out in the field, wherever young people and families need us most.

  • Early Break offers a comprehensive range of specialist services to support young people and their families across Greater Manchester and Lancashire. 

    Our work covers mental health, substance use, emotional wellbeing, housing, family relationships, sexual health, and more.

    Depending on your needs and location, we offer both one-to-one and group-based support through the following services: 

    Each service is free, confidential, and tailored to the needs of the individual or family.

  • We offer substance misuse support, mental health and wellbeing groups, family safeguarding, housing advocacy, bereavement support and more, each service rooted in our charitable mission.

  • No. Many young people come to us for support with anxiety, bullying, family conflict, grief or life transitions. Our approach is holistic and inclusive.

  • From the way we train our team to how we handle sensitive information, every part of our organisation is designed to reflect our core values of compassion, fairness and accountability.

  • Yes. We welcome all young people and families regardless of their past experiences. We’re here to listen and support, not to judge.

  • Yes. We contribute to national data collection (e.g. NDTMS) and occasionally publish findings or resources to inform practice and shape better support systems. We also share anonymised research findings with educational institutions we partner with, such as schools, colleges and universities.