Welfare and Wellbeing
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) articles supported:
Your child may be experiencing feelings such as anxiety, stress or low mood.
At St Mary’s we will continue to offer pastoral support to pupils. As well as thinking about the children in your care, it is important to take care of your own mental health and wellbeing. Children and young people react, in part, to what they see from the adults around them. When parents and carers deal with a situation calmly and confidently, they can provide the best support for their children and young people. Parents and carers can be more supportive to others around them, especially children, when they are better prepared.
What changes may I see in my child if they are feeling stressed?
All children and young people are different, but there are some common ways in which different age groups may react to a situation.
Please remember that the common reactions to distress will fade over time for most children and young people, though could return if they see or hear reminders of what happened. Understanding these may help you to support your family.
- For infants to 2-year-olds : Infants may become more easily distressed. They may cry more than usual or want to be held and cuddled more.
- For 3- to 6-year-olds: Preschool and nursery children may return to behaviours they have outgrown, such as toileting accidents, bed-wetting, or being frightened about being separated from their parents or carers. They may also have tantrums or difficulty sleeping.
- For 7- to 10-year-olds: Older children may feel sad, angry, or afraid. Peers may share false information but parents or carers can correct the misinformation. Older children may focus on details of the situation and want to talk about it all the time, or not want to talk about it at all. They may have trouble concentrating.
- For preteens and teenagers: Some preteens and teenagers respond to worrying situations by acting out. This could include reckless driving, and alcohol or drug use. Others may become afraid to leave the home and may cut back on how much time they connect with their friends. They can feel overwhelmed by their intense emotions and feel unable to talk about them. Their emotions may lead to increased arguing and even fighting with siblings, parents, carers or other adults. They may have concerns about how the school closures and exam cancellations will affect them
How can I help my child cope with the stress ?
There are some key actions you can consider to support your child’s mental health and wellbeing,
Listening to and acknowledging their concerns. Children respond to stress in different ways. Children and young people may feel less anxious if they are able to express and communicate their feelings in a safe and supportive environment. Give them extra love and attention if they need it.
Signs may be:
- emotional (for example, they may be upset, distressed, anxious, angry or agitated), behavioural (for example, they may become more clingy or more withdrawn, or they may wet the bed), or physical (for example, they may experience stomach aches).
Being aware of your own reactions. Remember that children and young people often take their emotional cues from the important adults in their lives, so how you respond to the situation is very important. It is important to manage your own emotions and remain calm, speak kindly to them, and answer any questions they have honestly.
Are there any resources that may help?
The following online resources may help:
- MindEd, a free educational resource from Health Education England on children and young people’s mental health
- Rise Above, which aims to build resilience and support good mental health in young people aged 10 to 16
https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/schools/topics/rise-above/overview
- Every Mind Matters, which includes an online tool and email journey to support everyone to feel more confident in taking action to look after their mental health and wellbeing
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
- Free confidential support can be accessed anytime from government-backed voluntary and community sector organisations by:
- texting SHOUT to 85258
- calling Childline on 0800 1111
- calling the Mix on 0808 808 4994
- online information is available on the Young Minds website
- the Think Ninja app educates 10-18 year olds about mental health, emotional wellbeing and provide skills young people can use to build resilience and stay well 27
ThinkNinja - Child Wellbeing (healios.org.uk)
- Rise Above (adapted for COVID-19) website aims to build resilience and support good mental health in young people aged 10 to 16
Mental wellbeing | Overview | PHE School Zone
- Bereavement UK and the Childhood Bereavement Network, provide information and resources to support bereaved pupils, schools and staff
https://www.childbereavementuk.org/
http://www.childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/covid-19.aspx
How can I make sure my child is active d?
It’s important for your child to remain for and active where ever possible.
OUTDOORS: It’s important to get some daily fresh air and to keep moving to keep yours and your child’s body and mind healthy.
- Walk in the local area.
- A trip to the park.
- Scooter ride
- Bike ride
INDOORS:
The following links are fantastic for getting the whole family moving .
A selection of workouts that put the fun back into fitness and help engage kids. Children can train alongside their favourite superheroes from the comfort of their home.
FREE
Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation - designed specially for kids aged three and above.
FREE
A chance for parents and kids to get moving to the songs they love. Learn their moves or put your own spin on their routines
Team GB and Paralympics GB's official activity programme for children aged 5-11 and their families. FREE
I have tried the above and remain worried about my child’s mental health. What can I do?
- Please contact your GP and our schoo Inclusion Teaml.
Mrs Gordon: Pastoral Manager
Family Support & Guidance
We understand how important it is to support our parents and carers, as well as the children who attend our school, therefore, we have created and will continue to develop this page to signpost parents and carers to useful websites and resources that can help support our families.
Manchester City Council parenting tips: For children aged 0-11+years
https://hsm.manchester.gov.uk/kb5/manchester/directory/site.page?id=D_P2ziz1Jog
Care for the Family
Raising children can be a physical and emotional rollercoaster. Parents and carers need all the support they can get. Articles to help you build a healthy family.
https://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/family-life/parent-support
Family Line supports adult family members via telephone, text, email and web chat
https://www.family-action.org.uk/what-we-do/children-families/familyline/
Family Lives is a national family support charity providing help and support to families who are struggling.
https://www.familylives.org.uk/
Self Help Services are commissioned by the NHS to provide psychological therapies for mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and panic. The service is free, and if you have a Manchester GP you can refer yourself by calling 0161 226 3871, or your GP can make a referral for you. They offer support such as CBT, counselling, self-help groups and workshops. They offer flexible appointments including online and telephone support, and appointments in evenings.
https://www.selfhelpservices.org.uk/
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families is a children’s mental health charity with over 60 years’ experience of caring for young minds. Their vision is a world in which children and their families are effectively supported to build on their own strengths to achieve their goals in life.
https://www.annafreud.org/parents/
Manchester Mind have been supporting for better mental health for all in Manchester for thirty years.
https://www.manchestermind.org/resources-category/mind-mental-health-information/
Manchester Parent Carer Forum works to represent the ‘voice’ of parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
http://manchesterparentcarerforum.org.uk/
Where to look for help while you're on the CAMHS waiting list.
https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/where-to-look-for-support-while-youre-on-the-camhs-waiting-list/
If your child is a healthy weight, there's lots you can do as a parent to help them stay a healthy size as they grow.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/healthy-weight-children-advice-for-parents/
https://www.nhs.uk/change4life
As well as maintaining a healthy weight. It is important to keep active.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-children-and-young-people/
https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/activities
Stonewall 'acceptance without exception', work to ensure that LGBT people, across all communities, are valued, welcomed by all and can participate fully in society.
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/lgbt-inclusive-education-everything-you-need-know
Mermaids is one of the UK's leading LGBTQ+ charities, empowering thousands of people with its secure online communities, local community groups, helpline services, web resources, events and residential weekends.
Messages of hate can take many forms. Extremist groups use them to recruit young people. Parents can find answers to common questions and resources to help protect their child here.
https://educateagainsthate.com/parents/
For honest and useful advice for parents and guardians about drugs, talk to FRANK
Below is a link to NHS UK's suggested apps to support mental health.
https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/category/mental-health/
Below are two really useful self help websites, supporting people with a large range of issues from anger and phobias, to relationships and OCD.
https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/problems.htm
https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself
Barnardo’s See, Hear, Respond service, provides support to children, young people and their families who aren’t currently seeing a social worker or other agency, and who are struggling to cope with the emotional impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).
You can access via the ‘See, Hear, Respond’ service self-referral webpage or Freephone 0800 151 7015.
- St Mary's RC. Primary School
- Clare Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 2QW
- E-Mail: admin@stmaryslevenshulme.org.uk Mrs P Kent Brown
- Telephone: 0161 224 5995