Mental Health and Well-Being

There is always someone to talk to

StrongerTogetherTheLilyJoProject-221007-120151.pdf


Talking to someone could be the start of you feeling better. Find local specialist help using the website below:

https://hubofhope.co.uk/

Early Help form Hertfordshire CAHMS services

Early Help toolkit.docx
Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy.pdf

Wellbeing

Wellbeing is about our thoughts, feelings, emotions and ability to react to life. A good sense of wellbeing is feeling ok and able to cope, even when life or situations are challenging.

Sometimes our wellbeing is affected by things out of our control: illness, a stressful family situation or crisis.

When our wellbeing is affected and we don’t feel able to cope, this can lead to mental health concerns: sadness, depression and unhelpful thoughts that can stop us from enjoying and coping with daily life.

Mental health Illness

Sometimes, people are born with a mental health illness which affects them throughout their lives. They might have different ways of being supported and coping with their mental health illness; they might take a medicine or they might have a doctor or counsellor that they talk to, to help them cope and regain a sense of wellbeing.

Mental illness is often invisible, but that doesn’t mean it should be hidden. Statistics tell us that most people suffer from a mental health concern at some point in their lives and that one in ten young people struggle with their mental health. People with any illnesses, whether they affect our mental or physical health, deserve support, help and understanding.

Breaking the stigma

Understanding and responding to our mental health and wellbeing needs is something we believe in at Ashbrook Junior School. We aim to take away the stigma and negativity and help our pupils and families to talk openly.

In this section of our website, we hope to share our activities and learning in school, as well as helpful advice, websites and contacts. If you would like to see anything added to this site, or to speak more about wellbeing and mental health, please contact our Mental Health Lead, Miss.Griffiths.


Mental Health support during the Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus and Your Child’s Wellbeing

Coronavirus and Your Wellbeing


Here are some websites designed specifically for children and young adults.

A website for children and young people. There are different sections offering information and advice on signs and symptoms, seeking help and looking after yourself. Some handy advice for parents too.

The following websites have been vetted and approved by the NHS. We recommend that parents always look at and test out apps and games for themselves before introducing their children to them:

Aimed at 8 - 12 year olds. This app helps children to understand their feelings and challenge negative thinking. Four positive penguins take children on a journey to help them better understand the relationship between what they think and what they feel.

This app was developed by GPs and Year 6 children in the Wakefield NHS Trust. It aims to teach 8 - 12 year olds how to make healthy choices for their mind and body. It uses a game where children are given a pet dragon to look after to build confidence and educate children about issues such as mental health and bullying.

This app is designed to help young people improve their coping skills.

An e-storybook for classroom and home use, which makes learning about micro-organisms, the spread, prevention and treatment of infection fun and accessible for all.

Helplines.docx

Support information for Children and Young People

  • Young Minds- You can also text the 24/7 Young Minds Crisis Messenger which provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK if you are experiencing a mental health crisis. If you need urgent help text YM to 85258. Young Minds have a mental health advice line available for parents operating between 09:30am-4pm, Monday- Friday: 0808 802 5544

  • Chat Health- is a confidential text messaging service for all secondary school aged pupils (11-19) in Hertfordshire, available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Young people can message for advice on all kinds of health issues such as sexual health, emotional health and wellbeing, bullying, healthy eating and any general health concerns. The text number is: 07480 635050. More information can be found on the Public Health Nursing page

  • Public Health Nursing also has two websites which provides excellent, age appropriate advice for children, young people and their families. These can be accessed here: Health for kids and Health for Teens

  • YC Hertfordshire Services for Young People provides youth work, information, advice, guidance, work related learning and support for young people. You can call 0300 123 7538, email: yc@hertfordshire.gov.uk or visit https://www.ychertfordshire.org/

  • Just Talk Herts – Mental Health support and advice for young people. www.justtalkherts.org . Just Talk is a Hertfordshire multi-agency campaign for promoting and maintaining good mental health. Within the Just Talk website, there is a specific Covid-19 page which is updated on a daily basis containing collated and new resources and information for young people and parents.

  • Herts Mind Network- have a helpline for children and young people aged 10-17. The helpline provides a safe, non-judgemental space to talk to a Young People Advisor or Mentor who will provide emotional support, advice and information and discuss coping strategies. The helpline number is 01923 256391. Herts Mind Network also have a Young People’s online group for those over 15. All contacting information is available in this flyer.

  • Free resources for teaching staff and families on boosting your child's wellbeing during the Covid-19 lockdown: The resources cover the following themes: Feelings, staying connected, dealing with change, getting along, dealing with worries and relaxing and are ready made to go and only take 10 minutes each: https://www.partnershipforchildren.org.uk/what-we-do/childrens-wellbeing-activities-for-teaching-staff-and-families.html#pack_4

  • Coping with exam pressure: A guide for students. This resource has been shared by Liverpool John Moores University and provides useul information about how stress can affect our body and tips on how to manage this in a helpful way.

  • The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families had created Early Years in Mind resource page. Early Years in Mind is a free online network for early years practitioners. The network provides easy to read and easy to use guidance on supporting the mental health of babies, young children and their families. The network was developed by mental health experts and shares practical and clinical expertise, and advice on using attachment-informed practice.

  • Returning to School: School planning document to support transition back to school following the COVID-19 outbreak. This document is designed for school leaders to support the emotional wellbeing of staff and students in returning to school following Covid-19 lockdown arrangements. It has been put together by members of the Educational Psychology Service but also incorporates information from the Communication and Autism Team and the Strategic Leads for Mental Health in Schools. It was created by reviewing the current guidance, psychology and research around supporting students during times of transition in the context of traumatic events.

  • The NHS Cadets/ YC Herts - NHS England along with NHS Innovation and St John Ambulance will launch their new national programme for 14-16 years old (flyer). This innovative programme aims to support young people aged 14-16 to access meaningful volunteer experiences within a healthcare environment while enjoying relevant training and development opportunities.

  • Information for Children and young people about MH and EWB during Coronavirus - Information for Children and Young people in this current pandemic - Looking after your mental health and emotional wellbeing: Click here for further information Due to the changes in the need from Hertfordshire's children's mental health services; information and links have been collated in one document for your reference 'Supporting chidren and young peoples mental health and well being during coronavirus for professionals': Click here to view document. Looking after your mental health and wellbeing during Coronavirus - Information for Children and Young People

  • Supporting Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during coronavirus for professionals -Please share the information for professionals document with all school staff.

  • Spot the signs new signposting guide this is a fully-funded programme offering training and workshops to children and young people (CYP), parents/carers and professional's working with CYP click here.

  • Coronavirus Bereavement - A guide to helping teenagers grieve and further advice in relation to the Coronavirus situation. This guide has been written to help teenagers manage the distressing and confusing reactions that happen when someone dies. Please share this with young people as appropriate. The information is also avialble on the Young People page on this website.

  • YoungMinds advice/resources for young people and parents/carers during the pandemic, including for those with eating disorders, OCD and anxiety.

  • A free downloadable book for children about coronavirus illustrated by Axel Sheffler (Gruffalo)

  • This website provides additional links and resources that are quality assured and provide supportive guidance about how to support children and young people’s emotional wellbing during Covid-19. It also had other sections with useful apps and videos: https://www.camhs-resources.co.uk/coronovirus

  • A booklet was shared with us as a creative way of supporting and reassuring children in relation to how they may be feeling about the Covid virus. This resource is mostly applicable to under 7's and the link provides a free access to the same booklet in a number of languages.

  • The Anna Freud Centre 'Schools in Mind' have worked closely with settings to help promote whole-school and college approaches to wellbeing. They are conscious that the Coronavirus is creating increased pressure and additional workload for school and college staff at an already busy time of the school year. Therefore, they have produced this document which they hope will give some guidance about how to maintain children’s wellbeing at a time of uncertainty. They have also developed three helpful videos: one for schools staff, one for parents and one for children and young people.

  • Centers for Disease Control and prevention provide some helpful messages on how to talk to children about Coronavirus: http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html

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Parents/ Carers Information

  • Educational Psychologists - You can have a discussion with your Contact Educational Psychologist or alternatively you can signpost parents/carers to the Educational Psychologist Contact line which runs every Wednesday from 2pm- 4.30pm on 01992 588 574 The Educational Psychology Service (ISL) have also expanded their 'quick queries' Contactline service across Hertfordshire. The Contact line is available Monday to Friday from 2:00pm to 4:30pm for all parents/caregivers, young people (aged 16 -25), school staff and professionals.

  • Families First Hertfordshire for services that work together to support families who need extra help. https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/families-first/families-first.aspx

  • Hertfordshire Wellbeing Service offers free, confidential talking therapy and practical support for people 16+ experiencing a wide range of common emotional difficulties such as, anxiety, worry, low mood, depression and stress. http://talkwellbeing.co.uk/

  • Co-SPACE team have put together a 1-page document, attached here, summarising some ideas on how parents/carers can support children and young people as they settle back into school and other forms of education. This document is based on the information reported by parents across the UK who have taken part in our Co-SPACE survey about how children are feeling about going back to school.

  • Free resources for teaching staff and families on boosting your child's wellbeing during the Covid-19 lockdown: The resources cover the following themes: Feelings, staying connected, dealing with change, getting along, dealing with worries and relaxing and are ready made to go and only take 10 minutes each: https://www.partnershipforchildren.org.uk/what-we-do/childrens-wellbeing-activities-for-teaching-staff-and-families.html#pack_4

  • Transition Back to School After Lockdown Workshop for parents of primary school children where there have been some worries about returning to school after lockdown. Provided by CWP team in SWLSTG Mental Health NHS Trust (South West London St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust). They are happy for this material to be used or adapted as needed with a request to acknowledge the source i.e. SWLSTG Mental Health NHS Trust.

  • Handling Anger in Your Family parenting course: Quality, evidence based course providing proven & practical strategies to reduce anger in your family. Funded by Hertfordshire County Council & free for parents living in Hertfordshire & caring for children from 5 years to 11 years.

  • Free 70 day lockdown wellbeing programme for families: https://www.zumos.co.uk/

  • Spot the signs new signposting guide this is a fully-funded programme offering training and workshops to children and young people (CYP), parents/carers and professional's working with CYP click here.

  • Coronavirus Bereavement - Helping a child when someone they care about has a serious coronavirus illness or has died: a guide for parents, carers and professionals - This guide has been created to help parents and carers support a child after the death of someone special to them. It includes information about bereavement after Coronavirus and how the restrictions in place because of it can affect bereaved children generally. It can also be used by professionals to help them know how they can support bereaved children and families they come into contact with. Many of the organisations linked here have advice for professionals too.

  • A free downloadable book for children about coronavirus illustrated by Axel Sheffler (Gruffalo)

  • Public Health Nursing also has two websites which provides excellent, age appropriate advice for children, young people and their families. These can be accessed here: Health for kids and Health for Teens

  • Public Health England Guidance for parents and carers on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak: Click here

  • Newly available Parent support online courses including:
    Talking Families: FREE 6 week course for parents and carers of children aged 0-12
    Talking Teens: FREE 6 week course for parents and carers of children aged 12-19
    Talking dads: Over 6 weekly sessions for fathers and male carers of children aged 0-19
    Understanding behaviour in your child with additional needs: A free 6 week course for parents and carers of children aged 2-19 years with a recognise with additional need.

  • The Anna Freud Centre 'Schools in Mind' have worked closely with settings to help promote whole-school and college approaches to wellbeing. They are conscious that the Coronavirus is creating increased pressure and additional workload for school and college staff at an already busy time of the school year. Therefore, they have produced this document which they hope will give some guidance about how to maintain children’s wellbeing at a time of uncertainty. They have also developed three helpful videos: one for schools staff, one for parents and one for children and young people.

  • Centers for Disease Control and prevention provide some helpful messages on how to talk to children about Coronavirus

  • https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters – Information from the NHS about looking after your mental health and emotional wellbeing during coronavirus including guidance, advice and tips on how to maintain your mental wellbeing if you need to stay at home: Every Mind Matters

SEND

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Further Training for school professionals

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Apps/Tools

  • Catch it: Uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help users learn how to manage feelings like anxiety and depression. Users can record and rate their mood, helping them to keep track of progress and identify triggers to their symptoms.

  • Stress & Anxiety companion: helps users handle stress and anxiety on-the-go. It provides tools like breathing exercises, relaxing music and games. Goals is to help users change negative thoughts to help them better cope with life's ups and downs.

  • Think Ninja - Great downloadable app for 10+ now with Coronavirus support content.

More apps available on the NHS Approved Apps website

Additional Resources

  • Bereavement resource for schools – Created by members of Herts EP service with contribution from colleagues across the system. This resource has a number of sections within it including support for staff, support for families and support for children and young people. It includes activities and information to support schools in planning for the anticipated need of psychological wellbeing during Covid-19.

  • Coronavirus Bereavement - a guide for adults - Helping you manage bereavement and grief during the COVID-19 outbreak. This guide has been created in response to the extraordinary events and circumstances that are happening in the UK and around the world because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) that are affecting howpeople grieve. It has been created to help support you if a loved one has died because of coronavirus, or they have died during the resulting lockdown because of other reasons that also affect the ways that you can mourn and grieve.

  • A document for support during isolation created and developed by members of Herts Educational Psychology service (ISL). It is a School planning document to support psychological wellbeing during Covid-19 and has 3 documents within it including information for school staff, guidance and resources for schools to share with parents and families and a directory of organisations offering wellbeing support, is here.

  • The Recorvery Curriculum is expained in more detail by Professor Carpenter (Oxford University Hospital NHT Trust) in this very informative yet simple youtube video

  • A recording of a webinar on bereavement and grief following Covid-19: responding to the challenges of COVID-19. You can view the recording here: RECORDING The webinar provides an overview of:
    - How everyone has a role to play in supporting grieving people
    - Models of grief that can help people understand their own reactions, and know how to support family and friends, and when to seek extra support
    - Examples of how local areas have developed pathways of support
    - How schools are preparing to support bereaved pupils as they return

  • Public Health COVID-19 Webinar for Young People: A recording of the LIVE Young Peoples Covid-19 webinar is now available to view via: https://www.justtalkherts.org/News/Youth-webinar.aspx. The webinar addressed questions that have been raised by young people. The webinar panel included Professor Jim McManus, Herts Director of Public Health; Councillor Tim Hutchings, Cabinet Member for Public Health; Simon Newland, Education Operations Director, Hertfordshire County Council; and Liz Shapland, Deputy Education Services Director, Herts for Learning.

  • DfE - Supporting pupil and student mental wellbeing recorded seminar. The Department for Education, in collaboration with NHS England and Public Health England, hosted this free webinar for school and college staff on 9 July on how to support returning pupils and students mental wellbeing. You will hear from experts on the impacts of the pandemic on children and young people's mental wellbeing and recovery techniques, and from education leaders about the actions they have been taking. Supporting pupil and student mental wellbeing - YouTube

  • DfE Rise Above for schools (free download): Helping you teach PSHE curriculum topics to Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4 pupils, with flexible lesson plans and ready-to-use PowerPoints co-created with teachers, and video content developed with 10 to 16-year-olds. Content includes: What to do about worry, Social media, Sleep, Delaing with change, Transition to secondary school, Puberty, Bullying and cyberbullying, Smoking. Online stress and FOMO, Alcohol, Exm stress, Body image in a digital world, Forming positive relationships: https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/schools/topics/rise-above/overview

  • Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Young People have published a Sharing Good Practice booklet which includes examples of good practice that schools have shared about how they’ve responded to the challenges of lockdown. The booklet also look at how this period of lockdown can help us think about whole-school approaches to mental health and include some suggestions about how to start this process. There are only 3 pages worth of content here, mainly straight-forward examples from schools with pictures. For the Hertfordshire local Whole School & Colleges Approaches information, please visit our Healthy Young Mind In Herts kitemark information page here (log in is required to view this page).

  • Hertfordshire Virtual School have provided really useful resources around virtual education ideas: https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/virtual-scho

  • The Anna Freud Centre have continued to develop and update their resources for supporting schools and families in response to the coronavirus: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/media/1960/coronavirus-mental-health-and-wellbeing-resources.pdf

  • Public Health England Guidance for the public on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of coronavirus (Covid-19): Click here

  • Public Health England PDF guide (an easy read guide) on Looking after your feelings and your body (coronavirus pdf): Click here

  • British Eating Disorders Society: You can sign up to BREDS (British Eating Disorders) Webspace which a wealth of useful information, support and guidance is being shared. The link to sign up to BREDS is breds.org.uk, where you can fill in a form to get login details for the site, which is found at http://breds.workplace.com/work/landing/input/ It looks a lot like Facebook, so it is very easy to navigate. The society has a dedicated East of England Clinical Network group, one of the many you can join.

  • Survivors of Bereavement: A national charity working towards meeting the needs and overcome the isolation experienced by people over 18 who have been bereaved by suicide. They have a National Helpline Monday to Friday: 0300 111 5065 9am – 9pm: https://uksobs.org/?doing_wp_cron=1585557831.5814399719238281250000

  • The Mental Health Foundation provides useful and sound infromation about how to look after your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak with responds to a range of issues including: how to look after your mental health if you are working from home, talking to your children about the coronavirus pandemic, random acts of kindness during the pandemic, resources for those living in difficult circumstances during the coronavirus outbreak among other useful information.

  • The Anna Freud Centre 'Schools in Mind' have worked closely with settings to help promote whole-school and college approaches to wellbeing. They are conscious that the Coronavirus is creating increased pressure and additional workload for school and college staff at an already busy time of the school year. Therefore, they have produced this document which they hope will give some guidance about how to maintain children’s wellbeing at a time of uncertainty. They have also developed three helpful videos: one for schools staff, one for parents and one for children and young people.

  • Mind website provides useful information about how to cope if people feel anxious about coronavirus, how to manage staying well at home if being asked to self-isolate and taking care of your mental health and wellbeing among other tips and advice: http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

  • Kooth have provided an indepth anaylsis into how Covid-19 is affecting the mental health of young people in the BAME community.

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Support Contacts

  • Hertfordshire CAMHS SPA 24/7 Helpline- 0800 6444 ​101

  • Safer Places: Today, Safer Places launched a new live chat service to support those experiencing, or at risk of abuse. The new service enables anyone experiencing abuse to chat directly with a member of the Safer Places team

  • Family Lives – Parenting and Family support Helpline 0808 800 2222

  • Hertfordshire County Council Children’s Services - 0300 123 4043

  • Samaritans - 116 123 For more information visit the Samaritans webpage here.

  • ChildLine - 0800 1111

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Mental health Week at St.Michael's

In February 2020, our children and staff enjoyed having their mental wellness as the focus for the week’s learning: workshops were delivered by mental health professionals in Key Stage 2, all children learned about how to promote their mental wellbeing in lessons, Reception to Year 6 enjoyed a yoga session and all children participated in the Fit4Kids workshops. Children learned healthy ways to manage stress and who they can talk to if they feel worried about something. Strategies like these are not only important for our children now but also as they grow and develop through their teenage years into adulthood.

Mental health week summary.doc