Parent Guidance - Supporting a child with Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties.
This part of the website will provide some guidance of how to support your children, who have specific difficulties with social, emotional and mental health.
This broad area of need is outlined in the SEND Code of Practice:
Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.
Please refer to the Send Code of Practice here - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf
If you are worried about your child's mental health. Visit PAUSE.
Each week Pause drop-in dates, times and locations will be posted on the website. This support is exactly the same as the booked session, just much quicker to access and at a time that suits you.
What can I do at home?
- Find time to talk, just the two of you – ‘Check in’ with them while you’re doing things together, so they get used to talking about their feelings.
- Play together – Play helps them to be curious, learn new things, solve problems and express feelings without words.
- Be a role model – Show how you cope with difficult feelings and look after yourself.
Your online mental
well-being community
Kooth is here to support young people, from the age of 11. These are very trying and difficult times and there are many young people who need a bit of extra support.
Kooth has a whole community of peer to peer support, self help materials and counsellors on hand to chat.
The magazine is populated with lots of great content, such as:
- Creative writing challenge
- Wellbeing quiz
- Science of Anxiety stress, anger and sleep
- Let’s talk about ADHD
- Body dysmorphia in males
- How to stay hopeful
Just to name a few!
Along with podcasts on New year, new goals and Self expression.
Below are some PDFs with useful information!
Kooth Frequently Asked Questions – A quick introduction for children and young people
Kooth Frequently Asked Questions – A quick introduction for professionals
Kooth Live Forum Topic Calendar
Website link - https://www.kooth.com/
Feel free to watch this short video, which will explain how Kooth could support your child or young person.
A short introduction to Kooth
YoungMinds is the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health.
We want to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, and all young people get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.
For further information please follow the link below.
Just as your body can become unwell, your mind can become unwell too. And just like with physical illnesses, treatment and support is available. Use our guides to find out more about different mental health conditions, how to cope with your feelings and what support is available to you.
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/mental-health-conditions/
Our national Helpline exists to encourage and empower people to get help quickly, because we know the sooner someone starts treatment, the greater their chance of recovery. People can contact us online or by phone 365 days a year. We listen to them, help them to understand the illness, and support them to take positive steps towards recovery.
Useful Apps...
- Dragon in the attic - for 7-12 year olds
- For Me - created by childline
- Headspace - for meditation
- Smiling Mind - for meditation
- Mindshift - for anxiety
- Calm Harm - for self harm
Get support
If you're concerned about a child or young person's mental health, you can get free, confidential advice via phone, email or webchat from the Young Minds Parents Helpline.
Action for Children has lots of tips to help you spot signs of mental health issues in children and advice on the action you can take to help.
Barnardo's has also set up the See, Hear, Respond support hub – a dedicated service to help children, young people and their families or carers with problems caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Experiencing the loss of a friend or loved one can be extremely difficult. The Childhood Bereavement Network has information and links to national and local organisations you or the child you look after might find helpful.
Any professional that works with children and young people should be able to help you get support. You could talk to a teacher, school nurse, social worker or GP.
You can find more information about NHS children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS) on the NHS website. You can also look at your local Clinical Commissioning Group website, and most services also have their own website with information about access, referrals (including whether you can "self-refer") and contact details – try searching in your area for "CYPMHS" or "CAMHS" (children and adolescent mental health services, an older term used for some CYPMHS).
If you are worried about a child or young person who has or may have an eating disorder, check if your local Children and Young People's Community Eating Disorder Team accepts self-referrals and contact them as soon as possible. You can also speak to your GP. Beat has lots more useful advice for children, young people and adults.
If you look after a child that has additional needs, Mencap, the Mental Health Foundation and the National Autistic Society all have excellent resources and support for parents or carers of children with learning disabilities or autism.
Do not hesitate to get urgent support if you think either you or your child needs it.