Wellbeing
Well-being and Mental Health at HHJS
Achieving for Children’s Mental Health Support Teams are delivering a series of webinars for parents of primary aged children. The ‘Helping Children with …’ series of webinars will cover a range of common difficulties experienced by children and will aim to share evidence-based strategies to help parents and carers support their children with these difficulties. See the attachment for further details and how to book.
RESOURCES:
Great website for advice around bullying and a directory of counsellors: https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/bullying-advice-parents.html
Mental health support services in Richmond and Kingston:
The children's mental health charity, Place2Be, has launched a new website aimed at helping parents with typical situations they can find themselves in with their children. Advice can be found on over 40 topics including:
The Parenting Smart website form Place2Be gives great advice on over 40 topics including: ● Understanding sibling rivalry ● My child is lying, what does it mean, what should I do? ● My child has trouble going to sleep ● My child says ‘I hate you!’ ● Cultural identity: who am I?
https://parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk
Please do not hesitate to contact the pastoral team if you are at all concerned about the wellbeing of your child via:
student@hamptonhill.richmond.sch.uk
We are working alongside the local Mental Health Support Team (MHST) to transform mental health provision for children and young people in schools by providing additional expertise, capacity and support to help us treat mild to moderate mental health issues and support mental health & wellbeing.
We promote good mental health to all our school community. We recognise that for children to be able to learn and achieve their potential, they need to feel happy and safe. We all get stressed and worried sometimes. Children do too, especially when changes happen which we have no control over, for example the Covid-19 Pandemic.
We promote children’s well-being by:
- Employing the services of Place2Be ; the children's charity promoting well-being and resilience in children. They have access to Place2Talk ; a self referral service where they have access to a trained child counsellor to help coach them through their issue/s.
- Having 6 Friendship Buddies in Years 3 and 4 whose role is to identify any children who may be struggling at playtime and then signpost to support or help. They promote what being a good friend is and what positive mental health is. They are actively involved in running our annual 'Friendship Day'.
- Having 6 Mental Health Champions in Years 5 & 6 whose role is to promote good mental health and identify strategies for the whole school.
- Celebrating individual acts of Kindness with our two Caring Cups that children nominate for and we celebrate weekly in assembly.
- Celebrating whole class kindness with our weekly Kindness Cup.
- Following a personal, social, health and emotional programme (PSHE) called Jigsaw, for each year group, and using the Zones of Regulation as a visual reminder of how to regulate our emotions.
- Having a Pastoral Mentor who children can talk to and who runs Emotional Literacy Support groups (ELSA) for children who need them.
- Having 3 Mental health first aiders who have been trained by Mental Health England.
- Promoting healthy eating, exercise and relaxation for mind and body well-being.
- Running regular Building Resilience programmes for those children who may be feeling unusually anxious with the MHST.
- Every February we support Place2Be’s #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek - raising awareness of the importance of children and young people’s mental health. Learn more: childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk
If you or your child are struggling with your emotions or mental health; talk to us as soon as possible. We may be able to reassure you and make some simple changes to help with worries and anxiety. Don’t forget you can email or call school to ask for help and guidance whenever you need it.
Please contact our Mental Health Lead, Mrs C Wrigglesworth, for further information.
Resources for parents:
Please see the links below developed for parents by the Emotional Health Service.
Session 1 - Introduction to child anxiety.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7440417/video/447176799
Session 2 - How child anxiety may develop and factors that keep it going.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7440417/video/447176775
Session 3 - Strategies to manage anxiety and build confidence in your anxious child.
https://vimeo.com/showcase/7440417/video/447176751
Mental health/support services in Richmond and Kingston:
CAMHS Richmond offers a range of advice and NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural and mental health problems – please speak to our SENCO.
SAMARITANS - www.samaritans.org
Samaritans are there to listen to you, without judgement, any time of the day or night – call 116 123
Young Minds - Parents helpline 0808 802 5544 (Monday to Friday 9:30am - 4:00pm) free from mobiles and landlines www.youngminds.org.uk
Young Minds is the UK's leading charity committed in improving emotional well-being and mental health of children and young people and empowering their parents and carers.
Further information
Other websites to support mental health and well-being:
Action for happiness - www.actionforhappiness.org
Action for happiness is a not for profit creating a movement of people committed to building a happier and more caring society, by helping people to take practical action drawing on the latest scientific research
Anna Freud Centre - 0207 794 2313 www.annafreud.org
A child's mental health charity providing specialised help and training and carrying out research
Childline - 0800 1111 www.childline.org.uk
Childline is a counselling service for parents, children and young people
Mind - 0300 123 3393 www.mind.org.uk
Mind is a national mental health charity which offers an excellent range of materials on all aspects of mental health
Anxiety UK - 0844 775774 www.anxietyuk.org.uk
Anxiety UK helps all those suffering with anxiety disorders
Winston's Wish - 08088 020021 www.winstonswish.org
Winston’s Wish was the UK’s first bereavement charity – supporting bereaved children since 1992 – and continue to lead the way in providing specialist child bereavement support services across the UK, including in-depth therapeutic help in individual, group and residential settings.
Please follow this link for a great article regarding understanding the adolescent brain.
