Place2Be launched the first ever Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015 to support children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. Now in its 6th year, they hope to encourage more people than ever to get involved and spread the word.
The theme for this year is Find Your Brave. Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes and is different for everyone. Bravery can be about sharing worries and asking for help, trying something new or pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. Finding Your Brave can build your confidence, self-esteem and make you feel good about yourself. Place2be have produced a range of resources for:
LGfL are continuing our ambition to embed inclusion and wellbeing in everything we do. This year, our Annual Curriculum Conference has an inclusion and wellbeing strand running through it including workshops from schools who will share their excellent work on supporting mental health and wellbeing in their settings. Free tickets are available for staff from LGfL schools.
Wellbeing Connected – Promoting Mental Health and Well Being support in Primary Schools. This open access resource has been designed to bring the key information in both video and text format with a quick and accessible interface for schools.
A parent of a child under 18 dies every 22 minutes in the UK; this equates to around 111 children being bereaved of a parent every day. 1 in 29 children aged 5-16 have been bereaved of a parent or sibling, which on average is a child in every class. Schools have an opportunity to support children and young people in their grief, however, many teachers say they lack confidence in how to do this.
In response to the research, Child Bereavement UK has developed a learning resource for schools: Supporting a Bereaved Pupil , in partnership with the London Grid for Learning. This comprehensive, free-to-access resource is aimed at empowering teachers and education professionals to support bereaved pupils and has been developed for staff in schools, to help develop their understanding, skills and confidence to support pupils and their families when they experience a bereavement.
Healthy Minds was
Healthy Minds was produced in partnership with the leading mental health charity for young people – Young Minds. They feature a range of teacher led activities involving group work promoting self reflection and video content with supporting activities. The main activities are designed for use with learners in upper KS2, KS3 and KS4, with some resources designed for staff and/or for parents.
Young Minds also have a range of resources to support schools. Their 360° schools programme helps you to put wellbeing at the heart of your schools’ improvement. By joining their YoungMinds 365° Schools’ Community, you’ll receive free tips, advice and handy resources straight to your inbox.
Audio Network has 60,000 audio files which can be used within the classroom as a calming down tool, to uplift or to inspire. Audio files can be searched either by topic of theme.
Look, Think, Do contains a range of editable social stories that can be used within the class, with groups or individual students .These resources facilitate social development by using reduced language, visual support and images, structure and small steps, a positive focus, and, when appropriate, choice. The photo-based, visual resource is divided into four key sections: Learning to Play; Learning to Say; Learning to Change and Learning to Help Myself. Editable storyboards bring difficult situations to life in a non-threatening manner and enable pupils to discuss solutions and strategies, and alternative and ideal endings.
The Islington Mental Health and Resilience in Schools resource (iMAHRS) sets out the components of school practice and ethos that effectively develop resilience, promote positive mental health and support children at risk of, or experiencing, mental health problems. You can view the framework here.
Mind Moose is another excellent resource that can be used within schools. It is a fun, digital platform that teaches children how to keep their minds healthy. Children go on a journey of discovery with Mind Moose and his friends as they learn how to look after their minds, keep their brains healthy, deal with emotions, develop resilience and flourish. The fun, interactive animations and activities are underpinned by theory and tools from the field of positive psychology and beyond.
Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families has a range of resources for schools, including some fantastic booklets that look at supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools. The website also features a fantastic talking mental health animation (see below) along with a teacher toolkit to help begin conversations about mental health in the classroom and beyond.
Mentally Healthy Schools is a free and easy to website where schools can find a range of expert and practical information and resources to help all staff understand, promote and deal confidently with children’s mental health issues. It includes jargon-free information on what can undermine and what can help emotional wellbeing; tips and strategies to help; and specific advice on vulnerable groups.
Charlie Waller Memorial Trust is a charity that hosts a free mental health book club for school mental health leads. Schools can opt in to receive a book and accompanying resources once a term. These aim to enhance the skills, confidence and knowledge of those who work with children and young people, by providing them with resources they can use to promote positive mental health. The trust has also produced two excellent lists of book recommendations for both a Primary and Secondary Wellbeing library as well as a model policy for schools to use.
They have also produced a series of webinars that staff can use. The sessions cover a wide variety of topics and offer plenty of practical advice and signpost recommended resources.
If you are taking part in Children’s Mental Health week, we would love to hear from you on our twitter or Facebook pages #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek