Mental Health and Wellbeing
Welcome to our page for mental health and wellbeing, we hope you find this page a useful guide and tool to support both you and your child in maintaining your mental health and wellbeing.
We all have mental health, which is about our feelings, our thinking, our emotions and our moods. Emotional wellbeing is about our ability to understand, control and express our emotions in a healthy way.
Looking after our mental health is important: the NHS states that evidence suggests there are five steps we can take to improve our mental health and wellbeing.
1. Connect with other people: good relationships are important. Talk, listen, make the most of technology to stay in touch with family and friends, send someone a letter/email, eat a meal together, switch off your gadgets.
2. Be active: this is great for your mental health as well as your physical health and fitness.
3. Keep learning: research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental health and wellbeing. Try something new, work on a project or read a book.
4. Give to others: thoughtful acts can help improve both yours and the recipient’s mental health and wellbeing. Say thank you, ask someone how they are, offer to help, pay someone a compliment, do something nice for someone, or simply smile.
5. Take notice: by paying attention to your feelings, noticing the world around you, stopping and listening, being mindful, you can improve your mental health and wellbeing.
Urgent Mental Health Support for children, young people and families - 24/7 crisis lines - may be found here.
Resources to support children in times of crisis and uncertainty
Barnardo's have set up a free Ukrainian Support Helpline to provide a holistic support service, which includes therapy, advice and practical support for anyone fleeing the Ukrainian conflict. Free helpline 0800 148 8586.
Widget has produced a translated Refugee Support Pack that contains a range of translated and symbol-supported communication charts and other useful resources that can be used by anyone of any age to help refugees convey information, health and urgent needs and requirements.
NHS Primary Parent Guide to supporting children in times of conflict and uncertainty.
NHS Teen Parent Guide to supporting children in times of conflict and uncertainty.
NHS Pupil Guide this guide is specifically aimed at helping teenagers cope with worry and fear in times of conflict and uncertainty.
Mental Health Foundation: Taking to your children about scary world news.
Newsround: Advice if you're upset about the news.
Save the Children: How to talk about conflict.
Resources for parents/carers
Tips for talking to children about Mental Health can be found here.
Place2B has launched a new site called Parenting Smart that offers practical tips to support children's wellbeing and manage behaviour.
Heads Together, a mental health initiative.
NHS Every Mind Matters: answer five quick questions to receive a free Mind Map.
With featured advice and resources from The Children's Society, an expert's guide for parents is available here to help children understand, cope and become strengthened by their experiences of anxiety at a young age. The aim of the information is to equip parents across the world with a significant bank of knowledge to ease panic and educate their children about the science of the mind.
Mental health and counselling support for young people - you can contact South West London's mental health support line out of hours on 0203 228 5980 between Monday-Fridays, 5pm-10pm and on weekends from 9am-10pm. At all other times, please contact the Oxleas Urgent Advice line on 0800 330 8590.
Additionally, you may contact the Support Line, run by South West London St. George’s Mental Health Trust – you can call this local 24/7 Mental Health Support line on 0800 028 8000. It offers emotional support and advice to people living in Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth who are affected by urgent mental health issues. The line is open to all ages, adults and professionals.
The Department for Education has created a Mental Health hub with some useful links and sources of mental health support for children, students, parents, carers and staff which may be found here.
Covid-19 specific resources
Helping children cope with stress during the 2019-nCoV outbreak (a WHO publication).
Save the Children has lots of useful resources, in a variety of languages, about how to talk to children about the Coronavirus, which can be found here.
Young Minds have produced a leaflet about supporting children during the coronavirus pandemic.
BBC Bitesize has lots of resources, including support on how to cope in these different times.
Links to picture books/booklets that explain Covid-19
Coronavirus: A Book for Children, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Stay Home by Sally Nicholls
Additional links, including anxiety resources
Children's Mental Health Week resources (2021) - Tips for Parents and Carers; WWF Growth Project; The Art Room at Home Calm Project; The Art Room at Home Colours
Mental Health Week resources (2021) - Nature Guide for Parents and Caregivers; Nature Guide for Pupils
NewsWise for families – activities, links, tips and advice to help families learn more about the news together
NHS advice for parents on how to support children who are anxious.
Feelings Tracker, from Anna Freud
Anxiety Thermometer, from Anna Freud
Anxiety Tools for Parents, from Anna Freud
Separation Anxiety Tools for Parents, from Anna Freud
Counselling Services
Off the Record for 11-25 year olds has both online and telephone counselling available, and self-help materials
Kooth online counselling available to young people over the age of 11 years. Click on this link to watch a short film that explains how the service can help. You can also find a guide on how to sign up to Kooth here.
Wellbeing activities for adults and children
NHS fitness studio exercise videos for adults
You can find workouts, yoga, pilates and many other activities on imoves
Nuffield Health has created a free wellbeing journal
Johanna Basford and superhero mindful colouring activities may be found here
Resources for children and young people
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| Bereavement & Loss |
Changing Bodies |
Basic First Aid |
Healthy Lifestyle |
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| Mental Wellbeing | Understanding Anxiety | Food Hygiene & Safety | Digital Resilience |
Anti-bullying links
As part of our on-going commitment to supporting children and parents who have experience of bullying of any type, the links below are useful sources of information. If you require any further advice or wish to discuss any issues further, please speak to your child's class teacher.
The Anti-Bullying Network provides free anti-bullying support to school communities. It has the following objectives:to support anti-bullying work in schools; to provide a free website; and to offer an anti-bullying service which will include the provision of training, publications and consultancy services.
Interactive anti-bullying information tool for parents and carers
Advice on all aspects of family life that include all stages of a child’s development, issues with schools and parenting/ relationship support. The site also provides support around family breakdown, aggression in the home, bullying, teenage risky behaviour and mental health concerns of both parents and their children.
Offers help with bullying
Other helpful links
The varied set of links below might be a helpful first step for those families who have questions or need some advice.
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Helpline: 0808 802 0925 |
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Child bereavement links
Here, you will find a list of books that can be used to help support children in their grief
Self-harming links
Information about how to help a child who's self-harming may be found here