Children and young people have experienced a lot of change in their lives this year, so we’ve created a What to do about worry resource to help you support your Year 6 pupils.

This NHS approved resource aims to help young people who may be feeling worried to understand how to manage these feelings. Since it’s World Mental Health Day on 10^th October, now is the perfect time to discuss these topics with your class.

One activity asks young people to write their worries on paper, scrunch them up tight, and learn the simple actions they can take to deal with their feelings, helping them to ‘un-scrunch’ their worries.

Download this free resource to share with pupils, or encourage parents and carers to explore our Top Tips page to learn how they can support their child’s wellbeing as they settle back into the school term.

Download Resources

Saturday 10^th October was World Mental Health Day.

How can we build more resilient societies? And how can you boost your resilience? Leading resilience expert Dr Lucy Hone shares some tools.

  ‘Three invaluable tools to boost your resilience’

Children’s Mental Health Week 1st – 7th February 2021

From 1st – 7th February 2021, school will be taking part in Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week.

This year’s theme is Express Yourself. Place2Be has created activities and resources to help children (and adults) to explore the different ways that they can share their thoughts, feelings and ideas.

Our Home Learning and Key Worker lessons will include activities promoting well being and there are lots of resources on the Place2Be website that you can use with your child at home too.

On Friday 5th February, we would like to invite all children, at home and in school, to ‘Dress to Express’.

This could be through favourite colours, hairstyles, favourite sports kits, fancy dress, party clothes…whatever your child wants to wear as an expression of themselves. Be as creative as you like and do share in with our online sessions so that we can celebrate each and every one of you.

A link for a brief video clip about our themed week can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8d-Ae1XTf0

The Place2Be website can be found here: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/

A message from Place2Be’s patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, is also found here: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/news/the-duchess-of-cambridge-sends-message-to-mark-children-s-mental-health-week/

If you have any questions about how you can support your child’s wellbeing, please do get in touch and we can signpost you to support that is available for primary aged pupils.

If you have any questions about the activities that your children will be taking part in, please contact your child’s teacher.

Ready Steady Worcestershire provides information about food, activities and support available to families during the school holidays.

We recognise some families find it difficult to feed their children during the school holidays. By clicking the interactive map link, you can find organisations in your local area that can provide families with either food items to cook a meal at home or prepared meals for children during the school holiday period.

We also recognise that when children do not have the structure and routine provided by being in school, keeping children active and entertained can prove difficult.

The interactive map shows activities taking place in local communities during the school holidays. The webpage also contains lots of activity ideas which can be done at home, particularly useful if the family is self-isolating.

School holidays can be a demanding time for parents financially, as well as in terms of managing household stress, relationships and mental wellbeing. Included on the website there are lots of help, ideas and support available for families to make the most of the extra time together and to ensure children are ready to go back to school.

For more information visit: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/readysteadyworcs

Young Minds have produced a ‘when emotions explode’ poster.

The poster aims to help parents/carers when their child has angry feelings or outbursts.

Please visit the Young Minds website below for further details and support.

Young Minds Website

We are always here for all of our children, parents and carers. We are here to listen and help in anyway we can.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD’S FEELINGS is a brand NEW ‘taster’ course from the Solihull Approach. It is an opportunity to try out a shorter online course. This is to support the Mental Health of parents and the Mental Health and well-being of children and young people.

These courses are making a difference all over the country.

https://www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/parenting-courses – this is the link to the Starting Well website and the Free access code is PARENTSROCK

Samantha Bower
Community Health Connector
Starting Well Barnardo’s 0-19 Wyre Forest
Brookside Family Hub

Herefordshire and Worcestershire’s Mental Health Campaign ‘Now We’re Talking’ is encouraging the local community to get arty to help improve their wellbeing.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust is the counties main provider of mental health services.

It runs the Now We’re Talking campaign which aims to raise awareness of Healthy Minds, a service which you can contact yourself if you are struggling with difficulties such as stress, anxiety, low mood or depression, it also aims to reduce the stigma that sadly still surrounds mental health.

Bringing together art, exercise and mental health for Mental Health Awareness Week in May, ‘Now We’re Talking with Art’ aims to highlight ways to maintain wellbeing, self-help and signpost to additional support if it’s needed.

The Trust is teaming up with Worcester City Council and a host of local partners and businesses to encourage residents to get arty to support their mental health and wellbeing, with easily accessible art based mental health resources, including mindfulness colouring sheets, live art classes and an Art trail around the City centre.

Local artists will fill the city with colour and promote a positive outlook on mental health, using the national theme of Mental Health Awareness Week ‘Nature and the environment’ the installations of fine art, photography, craft, murals and more, in windows and outdoor spaces the Art trail accompanied by an all-important map will provide information on where to get support for your mental health.

BUT, this is where you can get involved! Have a go at our mindfulness colouring sheets and send them in to us for a chance to have it displayed in the outdoor art trails being held across the county!

The trail aims to provide a colourful, inspiring and safe journey around the city, free of charge to promote a healthier, well connected and more resilient community.

To find out more about the trail visit www.healthyminds.whct.nhs.uk/nowweretalking or you can follow the campaign on Twitter @NowWereTalking and on Facebook @NowWereTalkingHW

The upcoming Live Forums on Kooth for young people to access during April are as follows:-

Monday 5th April – Tackling Loneliness Together

Friday 16th April – Paw-sitive Powers of Pets

Wednesday 21st April – Our Planet: Celebrating Earth Day

Monday 26th April – Looking After Our Communities

For further information, please visit Kooth.com

Please find attached our Christmas Wellbeing newsletter, linked to the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’. It is full of great ideas and activities to undertake during the festive break.

This is also available on the school website 

https://hartlebury.worcs.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/WF-Wellbeing-Christmas-Newsletter-2021.pdf

Many thanks,

Alex

Partnership Development Manager/School Games Organiser Wyre Forest School Sport Partnership