Mental Wellbeing
During these challenging times, it's never been more important to consider and care for our mental wellbeing. In this area of the website you will find useful links to resources and advice for parents and carers, to support with home learning. Please feedback to us if you have any ideas or suggestions on how this can be improved.
Parental Wellbeing
Please find attached a document that was created by the Bexley SEND Team. This is a document which signposts parents to support that you can get for your own parental wellbeing. It is easily accessible and split into topics with links. We felt that this could be helpful for all our parents to know the support that is out there and through this document that you are one click away from support.
Family Lockdown Guide
Wellbeing Action Plan
A booklet of resources to help assist you and your family's mental and emotional wellbeing
Parent Zone
Click here to read the article that prompted the need for this section of the website.
Parent zone provide support and information to parents, children and schools, working globally to help families to navigate the internet safely and confidently. Click the logo to go to their homepage.
NHS
The following link gives you access to a list of NHS approved apps, for mental health support for children to access while at home https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/category/mental-health/
A link if you are feeling anxious https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/anxiety/
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Whilst it is extremely important to follow Government advice to stay at home during this period, it can be confusing to know what to do when your child is unwell or injured. Remember that NHS 111, GPs and hospitals are still providing the same safe care that they have always done. Click here for some advice to help:
NSPCC
Here are some useful links to advice from the NSPCC;
MindUp
MindUp has a page where parents/carers can learn about MindUP, find activities for the whole family and mindful practices for themselves to do during this stressful period.
New activities on the free MindUP resources page!
Information and support for families can be found here: https://mindup.org/category/mindup-at-home/
Young Minds
The Young Minds website has things parents can do to help daily life feel as manageable as possible.
Click here for top tips and activity ideas to help set up a routine.
Anna Freud Centre
Here is a document published by the Anna Freud Centre which you might find useful Managing unexpected endings and transitions;
Sue Rogers and Peter Rogers
Here are stories to help young people explore emotions, thoughts and feelings that may have arisen in them as a result of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic
Teddy's Birthday is intended to stimulate conversation to help young children explore feelings and emotions.
Pim is finding ‘lockdown’ difficult and is angry because he misses school and his friends.
George is intended only to be used with children who have experienced family bereavement as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Suicide Awareness and Prevention
Samaritans
Samaritans answer a call for help every seven seconds. Samaritans is not only for the moment of crisis, they are taking action to prevent the crisis. They offer listening and support to people and communities in times of need.
You can contact the Samaritans via their website: http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us
You can call the Samaritans free any time, from any phone, on 116 123.
Details about the local Samaritans Bexley and Dartford branches can be found here:
http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/schools/step-step/
Childline
www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/
Call free on 0800 1111 The quickest way to get through to a counsellor. Talk to Childline from any phone free without needing credit or it showing on the phone bill.
Log in for a 1-2-1 counsellor chat:
http://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/1-2-1-counsellor-chat/
Talk to a counsellor in a safe online chat. While waiting for a counsellor to be available you can look at other things that might help like videos and games.
Papyrus
Papyrus offer support for young people or for anyone worried about a young person who may be thinking about suicide.
http://www.papyrus-uk.org/contact
Telephone: 0800 068 41 41
Text: 07860 039967
Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PAPYRUSUK
Instagram: http://www.facebook.com/PAPYRUSUK
Free Online Suicide Prevention Training
Thrive LDN have collaborated with the Zero Suicide Alliance to create a training programme to help people to be able to identify warning signs and to feel comfortable having conversations about suicide. The training is free and takes around 20 minutes to complete: http://thriveldn.co.uk/campaigns/zerosuicideldn/
The Mix
The Mix is the UK’s leading support service for young people. They help young people with a range of challenges they may be facing - from mental health to money, from homelessness to finding a job, from break-ups to drugs.http://www.themix.org.uk/about-
Essential support for under 25s. Freephone 0808 808 4994 11am - 11pm daily.
1-2-1 Chat Service 11am - 11pm daily on Website Email Service no Website.
NHS advice on stress, anxiety and depression
The NHS offers help for anyone feeling stressed, anxious or depressed, or who wants to improve their mental health and wellbeing: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression
There is separate information on where to get urgent help for mental health: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression
There are a number of resources relating to mindfulness here: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mindfulness/
Oxleas videos on suicide prevention
Oxleas NHS Trust have produced the following videos relating to suicide prevention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfWJt35i2Nk
Time to Change
Time to Change is a growing social movement working to change the way we all think and act about mental health problems. http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/
The Time to Change website offers resources for schools and workplaces as well as sharing individuals’ stories of their mental health problems.
Headscape Bexley
Headscape Bexley was developed by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust for young people who live in Bexley. The website includes information about a whole range of issues, behaviours and feelings and offers an online quiz to help young people identify the right support for them: http://headscapebexley.co.uk/
Healthwatch Bexley - Children and Young People's Emotional Wellbeing during Covid-19
Healthwatch Bexley is keen to ask young people aged 11-25 years about the impact that Covid-19 has had on their wellbeing with the aim of increasing awareness of support services that are available for young people. You can access the survey here: /www.healthwatchbexley.co.uk/news/2020-12-03/children-and-young-peoplesemotional-wellbeing-during-covid-19 wellbeing-during-covid-19
If you are looking for support services in Bexley, you can find out more in the new Healthwatch Bexley Young Peoples Signposting Directory: http://www.healthwatchbexley.co.uk/advice-and-information/2020-12-02/young-personssignposting-directory
Parents Guide to Black Lives Matter
Resources, Activities, and Tips for Families to empower children to work towards racial equality.
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Starline
StarLine is a national home learning helpline offering expert information and advice to parents and carers. Click the logo to go to their website.
The Skills Toolkit
Want to learn a new skill while at home?
Find free, high quality digital and numeracy courses in The Skills Toolkit.
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Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D
https://bexleysafeguardingpartnership.co.uk/ - Bexley Safeguarding Partnership (Shield)
COVID-19 resources – 21st January 2021
- Government guidance:
- National lockdown: stay at home, Cabinet Office / Department of Education, 04 - 05 January 2021
- Coronavirus: Advice to help young people during the pandemic, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 18 December 2020
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-a-christmas-bubble-with-friends-and-family/making-a-christmas-bubble-with-friends-and-family, Cabinet Office, 3 December 2020
- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-childcare-bubble-with-another-household, Department of Health and Social Care, 8 December 2020
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-parents-and-carers-of-children-attending-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak, Department for Education, Updated 27 November 2020
- General resources:
- How to Keep Your Child Happy in Lockdown, Twinkl, 15 November 2020
- TikTok adds tougher parental controls, BBC News, 17 November 2020
- What is cyberbullying? Supporting your child with a negative experience online, Net Aware, 11 November 2020
As part of some follow up activity for Priority 2 on parental mental health, we are launching Stories from the heart and mind: A collection of stories and key messages from parents with mental health difficulties. These stories have been collated to help publicise the Bexley Parentcare directory of services and to help parents understand they are not alone in what they might be experiencing and that ‘it is ok’ to ask for help.
We would also like to take this opportunity to re-publicise the Bexley Parentcare leaflet, designed to encourage parents who are feeling low in mood to access the directory of services which signposts parents to information on local services and resources that support the mental health and wellbeing of Bexley’s parents and carers. Despite COVID-19 many services are still running but may have moved their support online / via the telephone.
Some of the services included in the directory which we would like to highlight in particular are the following voluntary sector perinatal wellbeing support services:
- Cocoon Family Support offers free peer support groups and low-cost individual counselling for parents struggling with their mental health during pregnancy and early parenthood. They offer support to both mums and dads. Due to Covid-19 they have moved all their support online including their Bexley Perinatal Peer Support Group on a Monday 1-2pm. Further details of these and other services including training for professionals and peer support consultancy are available here.
- Mindful Mums and Being Dad are offering online support sessions for expectant / new mums & dads in Bexley, Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich. Due to Covid-19 these are currently being offered via Zoom. Mindful Mums is on Wednesdays 11.30am–12.15pm and Fridays 1-1.45pm. Being Dad is on Tuesdays 8pm-9pm. For further information including details of how to join in, please contact mindfulmums@blgmind.org.uk or beingdad@blgmind.org.uk.
We would also like to highlight:
- Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust Specialist Community Perinatal Mental Health Service for women in Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich. This service provides specialist assessment and intervention to women experiencing significant mental health difficulties in pregnancy and up to a year postnatal. Further information including how to refer can be found here.
The following resources have been put together by Bexley S.H.I.E.L.D; the latest COVID-19 resources they’ve been made aware of. For the full list of COVID-19 resources we have shared recently, please see here.
Mental health and emotional well-being:
- Mind in Bexley are still taking referrals and doing virtual appointments. The Crisis Care remains open and is seeing clients face-to-face. Details available here:- https://mindinbexley.org.uk/self-help-page
- What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
- Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
- Help children aged 2 to 4 to learn at home during coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Guidance for households with grandparents, parents and children living together where someone is at increased risk or has possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection
- Stay at home: what to do if you or someone you share your home with has coronavirus symptoms
- Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can't do until 4 July
- Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can't do after 4 July
- Beat the Heat, Coping with heat and COVID-19
Feeling calm and connected during COVID-19, Helping Families Team, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. The Helping Families Team have also set up social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. They are posting daily content aimed at helping parents to cope with family life and parenting during social distancing:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Centre-for-Parent-and-Child- Support-CPCS-100276281421476 - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
cpcs_official/?hl=e - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=eyvxPuqSG10
Samaritans Self-Help App Keep track of how you're feeling, and get recommendations for things you can do to help yourself cope, feel better and stay safe in a crisis
Domestic abuse services:
Free & confidential support for anyone in Bexley, Solace poster REMINDER
Domestic Abuse Services in Bexley – update March 2020 (includes links to local and national support services) REMINDER
https://www.bexleydomesticabuseservices.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Silent_solution_guide.pdf - A guide on how to make a silent 999 call - Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
If there are any resources you think would be useful to share across the partnership, please email shield@bexley.gov.uk.
Bereavement:
For Professionals:
- Coronavirus: contingency framework for education and childcare settings, Department for Education, 27 November 2020
- Protective measures for holiday or after-school clubs and other out-of-school settings for children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Department for Education, 27 November 2020
- Domestic abuse resources:
- Free & confidential support for anyone in Bexley, Solace poster
- Domestic Abuse Services in Bexley (includes links to local and national support services)
- Guide on how to make a silent 999 call, Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
- Mental health and emotional wellbeing:
- Helpful apps and websites for emotional wellbeing (shared by Children’s Social Care)
- Briefings and reports:
- Coronavirus: Youth custody, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, 18 November 2020
- Coronavirus: Separated Families and Contact with Children in Care FAQs, House of Commons Library, 24 November, 2020
Mind in Bexley
On 1 April 2020, the Mind in Bexley Wellbeing Line opened. The aim of the Wellbeing Line is to offer reassurance, support and advice to those struggling with their mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Wellbeing Line opens Monday to Friday 10am - 3pm Telephone: 0808 196 3896
In October 2020, Mind in Bexley published a report exploring the experiences of Wellbeing Line callers to establish if the call was considered helpful to them: http://www.healthwatchbexley.co.uk/report/2020-10-28/review-mind-bexley%E2%80%99swellbeing-line
MIND provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. There are more resources on their national website:
Life After Suicide Group
Life After Suicide (LAS) is a group of parents who lost their sons to suicide in Bexley and who came together with family and friends to raise awareness of this devastating problem: http://supportaftersuicide.org.uk/las/
Email enquiries: l.a.s.enquiries@hotmail.com
The Support After Suicide Partnership brings together suicide bereavement organisations and people with lived experience, to achieve a vision that everyone bereaved or affected by suicide is offered timely and appropriate support. Their website has been developed with the help of both individuals with experience of suicide and professional bereavement organisations so you can explore practical information and find emotional support if you have been impacted by suicide: http://supportaftersuicide.org.uk/
National Suicide Prevention Alliance
National Suicide Prevention Alliance are an alliance of public, private, voluntary and community organisations in England who care about suicide prevention and are willing to take action to reduce suicide and support those affected by suicide. They host a range of resources to help anyone working or interested in this field: http://www.nspa.org.uk
National Suicide Prevention Alliance along with Public Health England have put together the following leaflet: Help is at hand:http://Help is at hand: support after someone may have died by suicide
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