Supporting you during the transition back to school
It is an extremely challenging time for schools right now and we know that the overriding concern is about how staff, parents and children will cope now schools are starting to re-open. Research released by Unicef UK highlighted that 80% of teachers said mental health is a key priority when schools reopen and 57% of parents say their child has had mental health challenges during lockdown.
With only one in five teachers believing they have adequate mental health services in school to meet expected needs of returning pupils (Unicef UK, May20), we just want to remind you that you are not alone and help is available. We have been working with a number of local service providers from all sectors, and have been able to adapt our programmes so that we can develop new support to help with the rise in mental health concerns.
Over the past couple of months we have seen how committed schools are to the wellbeing of their children and young people, families and colleagues, and your tireless efforts will have been of huge benefit to everyone involved. However, it is clear that the real challenges will be seen when schools re-open. We therefore just wanted to highlight some of the support we can provide, as well as some really useful resources we encourage you to look at.
Click on the headings for more information, contact us for a discussion about your needs, or simply for some advice.
We have a well-established and approved programme of clinical support delivered by fully qualified professionals. Now more than ever, a flexible approach to provision is needed, whether that is through online counselling, or by offering more support to staff and parents. Therefore, our day rate programme may be the perfect way of helping with your needs in a cost effective way. The attached leaflet gives more details about how it works.
In addition, we are offering ALL schools that access our day rate programme the ability to receive FREE additional resources and online sessions over the next academic year to support with key areas of need; including webinars for parents and staff, peer support sessions and twilight events. A consultation survey will be sent out to partner schools shortly.
Our day rate programme includes the option to have staff counselling and drop-ins, which are unsurprisingly a growing need during this period. In addition to this, we can provide formal supervision, consultancy and a NHS approved self-help app to help staff manage their mental health effectively.
Our new virtual training calendar has proved to be extremely popular with all open courses for the summer term sold out! For details of our 20/21 calendar and options for tailored courses to meet your needs, click here. We also have a special 15% promotion for any course booked for next year by the end of the summer term.
Support for Parents
Anxieties are of course high amongst parents and despite the plethora of online resources available, there is always going to be a need for localised and tailored services. The day rate programme can provide valuable support to parents, and many have welcomed having someone to talk to over the phone or online during this time. We also have a range of workshops, online Level 2 training, and FREE webinars are being developed for all partner schools over the coming months.
Other sources of support
· We have two national campaigns which provide useful resources, session plans, reports and videos – these are FREE to all schools,
· IAMWHOLE – Visit the IAMWHOLE website to read more about the anti-stigma campaign backed by celebrities such as Ed Sheeran.
· BeREAL – Look on the BeREAL website for more information about our body confidence campaign in partnership with Dove to raise awareness of body image issues.
· Creative Care Packages – Our work involves collaborating with other local charities (called Fullscope), and as a result of this some of our funding has been used to develop downloadable arts packages to support parents and children who are at home. We aim to work together on a number of projects, whilst supporting system change to improve the quality and effectiveness of provision for 0-25 year olds and their support networks. Watch out for more details in due course.
· Return to school resources – a toolkit to help with the transition back to the classroom, and another here.
· Young Minds – generic resources for school staff, parents and young people
· Schools in Mind – resources for schools, staff and parents
· Webinars for school staff – Cambridgeshire Local Authority’s SEND department have pulled together a series of short pre-recorded webinars for schools covering key topics as follows:
· Ways to ease transition (YouTube video)
· The PERMA model of resilience (YouTube video)
· Coping with loss and bereavement (YouTube video)
For more information about any of the other services we offer, visit our Mental Health Support for Schools page or contact the office on 01733 373187.