Emotional Wellbeing
Children’s wellbeing is closely bound to their parents’ wellbeing.
Children (and adults) feel most secure when their lives have established routines. These help families function more effectively, not only because things like mealtimes and getting to school are more organised, but because children are happier and more secure knowing what is expected of them.
Parents can struggle for a variety of reasons, like their living situation, the circumstances of a child's birth or their own physical or mental health. This can happen with new parents and with those who have had children before. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and it isn't the mark of a bad parent, however it is important to get help.
How to support family life
- Share worries and seek out support from friends and family
- Live a healthy lifestyle by eating well, exercising, having fun and getting enough sleep
- Stay well informed by finding out more about topics that concern you and your child
- Spend quality time together and planned shared experiences, such as family mealtimes
- Turn off technology and talk to each other about your day
- Never stop talking and listening to your child through good times and bad.
Useful websites for parents and carers
- http://www.youngminds.org.uk/for_parents Young Minds website for parents which has a wealth of resources regarding all aspects of mental health and has a parent’s helpline for more support.
- http://minded.e-lfh.org.uk/families/ MindEd website for families with wellbeing concerns. Has links to many other useful websites.
- http://www.youngminds.org.uk/assets/0002/6726/No_Harm_Done_Parents_Pack.pdf A leaflet from No Harm Done to support parents in dealing with self-harm.
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service website http://www.camhsandme.org
You can find out more about how to help you child in the primary and secondary school pages of this site.
If you have concerns you can contact your child’s form tutor. There are also people at your local GP surgery who can listen to any worries you might have about your child.
This information has been provided by the School Health Service, Young Minds and CNWL’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service at http://www.camhsandme.org