Mental Health & Parenting - Support and Advice
We think you will find the information and advice helpful, but please remember these are links to external websites and documents created by others. The Beacon is not responsible for their content.
There is further information on the Supporting My Child’s Learning page and Online Safety page.
Anxiety
Toolkit for Parents and Carers. Explanations and practical ideas which follow the same strategies we use for all children in school. From the Anna Freud Mentally Healthy Schools website.
What is Anxiety? is a resource for parents and carers to help them explain what anxiety is to their child.
Bullying.
TheAnti-Bullying Alliance website has a large selection of tools, information and ways parents and carers can support their child and work positively with school to resolve bullying.
‘Bullying: a parent’s guide. What is bullying, how can we identify it and work together to prevent it? This is a very helpful guide from the Scottish Government.
What to do if my child is bullying another child. Linked to the resource above, this guide from the Scottish Government gives advice and practical tips.
This resource can help parents and carers to find out more about what happened when their child feels bullied and tell us at school so we can work together to find a way to resolve the problem.
Depression in children. This guide is published by the Welsh Government and helps you spot the signs, gives advice and practical ways you can support your child.
Disability
The Scope website has a list of books and resources to support parents and carers talk about disability with their child.
Drugs and Alcohol
The Devon Children's Safeguarding Board has information and support including links to other sites.
Early Help
Early Help is an offer across Devon from all professionals working with and supporting families. We all recognise that there are times when all families need help, support and advice to find solutions to a difficulty they are facing. Early Help is a proactive, solution-focussed strategy that supports the family to move forward. It’s a way for professionals to support you - it’s certainly not a ‘done to’ but a ‘done with’ experience. There’s more information onDevon’s Early Help here. If you would like to find out more, just mention it to any member of staff.
Friendships and relationships
This website has a range of videos, ideas and resources to help parents support their child to develop and maintain positive relationships and learn the vital skills of conflict resolution.
Mental Health. This guide from the Anna Freud Mentally Healthy Schools website supports parents and carers to foster open relationships within their family where everyone can feel comfortable to talk about their mental health - which is going to help everyone’s mental health improve.
Mental health awareness in children.
February 2020 Mental Health awareness letter
NHS site - includes information about a range of areas of mental health and wellbeing
Pinpoint Devon Information about services and support locally.
Racism and Black Lives Matter. This guide offers support to parents and carers who may worry about how to open up conversations about racism with their children.
Solihull Parent Support
Solihull is one of those things that parents and carers who’ve done it wish they’d known about before! It’s a nationally recognised programme where parents and carers can learn from professionals about childhood development, and take the time to consider the changes they can take control of so that the stresses of family life and being a parent are reduced for you and for your child. We aim to run Solihul twice each year. Mrs Julie Garrett and Miss Leigh Pavey are both trained to lead this. Please do get in touch to find out more.
Special Educational Needs
See also ourSEND webpage
Devon's SEND and Local Offer - information about Special Educational Needs.
SEND transition support - moving class / moving school.
Starting School and Transitions.
This website has tips for parents of children in the lead up to and when they first start school.
Creative Education have a course parents and carers can sign up for about supporting your child when they're starting a new school.
This course is about ensuring a smooth transition in the year of COVID.
Here's a podcast aimed at supporting parents and carers whose child is moving from Year 6 to Year 7
12 Tips for a smooth Year 6 to 7 transition
Separation Anxiety. Explanations and practical ideas to help parents and carers to support their child and reduce separation anxiety. From the Anna Freud Mentally Healthy Schools website.
Sleep - Mind provide helpful advice to support your child to return to a positive sleep pattern.