Mental Health and Wellbeing | smithills-school

MENTAL HEALTH

"Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community." (World Health Organisation)

We take the mental health and wellbeing of our Smithills family very seriously. Our role is to:

Create an environment that supports learning, promoting the health and wellbeing of members of the Smithills family
Ensure that we all feel safe and supported, and build resilience to life’s challenges.
Build relationships with our pupils that allows them to trust and talk openly with adults about their problems

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS POSTER - Click HERE

Smithills School Happy Café

PATHWAY OF SUPPORT

Graduated strategies that we use to support the mental health and wellbeing of our students strategies that we use -

MENTAL HEALTH CHAMPIONS

ASSISTANT VICE PRINCIPAL, SENCO - MRS MORRIS

Email - s.morris@smithillsschool.net

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR - MRS HASTIE

Email - n.hastie@smithillsschool.net

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING - MRS WORSLEY

Email - k.worsley@smithillsschool.net

KS3 INTERVENTION MANAGER - MISS MALIK

Email - a.malik@smithillsschool.net

LITERACY CO-ORDINATOR - MRS MAKINSON

Email - s.makinson@smithillsschool.net

MENTAL HEALTH LEAD - MISS ANGUS

Email - c.angus@smithillsschool.net

SAFEGUARDING OFFICER - MRS GASTALL

Email - s.gastall@smithillsschool.net

SAFEGUARDING OFFICER - MISS WIGNALL

Email - l.wignall@smithillsschool.net

INCLUSION & ENGAGEMENT MANAGER - MRS BAILEY

Email - e.bailey@smithillsschool.net

HOME SCHOOL LIAISON OFFICER - MISS TONGE

Email d.tonge@smithillsschool.net

KEY STAGE 3 OFFICE MANAGER - MRS NASH

Email j.nash1@smithillsschool.net

HELP AND SUPPORT

PUPIL SUPPORT

Good luck to every one of our students who are sitting exams this year!

We know this can be a stressful time for students (and their families). Youth mental health organisation Place2Be have created some useful resources to help manage stress in the lead up to, and during exams.

Click HERE for student support.

Childline

0800 1111
childline.org.uk
Support for children and young people in the UK, including a free 24-hour helpline.

YoungMinds

85258 (crisis messenger service, text YM)
youngminds.org.uk
Provides information and support around mental health, and a crisis text messenger service for urgent help.

Kooth

kooth.com
Information on mental health and wellbeing, community message boards and confidential live chat.

Samaritans

116 123 (helpline)
samaritans.org
24-hour emotional support for anyone who needs to talk.

The Mix

0808 808 4994 (helpline)
85258 (crisis messenger service, text THEMIX)
themix.org.uk
Support and advice for under 25s, including a helpline, crisis messenger service and webchat.

Meic

080880 23456 (helpline)
84001 (text)
meiccymru.org
Information, advice and advice helpline for children and young people.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, or like you want to hurt yourself:

Papyrus HOPELINEUK

0800 068 4141 (helpline)
07860039967 (text)
papyrus-uk.org/hopelineuk
Provides confidential support if you, or someone you know, is thinking about suicide.

If you feel like you may attempt suicide, or you have seriously hurt yourself, it’s an emergency. You or a trusted adult should call 999 and ask for an ambulance, even during the coronavirus outbreak.

For any specific concerns:

Relationships:

Relate

0300 003 0396 (helpline)
relate.org.uk
Provides help and support with relationships, including telephone counselling and anonymous live chat.

Eating Disorders:

Beat

0808 801 0711 (youthline)
beateatingdisorders.co.uk
Under 18s helpline, webchat and online support groups for people with eating problems, such as anorexia and bulimia.

If you are in care or leaving care:

Become

0800 023 2033 (helpline)
becomecharity.org.uk
Information and support for young people in care, and young care leavers.

Advice on drugs:

Frank

0300 123 6600 (helpline)
talktofrank.com
Honest information about drugs, and a confidential helpline.

For if you have lost a loved one:

Hope Again

0808 808 1677 (helpline)
hopeagain.org.uk
Support for young people who have lost a loved one.

For if you or someone you know is experiencing abuse:

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

0800 1111 (helpline)
nspcc.org.uk

Support for children experiencing abuse.

Refuge

0808 2000 247 (helpline)
refuge.org.uk
Support, information and advocacy for young people experiencing violence and abuse.

Homelessness:

Shelter

shelter.org.uk/youngpeople
Information and advice for homeless young people.

LGBTQ+:

Young Stonewall

08000 50 20 20 (helpline)
youngstonewall.org.uk
Information and support for all young lesbian, gay, bi and trans people.

CCO Children's Guide to Coronavirus

Click Here

Bolton Educational Psychology Service

Newsletter 24/04/2020 - Click Here

Mental Health Resources

If you are concerned about the mental health or wellbeing of your child please feel free to contact the school, we have an excellent Pastoral team that can assist you.

“This is a truly inclusive school where every pupil is valued. The school provides excellent pastoral support for its most vulnerable pupils. Leaders have created a culture in which all are given the chance to be successful.” Ofsted June 2018

PARENT SUPPORT

CLICK HERE for a guide to services in Bolton to support your young person.

How to support your child if they tell you they’re struggling…

Young Minds have produced some helpful tips on how to respond:

Validate their feelings. You could say ‘it’s really understandable that you’re feeling…’ to let them know that their feelings are okay.

Thank them for sharing what’s going on and be encouraging about the way they’ve opened up.

Let them know that you love them, you’re there for them, they can talk to you whenever they need to, and you can help them get support if they need it.

Ask them if there’s anything you could do that they would find particularly helpful.

Spend time together thinking about what’s making them feel this way. It could be something at home or school, a relationship with a friend or family member or something else.

Let your child know about the services that are available to help them. Young people can find it difficult to talk, and worry about upsetting their parents/carers – so reassure them that it’s okay to open up to other people. You can find some examples of services in our ‘Mental Health Support – for children and young people in Bolton’ on www.bekindtomymind.co.uk

Remind your child that this feeling is temporary. Reassure them that things can change and they can feel better.

Avoid conversations at the height of distress. It’s important to be here for them, but it can be more helpful to talk about the causes when things are feeling calmer.

Get Appy

Useful apps to support teenage mental health:

Click HERE for parent/carer support.

Below are some useful websites that offer help and guidance to parents of youngsters who may have mental health needs:

www.cwmt.org– The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust charity helps equip young people to look after their mental wellbeing. It has been set up to help people to recognise the signs of depression in themselves and others, so they know when to seek help.

www.sane.org.uk– SANE is committed to raising public awareness and research. SANE offers emotional support and information to anyone effected by mental health problems through its helpline and online Support Forum. It has a national out-of-hours helpline (Saneline 0300 304 7000, 4:30pm to 10:30pm daily)

www.minded.org.uk– MindEd is suitable for all adults working with, or caring for children or teenagers. All the information is quality assured by experts, and is useful to understand. It aims to give adults: the knowledge to support wellbeing in youngsters; the understanding to identify a child at risk; the confidence to support and signposts to services that can help

www.youngminds.org.uk– YoungMinds is a leading charity fighting for young people’s mental health. The YoungMinds library is full of useful toolkits, publications and reports about young people’s mental health. There is also a YoungMinds parent helpline (0808 802 5544) which offers free confidential online and phone support

www.anxietyuk.org.uk– Anxiety UK helps all those suffering with anxiety disorders. It has an information line number (08444 775 774) where you can talk to someone in complete confidence between 9:30am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday

www.selfharm.co.uk– SelfharmUK is a project dedicated to supporting young people impacted by self-harm, providing a safe space to talk, ask questions and be honest about what’s going on in life. The site helps with facts, myths, staying safe and has useful links to sites for additional support

www.anorexiabulimiacare.org.uk– ABC is a national UK eating disorders organisation. It provides ongoing care, emotional support and practical guidance for anyone affected by eating disorders. Telephone helplines are open from 9:30am to 5:30pm Monday-Friday

www.youthhelthtalk.org– This site has helpful video clips of people in the same situation sharing their mental health experiences, advice and support. There is a section on young people talking about their experiences of depression and eating disorders

www.thecalmzone.net– CALM (Campaign Against Men Living Miserably) is a charity targeted at young men aged 15-35. It has a helpline (0800 585858) and a website set up to support young men in response to high suicide rates amongst this group.

www.childline.org.uk– Childline is a 24-hour online phone helpline (0800 1111) offering free and confidential advice and counselling services for parents, children and young people.