Embedding an evidence-based, holistic, whole school or college approach helps children and young people achieve good emotional health, resilience and wellbeing – helping pupils, parents and colleagues working in schools to thrive.
Good emotional health and wellbeing provides life-long health, work and relationships benefits, helping children and young people:
- develop
- attend school
- socially integrate
- engage in learning and improve their performance
- fulfil their potential.
Schools and colleges contribute to wellbeing by providing:
- a safe, calm and supportive learning environment
- early targeted support for pupils and learners who need help.
Find out how you can get to develop a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing at Gov.uk.
Apply for a grant to train a senior mental health lead to develop your school or college's approach to mental health and wellbeing at Gov.uk.
Within the school setting, there is a responsibility to take care of the emotional health and wellbeing of pupils and staff alike. With ever increasing pressures for both pupils and staff in school, we are committed to supporting schools with their needs. You can email the team on kentchft.kentschoolhealth@nhs.net for more support.
Resilience isn’t about not falling down, it’s about getting back up again, in your own time, and being kind to yourself and others when you do so. Our ambition is for all schools across Kent to have access to the tools to promote resilience at a whole-school level. Embedding resilience within a whole school community will lead to an improved school experience for young people.
What is the resilience toolkit?
Kent School Health supports schools to use the resilience toolkit, a free resource that can help you assess how you support emotional health and wellbeing across the eight key principles of the Public Health England (2015) Promoting Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing: A Whole School and College Approach.
Once you have assessed current practice, you can then identify any gaps and plan actions to improve outcomes across the school setting. Schools can then apply for the Kent Award for Resilience and Emotional Wellbeing.
For more information about the Resilience Toolkit - kentresiliencehub.org.uk or email kentchft.kentschoolhealth@nhs.net.
What we can offer you:
A free, evidence based toolkit to assess where you are in the world of resilience.- Access to support from the Whole School Health Team, who know your area and know your school, to enable your setting to support and sustain the emotional wellbeing of future generations.
- Access to resources for the classroom or setting and for use with individuals.
- A comprehensive way to navigate local services
- A two-year review offered to schools to demonstrate they continue to support resilience and emotional wellbeing for children, parents and staff in their school community.
Training
- New dates coming soon.
These short videos are really helpful for parents – how they can support their child to be resilient and how to be a resilient parent.
Kent and Medway Integrated Care System have updated guidance on Self-harm prevention and advice for professionals, families and young people.
This guidance has been updated in line with the NICE Clinical Guideline Self-harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence and aims to support a change so that children / young people and families are supported to thrive.
There are three sections to Kent and Medway’s guidance document: one section for professionals who work with children and young people in various settings; one section providing support and advice for parents, families and carers; and, a section which was written with children and young people offering support and advice.
Six ways to wellbeing
Designed by South London Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. This is a short presentation to highlight all aspects of the wheel of wellbeing. These are simple evidence-based ways to improve our mood, reduce our risk of depression, strengthen relationships and keep us healthy. This is designed for use by professionals, pupils and parents and carers.
- Kooth.com is an online mental wellbeing community for all 10 to 25-year-olds in Kent. Kooth can support a young person should they be placed on a waiting list, not meet thresholds for support or as an additional support alongside other services.It is safe, confidential and fully moderated. Kooth offers free online counselling and support including self-help tools, articles, journals, magazines, discussion boards, and access to fully trained counsellors online 365 days a year. Counsellors are available from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays, and 6pm to 10pm on weekends every day of the year on a drop-in basis. You can find resources to promote Kooth on the Kent Resilience Hub.
- Making an emotional health referral video: A short presentation to support professionals or parents and carers to complete a referral to our general health, emotional wellbeing or our children and young people counselling services. Guidance is given on the criteria required to complete a referral either online or via the single point of access.
Mentally Healthy Schools is a free website for UK primary and secondary schools and further education settings, offering school staff information, advice and practical resources to better understand and promote pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. In partnership with and funded by the Department for Education, they have launched a mental health lead resource hub. They collaborated with a range of education and mental health experts to produce this new hub for mental health leads and other education staff.
Building mental health and wellbeing support for all: TheEducationPeople.org is a one stop shop for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of professionals and organisations to grow positive cultures in developing outstanding outcomes.
The Department for Education has provided a grant to local authorities to better equip education settings and support student’s wellbeing as they return to school. The Education People is working with Kent County Council providers and other partners to deliver free training to schools and colleges and then provide ongoing support to education settings during the next six months. The new training programme is available to book now.
Diversity Role Models is an LGBQ+ education and anti-bullying charity that has worked with over 200’000 students and 20’000 staff members over the last twelve years. They are one of country’s two only recipients of DfE funding to deliver anti-bullying training to staff.
Currently, they have funding allocations to deliver free anti-bullying student workshops to schools (primary or secondary) in Essex and Kent.
The workshops support schools in delivering the RSHE curriculum through exploring the facts and the law relating to sexuality and gender identity including the legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (including the Equality Act 2010). The sessions encourage young people to understand that everyone is unique and equal, that stereotypes can be damaging and harmful, the importance of respecting others as well as the impact of bullying and the responsibilities of bystanders. They promote students’ Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) development, are aligned to anti-bullying best practice as laid out in Preventing and Tackling Bullying (Department for Education, 2017), and support schools in meeting their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 by fostering good relations between diverse members of the school community.
Fully funded student anti-bullying workshops (primary or secondary) in Essex and Kent (limited offer)
The primary pupil workshops aims to educate young people about diversity, encouraging them to develop empathy and respect, as well as understanding the impact of bullying and stereotypes to empower pupils to model positive behaviours in school. The developmentally appropriate workshops support schools in delivering the RSHE curriculum through exploring how others’ families can look different but must be treated with respect.
The secondary pupil workshops support schools in delivering the RSHE curriculum through exploring the facts and the law relating to sexuality and gender identity including our legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (including the Equality Act 2010). These sessions encourage young people to understand that everyone is unique and equal, that stereotypes can be damaging and harmful, the importance of respecting others as well as the impact of bullying and the responsibilities of bystanders. They promote students’ Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) development, are aligned to anti-bullying best practice as laid out in Preventing and Tackling Bullying (Department for Education, 2017), and support schools in meeting their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 by fostering good relations between diverse members of the school community.
For more details and to book these free student workshops in Essex/Kent, please contact dariusg@diversityrolemodels.org. Workshops will be offered on a first come first served basis to qualifying schools, and spots are limited.
School support
- Mentally Healthy Schools is a free website for primary and secondary schools and further education settings, offering school staff information, advice and practical resources to better understand and promote pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. In partnership with and funded by the Department for Education, they have launched a mental health lead resource hub. They collaborated with a range of education and mental health experts to produce this new hub for mental health leads and other education staff.
- The Education People provides training opportunities and a range of resources for schools to support emotional health and wellbeing.
- Good staff wellbeing is essential for cultivating a mentally healthy school, for retaining and motivating staff and for promoting pupil wellbeing and attainment. Mindfulness can help reduce stress and boost confidence, here is a short mindfulness session for school staff.
Education Support Partnership runs a FREE and confidential support service, which can be accessed by all teachers and support staff across the UK. The charity’s specialist helpline and text services include access to in-the-moment support, up to six sessions of structured telephone counselling, and assistance with referrals for longer-term treatments. Any teacher who is feeling overwhelmed, fearful, worried, anxious or disinterested in life can get in touch, no matter how insignificant they think their problems may be. The service is available 24/7. For more information please visit: www.educationsupport.org.uk.
Headspace for educators
Headspace offers FREE access to all K-12 teachers, school administrators, and supporting staff in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Helping you be kind to yourself and your health, and guide your students and their parents through this difficult time.
Introduction to mindfulness from Calm
Calm.com provides some insights on how mindfulness can be used in schools to support pupils and adults.
Parent support
Wellbeing activity ideas
Place2be.org.uk have pulled together a list of recommended wellbeing activities, ideas and resources for parents and carers from some of our trusted partner organisations. Some of these ideas will help parents and carers to start conversations with their child, keep them entertained and inspired, and encourage them to enjoy quality time together as a family.
Starting a conversation
Talking to a child about how they’re feeling can be hard. By taking 20 minutes with them to do an activity, parents can create a relaxed space to start that conversation. Here are lots of fun activity ideas, conversation starters and advice to make talking easier and help parents at Youngminds.org.uk.
Tips on how to support children through transition and times of change
Change is a normal part of life, but it can feel difficult for children and young people to cope with. Youngminds.org.uk have information and practical tips to help you support a child.
Support for children and young people
- Kooth.com is a free online mental wellbeing community for all 10 to 25-year-olds. It offers counselling and support including self-help tools, articles, journals, magazines, discussion boards, and access to fully trained counsellors online 365 days a year. Counsellors are available from 12 to 10pm on weekdays, and 6 to 10pm on weekends every day of the year on a drop-in basis. It is safe, confidential and fully moderated.
- You can find resources to promote Kooth on the Kent Resilience Hub.
- ChatHealth.nhs.uk is a safe, easy and discreet way for young people to speak to a qualified health professional.
- Porchlight offers free support with mental health and wellbeing for people anywhere in Kent.
- CAMHSresources.co.uk was created for young people, carers and professionals to pool together lots of helpful resources from across the internet that are available to help support your mental health and well-being.
The Kent School Health Team assess the health and development of young people in reception, year six, 10 and 12 using an electronic health questionnaire called The Lancaster Model (TLM). TLM is also offered to children and young people in special schools and 16-19 year olds in college.
The TLM survey helps identify any factors impacting on a child’s ability to live a healthy life and achieve their full potential. A child or young person may have a long-term medical condition, such as diabetes, asthma or anaphylaxis, be a young carer or perhaps need support to cope with a bereavement or a relationship problem. This can also help to support transition into secondary school.
It is a great opportunity for young people to have a voice and they are telling us that they would like more support.
We also share a whole-cohort report with schools to support their whole school level approach to PSHE.
Kent County Council commission our service to offer TLM to all schools in Kent.
You can enquire about TLM for your school by contacting us kentchft.wholeschoolhealth@nhs.net or watching our short presentation below.
You can find all the plans to transform services for children, young people and young adults’ emotional wellbeing and mental health at the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Service website.