Here at Parkfield, we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of all our students. Every child has the right to the best possible mental health (Article 24 of UN Rights of a Child) as well as physical health. At Parkfield, ‘Good mental health is defined as a state of wellbeing in which every individual, recognises 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 his or her own community.’

We regularly remind and teach our pupils about the 5 Ways to Wellbeing:

We all have mental health and we do not need to wait until there is a problem before we look after our family’s wellbeing. Following the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ can help children and adults to achieve a more positive wellbeing. Click here for a short video produced by Rochdale Council. 

Sometimes, despite our best efforts things may not turn out as we had hoped and mental health may decline. Many children and young people experience emotional and behavioural problems from time to time. They may be stressed about exams, friendship problems, confused about body changes or anxious about the future. They may experience worries and sadness. There is lots of advice and information online about how to help. The organisations below may be able to help your child:

• The Anna Freud organisation have an excellent website full of really useful resources to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. They have 5 main aims:

1. To support parents and carers who are trying to navigate the mental health system on behalf of or in support of a child or young person

2. To help parents and carers to stay connected with their child to find solutions together

3. To help parents and carers communicate to schools, colleges and extended family

4. To highlight the importance of looking after yourself as a parent or carer

5. To signpost to trusted organisations who may help support a child or young person and their family and advocate on their behalf

• If you are worried about your child, you can get excellent advice and support from YoungMinds. They have a free helpline (0808 802 5544) staffed Monday to Friday. You can also find information on their website at: www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/

• You can also get lots of information about how you can help using Mind-Ed. Mind-Ed is a free on-line service. The website contains simple advice to help adults identify, understand and support children and young people with mental health issues. Sections about Talking to children and Is your child depressed? maybe particularly helpful for parents.

• #Thrive is for children and young people aged up to 19 years. Is your child: Feeling worried, angry or upset Struggling to cope? Stressed about school or exams? Feeling bad about themself? Experiencing bullying or relationship worries? Or are you just feeling a bit low and not enjoying things? You must live, or be registered with a GP practice (doctor), in Heywood, Middleton or Rochdale. Contact them on 0161 716 2844.

• Kooth provides a safe, secure means of accessing help for mental health via the internet for pupils aged 11+. By accessing Kooth students can benefit from:

  • A free, confidential, anonymous and safe way to receive support online.

  • Out of hours’ availability. Counsellors are available from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays and 6pm to 10 pm at weekends, every day of the year on a drop in basis.

  • Online Counselling from a professional team of BACP qualified counsellors is available via 1-1 chat sessions or messaging on a drop in basis or via booked sessions.

  • Discussion Boards which are all pre-moderated allow young people to access peer to peer support.

  • Online Magazine full of moderated articles many of which are submitted by young people offering advice and guidance on a huge range of topics.

  • No referral is required.  Young people from Year 6 onwards can register for Kooth independently at www.kooth.com 

  • Click on the following link for information about Kooth. https://www.kooth.com/video 

• The Proud Trust is a charity who support LGBTQ+ young people and those young people who may be questioning their identity. Their website hopes to give a deeper understanding of LGBT+ identities and also provide information about how to support LGBT+ children and young people. The hope is that this will lead to more informed, open and supportive conversations with children and young people about LGBT+ identities.

In the case of a mental health emergency call 999. You will not be wasting anybody’s time and this is just as important as a physical emergency.