Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy Generator

Let’s connect for Children’s Mental Health Week

Proud to support! #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek with logo and date on orange background over a photo of a teacher and two schoolchildren

It’s never too early to start talking about mental health, and this week we are raising awareness of the support services available across Warwickshire and Coventry.

Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place from 6 – 12 February 2023 and this year the theme is “Let’s Connect”.

Connecting with others is vital for our wellbeing, and the week encourages children and adults alike to connect with others in healthy, rewarding and meaningful ways. The charity running the event, Place2B, has resources available on their website for anyone interested in promoting or supporting the event.

From birth through to primary age is an important time to start helping your child in prioritising their mental wellbeing. There is often a focus on the physical milestones, such as first steps and learning to write, but emotional growth is also important, such as gaining confidence, independence and resilience. Habits formed early in life will inform behaviours through to adulthood. Wellbeing 4 Life has a life map that can help you understand how to incorporate good wellbeing practices throughout each stage of life.

One of our #ChildFriendlyWarwickshire Friends, Coventry and Warwickshire RISE, is a family of NHS mental health services for children and young people, and provides a range of services from mental health specialists embedded within schools to therapy and crisis support. RISE aims to build resilience and empower children and young people, and the adults in their lives, so they know where to go for support and advice when the going can get tough.

The RISE website provides helpful resources for parents and carers to help them talk to their child, such as 12 powerful phrases to make talking about mental health with children and young people easier and 26 phrases to help calm an angry child or young person - finding ways to communicate on a level that your child understands can help them to handle their emotions more easily. RISE also provides direct support including:

  • Group sessions and therapy for young people and their parents or carers.
  • Community-based support for parents and carers through RISE Community Partnerships and Coventry Family Hubs.
  • 24-hour self-help support and guidance through the Dimensions tool and RISE website

For anyone under the age of 17 experiencing a mental health crisis, the RISE Crisis Team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (with an advice-only service outside the core hours of 8am-8pm) on Freephone 08081 966798 (select Option 2).

For young people who are interested in contributing their thoughts, experiences and ideas to improve local mental health services, RISE has recently launched an Ambassador role open to 11- to 25-year-olds. Ambassadors will meet bimonthly and work on creative projects that bring young people’s voices to the forefront. More information is available on the RISE Facebook page.

Young people aged 11-25 can also access free, safe and anonymous mental wellbeing support 365 days of the year by visiting kooth.com. This locally funded service provides access to fully trained and qualified counsellors and emotional wellbeing practitioners (between midday to 10pm weekdays and from 6pm to 10pm at weekends), as well as 24/7 access to moderated discussion forums, magazines and wellbeing articles with tips from young people and the Kooth team. The daily journal also allows them to track feelings or emotions to help promote positive mental wellbeing.

The “Hope” animation shares three genuine mental health journeys from young people in Warwickshire. The young adults within the video share details of the challenges they have faced and how they started to feel better. You can watch the video here.

Parents and carers of infants, children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) can find support and information through Warwickshire’s Local Offer. It’s a collection of advice and resources as well as a directory of other services in the county that can help infants, children and young people with SEND.

Councillor Jeff Morgan, portfolio holder for Children and Families at Warwickshire County Council, said:

“We can help ensure our children have a good understanding of their own mental wellbeing by demonstrating good practices ourselves and by having open and honest age-appropriate conversations with them from a young age. For any children or young people who are struggling with their mental health, help is always available, so please check out the links below to find the right kind of support. It is also important that parents and carers look after their own mental wellbeing, to ensure they can be the best parent or carer they can be for their child.”

If you or someone you know needs further support, then help is available throughout Coventry and Warwickshire for people of all ages.

Published: 6th February 2023