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Provides young children with simple tips on how to stop feeling worried: https://www.healthforkids.co.uk/feelings/feeling-worried/

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What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear or unease. It is often experienced as a combination of thoughts, feelings and physical sensations in our body.

All children and young people feel worried sometimes. This is a normal, human reaction to things that feel stressful. For example, before an exam a young person may feel more worried than usual. But they will soon feel calmer after the stressful event has passed.

Anxiety becomes a problem when a child or young person feels stuck in it. When this happens, it can become an overwhelming experience. It can also affect their daily life and limit the things they feel able to do.

If your child or young person is struggling with anxiety, there are things you can do to help them. We've got advice to help you provide reassuring support, work on strategies together and find professional help if they need it.

What makes young people anxious?

A child or young person may be anxious for different reasons. Feeling a bit more worried sometimes is normal and there is not always a clear reason for this. But if your child is feeling unmanageable amounts of anxiety, this is often a sign that something in their life isn't quite right. They may need support to work out what the problem is.

This video by St Catherine's College is a useful way of understanding how stress and anxiety might build up in a person's life.

The following kinds of things can make some children and young people feel anxious:

finding school difficult or experiencing school anxiety

being around someone else who is very anxious, such as a parent

going through a significant change, such as moving house, parents separating or changing school

the death or illness of a close family member or friend

having lots of responsibility, for example caring for other people in their family

experiencing family stress around things like housing, money and debt

going through experiences in which they do not feel safe, such as being bullied, witnessing or experiencing abuse, or experiencing discrimination such as racism, homophobia or transphobia

not getting the right support or having their needs recognised if they have a neurodiverse condition such as autism or ADHD

Signs of anxiety in children and young people

Anxiety often affects our body, thoughts, feelings and behaviour. A child or young person who is struggling with anxiety may also behave differently or start using coping mechanisms to try to manage or avoid the anxiety. Below are some of the signs to look out for in children and young people.

Young people share their experience of anxiety.

How to help your child or young person when they feel panicky

In a very anxious moment, your child or young person may feel frightened or worried about having a panic attack. If this happens, focus on helping them to calm down and feel safe. The strategies below can help.

Breathe slowly and deeply together

Show/hide caption

A hand with five fingers spread. A pointed finger shows instructions for moving around each finger with the words 'Breathe in' as you move upwards, and 'Breathe out' as you move downwards.

Together, hold your hands out in front of you. Trace the outline of each of your fingers slowly with your other hand. Breathe in as you go up each finger, and out as you come down. Move and breathe as slowly as feels comfortable. Over time, encourage your child or young person to breathe out for one or two counts longer than they breathe in. This can help their body to relax.

If you would like to have a copy of this technique with you, you can download and print our resource.

Try using all five senses together

Show/hide caption

A picture of eyes, an ear, a hand, a nose and a mouth. Text reads next to each one: "5 things you can see. 4 things you can hear. 3 things you can touch. 2 things you can smell. 1 thing you can taste."

Connecting with what we can see, touch, hear, smell and taste is sometimes called 'grounding'. Doing grounding techniques can make us feel more present and bring us back into our body. This can reduce the intensity of our anxiety. Think together about what they can see, touch, hear, smell and taste.

For example, they might notice: five different colours; four soft things in the room; three sounds like cars going past the window or the noise of the washing machine; two things they can smell, like a scented candle or a piece of fruit; and one thing they find soothing to eat.

If you would like to have a copy of this technique with you, you can download and print our resource.

Remember, you don't need to do all of these things each time. Everyone is different, and it's about figuring out which of these strategies suits them best.

After they have calmed down, it can help to remind them that the panicky feeling did not last forever. They were able to do things that helped and the feeling stopped.

How to help your child or young person manage their anxiety

As well as managing panicky moments, your child or young person can also learn how to deal with their anxiety over the longer-term.

Many of these strategies are about helping them to understand how their anxiety works and what helps them. The more confident they feel about this, the more they will believe in their ability to cope. This can make anxiety feel more manageable.

As you think about strategies you might try, always remind yourself you're doing your best. It's natural to feel a bit overwhelmed sometimes. But remember, you do not need to try five different things at once. Have a look through these suggestions and pick one or two things you think might help.

There are some daily activities that are really important for our mental health. These are:

physical exercise, or some movement

sleeping well

eating healthily

drinking water

connecting and spending quality time with loved ones

They might sound simple, but they can have a big effect on our mood. Regular exercise can be particularly important because it can help to reduce feelings of anxiety in the body. It doesn't have to be much - walking or gentle yoga can help.

If you have a teenager or young adult, reducing alcohol and caffeinated drinks such as coffee can help. This is because they can trigger the physical symptoms of anxiety.

Some children and young people will need support from a mental health professional. They may benefit from a specific diagnosis or a treatment such as talking therapy. You can find more information about this below.

Young people tell us it also helps to...

think about something you're looking forward to

imagine your thoughts leaving your brain and floating off into the sky

keep yourself occupied

have time out

reflect on how you're feeling

talk to other people you trust

remind yourself you're not alone - odds are someone in your friendship circle has anxiety or depression too

Finding professional help

You might also find helpful...

Useful helplines and websites

While we take care to ensure that the organisations we signpost to provide high quality information and advice, we cannot take responsibility for any specific pieces of advice they may offer. We encourage parents and carers to always explore the website of a linked service or organisation to understand who they are and what support they offer before engaging with them.

Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

Please be aware that this form isn't a mental health support service. If your child is in crisis right now and you want to talk to someone urgently, find out who to contact on our urgent help page.

At YoungMinds we take your privacy seriously. If you'd like to read more about how we keep the information we collect safe, take a look at our privacy policy.

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Supporting A Child With Anxiety | Tips and Advice

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If your child or teenager is struggling with anxiety, we've got information about signs and treatment, and practical strategies you can do together.

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This booklet talks about difficult thoughts and feelings that you or a friend may have felt.

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Worried about a child with suicidal thoughts. 

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Worried about a child with suicidal thoughts. 

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Wakefield Support resources

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Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) - MindMate

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MindMate can help you support a young person you know.

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Since 2016, this group of young people, ages 15-25, have shared their voices and lived experiences to steer, influence and advise the work we do. As well as advising on AET materials and strategy, Panel members speak at events, co-deliver training and support autism education networks.

Find out how this group of young people are supporting, co-producing and advising the AET.

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Helping you support autistic children and young people since 2007

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Programmes available at your local Family Hub

Find and contact your local Family Hub for more information

Early Years Parenting

For parents/carers of children aged 0-5 years. This is a 5-week programme that looks at play and interaction, child development, routines, boundaries, behaviours and strategies.

Baby Triple P

This is a parenting programme that will help you prepare for parenthood and the first year with your baby. It will help you develop a positive relationship with your baby, and support your baby's development

Support available online

Triple P - Positive Parenting Program

An online course that you can work through at home in your own time. The Triple P - Positive Parenting Program ® gives you tips and ideas to help you bring out the best in your children, to help them be resilient, confident, and have the self-discipline to succeed. Learn how to positively manage the behaviour you don't like and encourage more of the behaviour that will help them get along with others.

Find out how to access your code to get started at home: Free in Wakefield | Triple P - Positive Parenting Program | Online Parenting Programme

Solihull Approach: Nurturing emotional health and wellbeing from bump to 19+ years

Wakefield Families Together has partnered with the Solihull Approach to offer free access to expertly designed online courses for parents, carers, grandparents and teens living in the region.

Visit the website linked below to access courses to understand your child's feelings, as well as your own, as you go through life as a family. Learn to understand the changes in your child's development and how to support them, whilst also strengthening your relationship.
Wakefield | Solihull Approach

Further Support

Drug and Alcohol support

Inspiring Futures - Turning Point is a free service for adults over 25. They can offer a range of services to meet individual needs.

Support for Domestic Abuse

Wakefield District Domestic Abuse Service (WDDAS) offers a service to parents experiencing domestic abuse in any form. The team can offer help, advice, and support. Call WDDAS on 0800 915 1561. We can meet you in a safe space away from your home/local area if this is safer for you.

To find out more, visit Domestic abuse - here to help - Wakefield Council

The Bright Sky app offers a directory of services to help you find local support.

You can visit their website to find out more: bright-sky.org

Debt Advice

Cash Wise

The Cash Wise service offers free support and guidance to help you address financial issues. You can and take control of your finances, whilst building financial confidence and resilience.

You can contact Cash Wise on 01977 724651 or visit www.getcashwise.co.uk

Childcare

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Programmes available at your local Family Hub Find and contact your local Family Hub for more information For parents/carers of children aged 0-5 years. This is a 5-week programme that looks at play and interaction, child development, routines, boundaries, behaviours and strategies.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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We are Speech and Language UK - we want every child to face the future with confidence. For 1.7 million children in the UK, learning to talk and understand words feel like an impossible hurdle.

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We work with young people, parents and carers, schools, colleges, universities and employers.

All our work is based on sound evidence. It gives people the confidence and skills to look after their mental health.

Charlie sits at the heart of our story, our vision and our purpose.

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Charlie Waller Trust, mental health charity

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We understand mental health. Our aim is to educate young people, & those with responsibility for them, about their mental health & wellbeing. The Charlie Waller Trust was created by the Waller family in 1997 in response to the loss of their son and brother Charlie to suicide having suffered from depression.

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We're a pioneering mental health charity transforming care for children and young people through science, collaboration and clinical innovation.

We focus on discovery, delivering compassionate support, and sharing our knowledge widely.

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We work with professionals to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Learn about our training, services, research and more.

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There are lots of way to feel calmer. Try our breathing exercises, activities and games or watch a video to help let go of stress.

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We all have moments where we feel overwhelmed by what life throws at us. It's normal to feel stressed, worried, angry. The key is to know you will feel better. Our practitioners are experts in helping you get there quicker. Here are some activities to improve your wellbeing.

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We all have moments where we feel overwhelmed by what life throws at us. It's normal to feel stressed, worried, angry. The key is to know you will feel better. Our practitioners are experts in helping you get there quicker. Here are some activities to improve your wellbeing.

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We provide open access, free of charge play sessions for children

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Mental Health parent leaflet (Anna Freud)

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Mental Health parent leaflet (Anna Freud)

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What's it like starting a new school? | Newsround | Back to school

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Moving Up! Transition to Secondary School

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Moving Up! Transition to Secondary School

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Moving Up! The transition to secondary school (SUBTITLED)

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Supporting transition to Secondary - guide for parents and carers

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Supporting transition to Secondary - guide for parents and carers

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Preparing your child emotionally for secondary school

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Preparing your child emotionally for secondary school

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Tips that can help you and your child prepare emotionally.

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Starting secondary school - BBC Parents' Toolkit - BBC Bitesize

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Advice for parents who have a child starting secondary school this year, with tips on the emotional and practical sides of the transition.

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Starting secondary school - Children with SEND

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Starting secondary school - Children with SEND

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Starting secondary school with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

This film was recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a parent or carer of a child with special educational needs, or a child with an educational health & care plan the very idea of moving from primary to secondary school can feel daunting. Here are 5 top tips from an experienced inner city secondary school special educational needs co-ordinator, SENDCo, to help.

1. Create a one page profile about your child noting the difficulties and barriers they face at their primary school, and the strategies that work and that don’t work. This will help the school understand the world of your child quickly, from the people who understand them best, you. Things to consider when pulling it together; what’s currently working well at primary school? Can these strategies be replicated at the secondary school? Situations for your child to avoid, and main concerns about secondary school?

2. Visit the school on a regular school day with, and without, your child. When there, ask as many questions as you like; the school is new to you so don’t feel anything is silly to ask. What do you see are the barriers when you walk around; take notes if you need to.

3. Request a multi-agency meeting that will bring all key adults and agencies connected to the support and care of your child together in one meeting. Any key adult involved with the child would attend this meeting; class teacher, TA, parents, educational psychologist, communication interaction team, speech & language therapist etc. Your current primary SENDCo will be able to co-ordinate this with their secondary school equivalent. Bring along the one page profile, multiple copies if possible, so that it can be shared with everyone, and questions following your visit to the school.

Sample questions to ask:

Where can my child go if they are struggling/anxious/having a meltdown?

What happens at break and lunch time when it is unstructured time?

How can my child get help with reading/spelling/maths/homework?

How will support in assessments work?

Will my child get a Teaching assistant?

4. Ensure you have a named contact at the secondary school and their contact details. This can be the form tutor, SENDCo or head of year. Ask the school which is the best way of contacting them.

5. Consider what needs to be shared with your child:

Transition plan - between the professionals. Lists of multiple individuals and agencies could be overwhelming for the child.

Transition booklet – a go-to guide for the child with named staff and photos of key adults and rooms that they can keep in their bag or locker.

Avoid making your child anxious by saying things like "I don't know how it works, I don't know who to ask". Hopefully with a named contact this shouldn't happen.

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Starting secondary school with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

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SENDCo Trudi Skinner gives advice for parents of SEN children about to start secondary school.

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Starting Primary School - Parent stories

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Starting Primary School - Parent stories

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CBeebies

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Grown-ups

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Starting school: parents' stories

All Time for School
Time for School - Starting school: parents' stories

Real-life experiences, memories and advice from teachers, parents and CBeebies presenters about starting school.

Your child's first day at school can be really nerve-wracking for both you and your little one. Here at CBeebies Grown-ups we've collected some of our favourite articles about starting school. We asked some parents to share their own personal experiences with us and some of the CBeebies presenters joined in on the action too!

The teacher's story: starting school

Mum and early years teacher Susan tells CBeebies Grown-ups what it's like when you're a teacher and your own child is starting school...
Can you remember how you were feeling on the first day – what happened?
That’s the trickiest part of balancing being a teacher and being a mum – I wasn’t able to take time off work to be there... READ MORE

Parent's experience: starting nursery

Mum Emma talks to CBeebies Grown-ups about her experience of her daughter Fianna (aged two) starting at nursery…

Why did you choose the nursery that you did for your little girl?

My daughter Fianna originally went to a child minder from the age of twelve months, but just after her 2nd birthday my husband and I... READ MORE

Parent's experience: starting school

Mum Beate talks to CBeebies Grown-ups about her experience of her son Lucas starting Reception.

Can you tell us a little bit about you and your child?

Lucas is now six years old and about to start year 2. He has loved going to school, most of the time... READ MORE

Parent's experience: starting home education

Mum Alice talks to CBeebies Grown-ups about her experience of starting home education with her son...

Why did you choose to home educate?

After my son arrived our bond seemed so strong that I couldn’t think of sending him into day care, be that a nursery or a child minder... READ MORE

Parent's experience: starting school with special needs

Dad Chris talks to CBeebies Grown-ups about his experience of his daughter Harriet starting school…

Can you tell us a little bit about you and your children

Harriet is a twin who is diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and was born premature at 28 weeks... READ MORE

Starting school: Cerrie's memories

CBeebies presenter Cerrie shares her own memories of school and her experiences as a mum...

What do you remember about starting school?

I couldn't read until I was eight (when my dyslexia was finally diagnosed) so my I spent my first four years of primary school in a lovely imaginative daydream... READ MORE

Starting school: Cat, Andy and Katy's memories

We caught up with some of the CBeebies presenters to see what they remember about their first days at school… READ MORE

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Time for School - Starting school: parents’ stories

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Real-life experiences, memories and advice from teachers, parents and CBeebies presenters about starting school.

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Make it fun and exciting to have a school uniform. Try it on before they start school, but don't buy it too early, as they may grow by the time they get to wear it!

Go shoe shopping together, get them to choose their own lunch box; this can help them prepare for school.

When they try their uniform on, get them to practise fastening and unfastening any buttons, zips, velcro, etc. This will save a lot of frustration when they are in school when they need to go to the toilet or get changed for P.E.

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7 tips to help prepare for primary school

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The first day at primary school can be exciting but also nerve-wracking, for you and your child. Starting school is a big step for children and while it is normal for all children to have worries and fears, it is important to keep an eye out for any signs they may be struggling.

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Starting primary school - BBC Parents' Toolkit - BBC Bitesize

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Advice and games to help you and your child prepare for primary school, then thrive during their first year.

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Madeline explains what happened when her daughter Eleanor, who has Down’s Syndrome, started primary school.

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If you are upset by the news, it's important to know that you are not the only one and it's OK to have those feelings.

You can rely on Newsround to tell you the important facts about a story - but some things you hear might be scary or make you feel worried.

This section gives you some tips about what to do if you are feeling sad about what you've seen, heard or read.

What to do if you're upset by the news

Sometimes things that happen in the world can make us sad, anxious or confused.

It's important to remember that upsetting stories are in the news because they are rare - they don't happen very often.

But what can we do when the news makes us feel this way?

If the news has upset you, talk to an adult you trust about it. It's important to share what is troubling you.

It's normal to feel upset

It's important to remember that being sad, worried or angry about awful things that happen in the world around you is okay and perfectly normal.

You won't be the only one who feels that way.

Adults get sad and confused too, so there is nothing wrong with feeling like this.

Do things that make you happy

Doing things that make you happy can help you to feel better.

Watch your favourite film, take your dog for a walk or read some of your favourite book.

Try to balance the news you read. If you read a sad story, then try and read a happy one before you go to bed

If being worried is making it more difficult to sleep or if you are having nightmares, it's really important to speak to an adult about this too.

Here are some things you can do if you are having worried thoughts when you go to bed:

Remember things that make you happy and think about these as you're going to bed, so your head is full of positive thoughts

Surround yourself with nice things by your bed - perhaps a happy photo that makes you smile - so this is the last thing you see before you sleep

If you have bad dreams, talk about it or even try drawing it. This will help you to confront your fear

Keep things with you that make you feel secure - even if it is your old teddy bear that you keep hidden from your mates!

Don't forget - terrible things are on the news because they are rare and do not happen very often.

Although people are spending a lot of time talking about it, it is still very unlikely that events like this will affect you or your family.

The most important thing is that if you are feeling upset, don't keep what's troubling you about the news to yourself.

Talk to an adult about the issue in the news that is worrying you.

That can help you to understand what is upsetting you, and help those feelings of sadness, anger or confusion to go away.

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If you are upset by the news, here is some advice to help you.

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Children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS) is used as a term for all services that work with children and young people who have difficulties with their mental health or wellbeing.
You may also see the term children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) used. This is an older term for the main specialist NHS community service within the wider CYPMHS that may be available locally.

Local areas have a number of different support services available.

These NHS-funded services, together with some local authority services, might be from the statutory, voluntary or school-based sector. For example, an NHS trust, local authority, school or charitable organisation.

Children and young people may need help with a wide range of issues at different points in their lives.

Parents and carers may also need help and advice to deal with behavioural or other problems their child is experiencing.

Parents, carers and young people can receive direct support through CYPMHS.

What are specialist CYPMHS?

Specialist CYPMHS are NHS mental health services that focus on the needs of children and young people.

They're multidisciplinary teams that often consist of:

psychiatrists

psychologists

social workers

nurses

support workers

occupational therapists

psychological therapists - this may include child psychotherapists, family psychotherapists, play therapists and creative art therapists

primary mental health workers

education mental health practitioners - who work in mental health support teams in schools and colleges

children's wellbeing practitioners

specialist substance misuse workers

Check out YoungMinds' list of who's who in CYPMHS and the MindEd e-session on people working in child mental health.

How do I get help from specialist CYPMHS?

Getting help from a specialist CYPMHS is different depending on where you live. Waiting times can vary too.

Most CYPMHS have their own website, which will have information about access, referrals and more, including phone numbers, so you can get in touch directly for detailed advice.

You can also look at your local integrated care board (ICB) website and search for children and young people's mental health.

You may also find it helpful to speak to:

your GP

someone you trust at school or college - for example, a teacher, pastoral lead, school nurse or special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO)

health visitors

children's centres

If you or your child is being supported by social services or the youth offending team, your key worker will be able to refer your child for an appointment with someone in specialist CYPMHS.

There are many services to go to for help without having to ask for a referral, including crisis helplines that anyone can call.

Read about where to get urgent help for mental health.

Read about voluntary community-based youth information services - which often have drop-in sessions for advice and professional help.

When is the transition from specialist CYPMHS to adult services?

The age children and young people move to another service can vary, although most services transition at 18. A few services transition at 16, or there may be some flexibility.

Transition planning should start around 3 to 6 months before the transition.

Transition between services can be a scary time for young people as the teams they know and are used to working with change.

It's important everyone involved understands the process and feels supported and prepared to try to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

The CYPMHS team should work to help support the transition. For example, a joint meeting might be arranged with the current team and the new adult mental health services.

The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families website has information about moving on from CYPMHS.

What can I expect from my CYPMHS appointment?

Knowing what to expect when you're going to CYPMHS will help you feel more in control of what's happening.

Rethink has a guide that offers tips about what to expect and ask during your first CYPMHS appointment and beyond.

CYPMHS are made up of teams of different professionals, such as psychologists, social workers, nurses and therapists.

You may be asked a lot of questions and team members might want to talk to your family.

This is because the team you see will want to listen to you get a good understanding of the problem in your own words.

Once they have a good sense of who you are and what you want, they'll suggest different things that can help and you'll decide what to do next together.

The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families website has information and a video about how young people receive support from mental health services.

CYPMHS resources

A lot of organisations have helpful information about what CYPMHS services offer.

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Children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS)

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Children and young people's mental health services (CYPMHS) is used as a term for all services that work with children and young people who have difficulties with their mental health or wellbeing. You may also see the term children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) used.

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You and your colleagues can think about your own wellbeing by using the idea of the 'stress bucket'.*

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MindEd is suitable for all adults working with, or caring for, infants, children or teenagers, adults and older people, including people with a learning disability and autistic people; all the information provided is quality assured by experts, useful, and easy to understand. We aim to give adults who care for, or work with people:

the knowledge to support their wellbeing

the understanding to identify a child, young person or adult at risk of a mental health condition

the confidence to act on their concern and, if needed, signpost to services that can help

MindEd is multi-professional, and can be used by teachers, health and mental health professionals, police and judiciary staff, social workers, youth service volunteers, school counsellors among others to support their professional development.

All registered learners can access a learning path tailored to their needs.

Throughout the MindEd site we make use of images and videos. In all cases, except where specifically noted, these images and videos use actors and are not intended to represent any specific person.

Disclaimer

Please note that the advice provided on MindEd is written and quality assured by experts in mental health and is accurate and comprehensive as possible. It is however only general advice and should not be used as a substitute for any individual advice you might receive from consulting your own doctor/mental health professional. Please use your own judgement when deciding how best to apply our information to any specific situation or proposed treatment. This applies to any clinical professionals, who should use their own clinical judgement when interpreting the information on MindEd and deciding how to best apply it in the treatment of patients.

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MindEd is suitable for all adults working with, or caring for, infants, children or teenagers, adults and older people, including people with a learning disability and autistic people; all the information provided is quality assured by experts, useful, and easy to understand.

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What does this webinar cover?
In 2015 a team of Microsoft engineers came together in their annual 'hackathon' to pull together their thoughts on supporting those with dyslexia. In 2021, the resulting Learning Tools have now grown into a set of features that support accessibility needs across the education community. The tools include features like Immersive Reader, Dictation, Subtitles and many more and are available free in Microsoft 365.

In this free webinar, Arran Smith will talk about all the latest updates and features that are available as part of Microsoft 365 accessibility tools and features along with giving some updates on a brand-new tool called Reading Progress.

Who would benefit from this training?
This webinar is designed for teachers, SENCO's, senior leaders and IT professionals giving you a basic awareness of what is available to support children and young people with SEND using Microsoft 365.

Questions and Answers from the session

Question: Are the features that were described also free for FE colleges and higher education institutions?

Answer: The simple answer to this is that yes they are.

Question: How do the MS accessibility features compare to Claro Read?

Answer: After the session arran did say that he likes Claro read and that some of the features are the same. The differences are that Claro Read is an additional piece of software whereas the MS features are built in and also Claro Read does have a cost attached.

Question: Does MS have tools that support the creation of websites?

Answer: Unfortunately, at present, tools for this purpose aren't available. However, you can use PowerPoint to create content for webpages and as you saw in the webinar, the accessibility features are available in PowerPoint. You can find out how to do this here (just scroll down to 'Options for later versions of PowerPoint')

Useful resources
Accessibility Guide with nasen Microsoft Accessibility Features Microsoft 365 Education: Learning Tools Flyer
Once you have finished watching this recording please do complete our short evaluation.

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What does this webinar cover? In 2015 a team of Microsoft engineers came together in their annual 'hackathon' to pull together their thoughts on supporting those with dyslexia. In 2021, the resulting Learning Tools have now grown into a set of features that support accessibility needs across the education community.

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Find out more about autism and access information relevant to different stages in autistic children and young people's lives.

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We are the UKs leading charity for autistic people and their families. Since 1962, we have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people.

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On this page, you'll find information on a wide range of issues that are important to blind and partially sighted young people.

School life and planning ahead

Our school life and planning ahead section covers choosing subjects, exams and study skills, after-school clubs and activities as well as how to start planning for life after school and moving on to college or work.

Starting college

If you are thinking about going to college then have a look at our starting college section. Find information on choosing the right college for you, what support is available at college and funding advice. You will also find useful study tips and hear about other student's experiences of starting college.

Starting university

There are lots to think about before going to university. You need to find the right course, get clear on application processes and it's handy to know where you can get financial help. Read on and you will discover lots of practical support for anything from choosing the right university and funding advice to how to make the most of student life!

Starting work

Starting work may seem daunting, but this section will help you to identify the people who can advise you about career choices, help with interview preparation, give guidance about work experience and volunteering and advise about the support mechanisms available, such as the Access to Work scheme.

Transition guides

We've created handy guides for blind and partially sighted young people who are about to move into higher education and work.

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If you're affected by sight loss, we're here for you

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Services for families | National Deaf Children's Society

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We provide a range of services for families of deaf children - from our helpline and families programme to appeals and disputes over benefits and grants.

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Adapted books for children with visual difficulties

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Adapted books for children with visual difficulties

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When you order your book, please tell us the:

font type, such as Comic Sans or Verdana

font size, such as 18 or 48

font strength, such as bold or normal

line spacing, such as single, 1.5 or double

paper colour for the pages

binding, for example spiral binding so books lie flat

To work out what's best, add a free copy of our sample book to your order - at the top of each page, there are clear details about the font and spacing used. When you know what you need, please donate the sample book to a school or library so others can order large print CustomEyes Books. You can also send it back to us at:

CustomEyes Books
Hillfields
Burghfield Common
Reading
RG7 3YG

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When you order your book, please tell us the: font type, such as Comic Sans or Verdana font size, such as 18 or 48 font strength, such as bold or normal line spacing, such as single, 1.5 or double paper colour for the pages binding, for example spiral binding so books lie flat To work out what's best, add a free copy of our sample book to your order - at the top of each page, there are clear details about the font and spacing used.

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Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust

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What is the Sensory Service?

The Sensory Service is a multi-disciplinary team based at the Ryegate Children's Centre in Sheffield. We aim to help parents, carers, school staff and young people to have a better understanding of sensory processing and how this impacts on every day life. We provide information and advice on how to adapt activities and the environment to support children's sensory needs. The team includes Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Clinical Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy.

What is sensory processing?

Sensory processing is the way that our body takes in and makes sense of information. Our senses include hearing, vision, touch, taste and smell, as well as vestibular processing (which helps with balance and movement), proprioception (which is the awareness of our body in the space around it), and interoception (our awareness of our internal body feelings). We use our senses every day to interact with the world.

What might happen when sensory processing becomes a problem?

Children might find sensory information overwhelming and they might struggle to cope with certain sensory experiences. They may try to avoid certain things, people or places.

Children might find everyday tasks difficult to tolerate, such as showering, wearing certain clothes, eating or teeth-brushing.

Children may seek out sensations to help them to regulate in a way that creates a problem in another way, (for example, needing to move a lot during lessons).

When children are overwhelmed by sensory information it can make it more difficult for them to communicate their needs.

Sensory sensitivities can lead to higher stress and anxiety levels in a child. This in turn can mean they're more tuned into sensory information and can become overwhelmed more easily.

Children may present differently from one day to the next and their sensory needs may be context specific or be influenced by other factors, such as mood, tiredness or stress levels.

Who is the service for?

The service is for any child aged 3-16 years, living in Sheffield, who is having day to day difficulties because of the way that they process sensory information. Children known to the CAMHS Learning Disability service will be re-directed to CAMHS Occupational Therapy, if needing support beyond Universal Provision.

What is the Virtual Therapy Area?

The Virtual Therapy Area is our universal provision, the first level of service for all families. It aims to provide parents and carers with knowledge, ideas and strategies to support your child or young person with sensory needs that may be impacting on their every day life. These resources are primarily aimed at supporting children who are neuro-divergent; for example, your child may have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or a combination of these. However, your child may not have any diagnosis, but may present with sensory needs that are creating challenges in everyday life. Or your child might have a different diagnosis and also have sensory needs that are impacting on their day to day life.

The Royal College of Occupational Therapists states "The term Sensory Processing Disorder is not recognized as an independent diagnosis...and should be avoided" (RCOT Informed View, 2021). Therefore, at the Sheffield Sensory Service, we do not formally assess or provide diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder. Our focus is to offer sensory interventions that support a child's sensory needs by adapting tasks or the environment, and by improving a child's capacity for self-regulation.

In addition to the virtual resources, our multi-disciplinary team deliver sensory training to Sheffield schools and educational establishments, and we are aiming to support all schools in Sheffield to be 'sensory accessible'.

If you need these resources in a different language, look at the bottom of the page for a guide to Google Translate.

How to use these resources

Translating information to your home language: Google Translate

1) Click the Google Translate button:

2) Click on your home language. The text will then change

Google Translate may not translate all words correctly. Please contact us on 0114 271 7645 if you have any questions about the text.

Translating information to your home language: subtitles

1) Click the subtitles icon

2) Click the settings icon then ' subtitles/CC'

3) Click Auto-translate

4) Choose your language

You need to turn on the subtitles for all the videos.

The subtitles are translated through YouTube. Some words may not be translated correctly. Please contact us on 0114 271 7617 if you have any questions about the videos. We can arrange a telephone call with an interpreter if needed.

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Sensory processing difficulties - Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust

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What is the Sensory Service? The Sensory Service is a multi-disciplinary team based at the Ryegate Children's Centre in Sheffield. We aim to help parents, carers, school staff and young people to have a better understanding of sensory processing and how this impacts on every day life.

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HappyMaps - Find the best support, advice and information on young people's mental health, all in one place. For Parents, Professionals and Young People.

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Read reviews

"I think this is a fabulous resource-very clearly laid out with the full range of supports available, from parenting tips through to professional help" (Parent)

"This is great to recommend to parents when they are worried about their children. It's the best website for mental health issues that I've found" (Teacher)

"Excellent. I work for CAMHS Bristol and regularly recommend this website" (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)

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Home - HappyMaps: Help and Resources for Children's Mental Health

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An award-winning website on children's mental health collating sensible and professional advice on common problems. With new self-help pages for young people.

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We believe that individual wellbeing is shaped by the quality of our connections with others. Our culture is in the middle of a loneliness epidemic, and mental health is in crisis as a result.

​B y drawing together therapeutic work with community development, the projects we create at Murmuration aim to be little rafts of connection, bringing people who feel isolated together into community.

Our projects at the moment focus on connecting parents facing major challenges, including those experiencing the impact of isolation; and those whose children are on a different path to others. This includes parents who are concerned about disability or potential disability due to a diagnosis or developmental differences in their child.

​ Participant 2020'It's helped me make new, meaningful friendships'
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Our goal is to facilitate deep-rooted communities between people who are facing major life challenges, and to help transform post-traumatic stress into post-traumatic growth. Whilst suffering in isolation can be detrimental, suffering in connection with others can garner strength and wisdom.

'This group has freed me from the deep pain of isolation that I've felt since my child was born.' Participant 2020

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We believe that individual wellbeing is shaped by the quality of our connections with others. Our culture is in the middle of a loneliness epidemic, and mental health is in crisis as a result. ​B y drawing together therapeutic work with community development, the projects we create at Murmuration aim to be little rafts of connection, bringing people who feel isolated together into community.

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Frequent wakings? Early wake ups? Nap problems? Unsettled sleep? Sound familiar? Or a child struggling to fall asleep until late or without a parent present?

We really believe that with our help your sleep situation can be much better! You can be confident that our advice will be gentle and compassionate, with up to date, evidence based knowledge, tailored to your individual situation.

ABOUT

Tabitha Moynagh

Paediatric Sleep Practitioner

My name is Tabitha and I am passionate about sleep and helping people achieve better sleep for their families. It's really important to me to empower parents to make informed choices based on evidence, but led by their family values to improve their children's sleep.

THE SERVICES WE OFFER

Take a look to see which package is most appropriate for your situation

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Baby sleep help | The Family Sleep Practice | England

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Frequent wakings? Early wake ups? Nap problems? Unsettled sleep? Sound familiar? Or a child struggling to fall asleep until late or without a parent present? We really believe that with our help your sleep situation can be much better!

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A bit about Winston’s Wish. We were the UK’s first childhood bereavement charity and have been supporting grieving children and young people since 1992. We continue to lead the way in providing specialist child bereavement support services across the UK. Winston’s Wish provides emotional and practical bereavement support to children, young people and those who care for them. Our expert teams offer one off and ongoing bereavement support and we also provide online resources, specialist publications and training for professionals.

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Winston's Wish is the UK's childhood bereavement charity. We support children and their families after the death of a parent or sibling.

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We’re Mind, the mental health charity | Mind

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We're Mind, the mental health charity. We're here to make sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone.

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We’re the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health.

We want to see a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, and all young people get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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A really useful video on how trauma can affect a child's behaviour, and how we as adults can support them

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Childhood Trauma and the Brain animation and accompanying educational materials for professionals and carers supporting children and young people.

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Eric - Children's bowel and bladder charity 

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Eric - Children's bowel and bladder charity 

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With your help, we can keep offering free support to those who need us.

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Following the success of Reading Well booklists for adults and young people, we are delighted to bring you the Reading Well for children booklist. Most of the books on the list are available as e books and e audio books.

Reading Well for children supports the mental health and wellbeing of children, providing children and their families and carers with information, advice and support for coping with feelings and worries, daily life and getting through a tough time.

The booklist of 33 titles provides quality-assured information, advice and stories to support children's mental health and wellbeing and includes:

General information and advice about maintaining good mental health and wellbeing

Understanding and managing feelings

Dealing with worries

Navigating the world around you, including at school, online and in the news

Dealing with tough times, including when someone dies, trauma, and when a parent or carer has mental health

The books have been chosen and endorsed by leading health professionals and co-produced with children and families. The selection panel included colleagues from public libraries, NHS England, Mind, the Royal College of GPs, and the School Library Association.

The booklist is targeted at children in Key Stage 2 (aged 7 to 11), but includes a wide range of reading levels to support less confident readers, and to encourage children to read together with their siblings and carers.

You may also be interested in exploring some Mood-boosting books - a national promotion of uplifting titles, including novels, poetry and non-fiction. The books are all recommended by readers and reading groups.

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Following the success of Reading Well booklists for adults and young people, we are delighted to bring you the Reading Well for children booklist. Most of the books on the list are available as e books and e audio books.

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Our dedicated sleep service is here to help.

Alongside our Sleep Tips booklet and relevant guides, we also offer one-to-one support. This involves completing an application form for your child and two weeks' worth of sleep diaries which we'll send out to you as long as you come under our criteria for support.

If you need one-to-one support and are a parent/carer or a professional referring a family with their consent to having sleep support, please click the button below to contact the sleep service.

If you have a question or query about our services please email us at [email protected].

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Sleep tips Our Sleep Tips booklet introduces and explains different techniques for you to try that may improve your child's sleep. It covers ten main topics including bedtime routines, daytime napping, comfort objects and moving bedtime backwards or forwards. It gives lots of illustrated hints and tips for putting the...

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Make a change today! Discover healthy recipes, food swaps, nutritional advice, and top tips and activities to help the whole family stay healthy.

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Struggling with an eating disorder? Caring for someone who is? Beat is here to support you.

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Lots of tips, ideas and strategies around how to support your child to develop increased self esteem, confidence and resilience

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Big Life Journals for kids and teens are science-based journals which help develop a growth mindset, build their self-esteem and resilience, and unlock their problem-solving abilities. Big Life Journals are based on the latest positive psychology research, and that's what makes them so unique and effective.

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Our School Nurse teams work within schools, other education providers and the local community to support children and young people of school age, and those who care for them. They will work together with you to offer support and advice about how to make decisions about healthy living.

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Description

Our School Nurse teams work within schools, other education providers and the local community to support children and young people of school age, and those who care for them. They will work together with you to offer support and advice about how to make decisions about healthy living.

School nurses are registered nurses who have successfully completed specialist training in the health of children and young people.

Each of our School Nursing teams is made up of qualified school nurses, staff nurses, family health workers and health care support workers.

On our specialised Family Health services website Better Lives, Healthy Futures we have a dedicated School Nursing section where you can find out all the information you need to know about the team and how they will support you. The website also has a 'School readiness' section and lots of other useful resources to help you support your child.

Contact

Telephone: 01924 310130, Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm.

Who is this service for?

We support children and young people of school age and we work in partnership with schools, the Local Authority, our other health colleagues and voluntary services.

Where can I see a school nurse?

You can see your school nurse at your school, but if required we will see children and young people at their homes or other community settings.

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Description Our School Nurse teams work within schools, other education providers and the local community to support children and young people of school age, and those who care for them. They will work together with you to offer support and advice about how to make decisions about healthy living.

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Wakefield Early Support, Advice, Information and Liaison (WESAIL) service provides a free, confidential and impartial support to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and their parents and carers.

WESAIL provide information, advice, support and signposting according to need by either by telephone or where needed on an individual or targeted basis or through events and workshops. We aim to provide easy-to-understand information to raise awareness of the options available to those using our service, and support people in making informed decisions about these options.

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We all want happy, healthy and safe lives for Wakefield children, young people and their families.  We have high aspirations for Wakefield to be the best place for children and young people to grow up. Most children and young people do well. Most move in and out of difficulties through their lives, and some have important disadvantages that currently are only addressed when they become serious.

Sometimes parents know there is a problem but don’t know where or how to get help. We want to identify children and young people earlier and help them before things reach crisis point.

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This site uses cookies and other tracking methods to help us gather your feedback, analyse data and provide third party content. Cookie policy

We all want happy, healthy and safe lives for Wakefield children, young people and their families. We have high aspirations for Wakefield to be the best place for children and young people to grow up. Most children and young people do well. Most move in and out of difficulties through their lives, and some have important disadvantages that currently are only addressed when they become serious.

Sometimes parents know there is a problem but don't know where or how to get help. We want to identify children and young people earlier and help them before things reach crisis point.

The most important way of doing this is for everyone who works with children and young people to pay attention to their progress and well-being and be prepared to help if something is going wrong. Wakefield partners such as the Council, NHS, Police, Fire, Voluntary Community Sector, Schools and others work together with children, parents and families to get the right help at the right time.

The Wakefield partners have produced an Early Help Strategy and way of working together to deliver early and focussed help for children, young people (aged 0 to 19) and their families who have been identified as requiring some support from a specialist service to address their unmet needs.

Here's our child-friendly Early Help Strategy, developed in partnership with our children and young people's groups so they can understand where and how to get help, and our commitment to them.

When times are tough, we are here to support you every step of the way

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This site uses cookies and other tracking methods to help us gather your feedback, analyse data and provide third party content. Cookie policy We all want happy, healthy and safe lives for Wakefield children, young people and their families. We have high aspirations for Wakefield to be the best place for children and young people to grow up.

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This is a one stop shop for information and advice for children and young people who have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND), their families and carers. Here you will find links to other local services, as well as information around extra support available.

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What is the SEND Local Offer?

It provides information and support available for families with children and young people ages 0-25 years with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Find out more about the Local Offer by clicking here.

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It provides information and support available for families with children and young people ages 0-25 years with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Find out more about the Local Offer by clicking here.

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Welcome to The Vale Primary Academy Padlet. Here you will find a range of resources and ideas to help support your child.

If you can't find what you are looking for please don't hesitate to contact your child's class teacher, Mrs Rowse SENCO or a member of staff. Alternatively if you have found any other useful resources please don't hesitate to share them with us.

Our vision for children with special educational needs and disabilities is the same as for all children and young people – that they achieve well in their early years, at school and in college, and lead happy and fulfilled lives.

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The Vale Primary Academy - The Vale Primary Academy