Parents/carers play a very important role in promoting the mental health and wellbeing of their children and noticing when something is wrong. A steady routine can help provide stability in a child’s life, which can give children and young people a sense of security and help reduce stress. Here are some other strategies which parents/carers can use for promoting their child’s mental health and wellbeing: 

• Plan regular weekly activities, such as seeing friends and relatives or taking part in a club or hobby; 

• Have regular mealtimes; 

• Set and stick to bed times, particularly for younger children, as sleep is important for children’s mental and physical wellbeing; 

• Find time to talk, just the two of you – 'Check in' with them while you're doing things together, so they get used to talking about their feelings; 

• Attend information evenings and parent workshops at school; 

• Be a role model, show how you cope with difficult feelings and look after yourself. 

It might be difficult to know if there is something upsetting your child, but there are some common signs to look out for: 

• significant changes in behaviour 

• ongoing difficulty sleeping 

• withdrawing from social situations 

• not wanting to do things they usually like 

• self-harm or neglecting themselves 

Please refer to our Mental Health Policy for more information. 

If you have a concern and would like to speak to someone at school then please contact your child’s Form Tutor, their Head of Year or Mrs Sundborg (Assistant Headteacher for Student Support, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Senior Mental Health Lead). 

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