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Leading Mental Health in Hertfordshire Schools Autumn 2017 __________________________________________________________________________________ In this issue: P7-8 Suicide bereavement link, report P1 Hertfordshire’s key role in Green Paper P8 Spot the Signs suicide prevention review P9 Can you talk about suicide with P2 ‘Just Talk’ Hertfordshire mental health confidence? campaign for boys and young men P9-10 Meet the CAMHS targeted team P3 Get online tools for schools with P10 YCT’s successful year Healthy Young Minds in Herts P10-12 Conference news P4 Coming soon: Anxiety resources for P13-14 SEMH schools in the news Hertfordshire P15 Schools best practice review out P4-5 Supporting anxiety course, Years 6-9 P16 Drama offer for Dacorum CYP P5-6 Supporting mental health and P16 SEND Local Offer improved wellbeing in schools P17 Parental drug & alcohol workshops P6-7 What’s going on in Families First? P18-26 Training offers ________________________________________________________________________ And lots
Hertfordshire’s key role in Green Paper review Hertfordshire was one of 10 places that health and social care watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) chose to visit as part of a national thematic review into children and young people’s mental health services. More than 70 professionals from schools, children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) providers, health and social care met the CQC review team, who are contributing to a new Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health, as well as groups of young people, parents and carers, during a week-long visit. Hertfordshire was the final area visited with Green Paper author, Catherine Tyack, from the Department of Health accompanying the review team for one day, hearing first-hand about Hertfordshire Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust’s (HPFT) children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), its community eating disorder and perinatal mental health teams. “This was a great opportunity to showcase all of the good work that has been done across all organisations in Hertfordshire to improve children and young people’s emotional wellbeing through Hertfordshire’s CAMHS Transformation,” said Maria Nastri, CAMHS Transformation Manager. “The CQC team paid tribute to all the professionals they met, saying they 'take their hat off' to them. They were impressed with the progress we’ve made in the last two years.” The Prime Minister announced the thematic review in January 2017 and the Green Paper is due to be published shortly, with a White Paper following in spring 2018. The other areas visited were Bedford, Bristol, Dorset, Enfield, Liverpool, North Yorkshire, Southwark, South Tyneside and Walsall. _________________________________________________________________________ 1
more…
‘Just Talk’ Hertfordshire mental health campaign for boys and young men ‘Just Talk’ is a mental health campaign for boys and young men in Hertfordshire. Launching in the week starting Monday 22 January 2018, schools and community agencies will have access to a range of resources to promote the campaign. We’ll also be using social media, sharing young people’s stories, seeing celebrity/big names engaging with the campaign as role models, and promoting the stories of ‘normal’ people that young people can relate to. Professionals and parents will also be involved in the campaign through events, parents’ evenings, and communications sent home via schools. Why do we need a campaign?
Mental health in adolescence is a growing issue. 1 in 10 children aged 5-16 have a clinically significant mental health problem. This figure increases with age. Prevention and early intervention is vital. Evidence shows that those that receive support early have better outcomes. However, fear of stigma and discrimination is a key barrier in accessing mental health support early. National and local research and service data has demonstrated the need to focus on mental health in boys, with a number of social and cultural barriers preventing men in particular from opening up on the topic of mental health. Importantly, we’re not excluding women. Time to Change found that men won’t engage with campaigns aimed at women but women still notice campaigns aimed at men.
The campaign
A multi-agency group, led by Public Health, is working together to lead the ‘Just Talk’ campaign to address these issues. Partners include CCGs, schools, health services, voluntary sector, Watford FC and the Time to Change team. Extensive local research, working with over 600 secondary school age boys, has informed the campaign and will provide baseline data to measure impact. Key messages from the ‘Just Talk’ campaign include: o We are all affected by mental health, just like physical health o Talking shows strength not weakness o Seeking help early means you’re more likely to get better o There are simple and relevant ways to improve your own mental health (or to support others to improve their mental health) o There is support and information available, and it can really help
Get involved
Download and use resources from the campaign pages on www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk (once live) Join in with one of the events during the campaign or run your own Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #JustTalk
To discuss the campaign further, contact Jen Beer:
[email protected] _________________________________________________________________________ 2
Get online tools for schools with Healthy Young Minds in Herts You can now find this newsletter online, alongside other useful information about services available to children and young people struggling with their mental health in Hertfordshire. Created as part of the CAMHS Transformation, www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk features a wealth of information for young people, parents and carers and professionals working with children and young people. There are great resources for schools in a password-protected area, including the latest Mental Health Leads toolkit, lesson plans and a forum to share best practice. To register, visit www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk/schools click on the link ‘To access schools forum you must be logged in’ underneath the menu on the left hand side. Click on the new user tab, fill out the form and your account will be sent for approval. The forum and tools for mental health leads contain resources which we have secured permission to use locally so you will need to register to access this section. Anyone in a Hertfordshire school can register to use the section. The website is always being updated but here is a selection of what you can find in the tools for mental health leads section:
Communication in the classroom
Level 1 - When to worry tool
Record of concern slip
Information about Kooth
Information about MindEd
School Self Evaluation tool
Pupil focus group exercise
What are other schools doing?
Level 2 – assessment of need
HSCB Self harm and suicide guidance
Record of concern form
Training slides
Matching need to intervention table (what services are out there?
Parent / GP / CAMHS consent form
CAMHS Referral form
A-DASH referral form
PALMS referral form
School information form
What happens after making a referral
Counsellor quality assurance guidance
Training brochure
Neurobiology film clip for use in training
There are tips for talking to teens for parents and carers and an online questionnaire for them to have their say on emotional health and wellbeing services and get involved. 3
Coming soon: Anxiety resources for Hertfordshire In recognition of increased anxiety levels in children and young people reported across schools, parents and agencies, a multi-agency anxiety working group has been set in Hertfordshire and is working towards guidance and a quality assured toolkit for schools, parents, and children and young people. These resources will aim to increase awareness, supporting early identification and provide access to practical resources to help with mild to moderate anxiety in addition to signposting information for more complex anxiety. The working group includes NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, Education Support for Medical Absence (ESMA), School Nursing, Step 2, HPFT CAMHS, Schools, Attendance Improvement, Public Health, Family Partnerships and Educational Psychology. The group meets termly and will be providing Top tips for parents sheets to all schools which can be circulated to parents via parent mail, leaflet on managing Anxiety for young people, and guidance/resources which will be available on the www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk website. We are very keen to have school, parent and young person involvement in this work. If you are interested in hearing more or becoming involved, please email Breda.O’
[email protected] _________________________________________________________________________
Supporting anxiety course for Years 6 to 9 A course to help parents recognise and positively respond to their child’s anxiety with solution-focused strategies was developed and led by Education Support for Medical Absence (ESMA); LINKS and Potential. We ran three courses over the academic year 2016; one each term with 16 attendees on each one, writes Sue Bramley, ISL County Lead Practitioner for Education Support for Medical Absence. We had a solution-focused approach aiming to help parents recognise the signs of anxiety and alternative responses available to reduce the impact of anxiety and to empower the young person to develop self-management techniques. This age range was chosen because we wanted to focus on the impact of transition and to further develop the early intervention support which aimed to identify need and allocate support options. Funding was received from DSPL7 for the initial planning; resource development and allocation of time required. Each term we offered the course at a different time so it could have maximum attendance – it was run over 5 evenings the first term; a mixture of afternoons and evenings the second term and over 3 Saturdays the third term. At the end of each course evaluation responses gave the course a rating from 1-5 (1= poor and 5 = excellent). It was extremely gratifying to see the positive responses: a)
100% indicated a rise in awareness and understanding of: What is normal anxiety Symptoms of anxiety Brain chemistry connected to anxiety 4
b) c) d) e) f)
When feelings of anxiety become problematic How to support someone experiencing anxiety 100% rated the course content from grade 4 to 5 100% rated the handouts and resources from grade 4 to 5 100% rated the facilitators from grade 4 to 5 100% rated the course as meeting its objective from grade 4 to 5 100% would recommend the course to other parents
Other parent/carer observations: “Engaging, Enjoyable, Empowering Informative” “Since attending the course I have modified my behaviour and our relationship has improved – thank you” “A great course for anyone wanting to be the best parent they can” “It has given our family techniques to work with” “An enjoyable and informative course” “My child is calmer when I use the tools the course has provided me” “I realise that being kind to myself is the foundation to change” “I feel I will now be a better parent with a greater understanding of both my children” “I got a lot more than I thought I would” “The course will no doubt have a very positive impact on my family and I feel confident to support my son going forward” “I have found this course extremely helpful – I need to step back and allow them to have a voice” “I feel positive about dealing with the issues at home, every parent should go on this course as every child may go through an anxious period” Anxiety and the impact it can have on a young person and the family should not be underestimated. We hope to repeat this course so the toolkit of support measures available to families in Hertfordshire continues to develop. _________________________________________________________________________
Supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools A new booklet supporting all staff working in school settings to understand how best to help children and young people in their care has been produced by The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. It explains in simple terms what to do if you are worried about a child or young person in your school, and includes information on a range of topics including anxiety, low mood and self-harm. It’s free to download here or you can log on to www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk where you will find links to this and many other resources. _________________________________________________________________________
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'You're never too young to talk mental health' In September, the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families launched a campaign called ‘You’re never too young to talk mental health’. It supports primary school staff to encourage children to talk about mental health and to listen to their friends who might want to talk. There are great online resources to download, including an animation, Talking Mental Health, which comes with an assembly plan and lesson plan. Other resources include a booklet, Supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools, offering practical guidance about what to do if you are worried about a child or young person. It is accompanied by a series of short online films, presented by the Centre’s senior clinicians, covering topics from low mood to looked-after children. These materials are designed to be used for both primary and secondary school staff. Visit www.annafreud.org and search ‘Talking mental health’. _________________________________________________________________________
Parents & carers tips for talking mental health, new leaflet ‘You’re never too young to talk mental health’ also includes a leaflet for parents and carers with some tips about how to talk mental health with young children. The common sense advice includes how to start a conversation about feelings, questions to ask and how to react. It’s free to download here or you can log on to www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk where you will find links to this and many other resources. _________________________________________________________________________
What’s going on in Families First? It’s been a very busy time in Families First - here are some of the recent key highlights: The Families First Portal (public facing) has had a makeover! The Portal maintains the same functionality of providing advice and service information to the public and professionals alike, but has some improved functionality and a fresh modern look! If your service is not yet represented on the Portal, don’t miss out! You can register for your service’s profile now! The new Families First Portal (practitioner's area) is now live! (*Log in details for practitioner’s area – Username: EarlyHelp Password: earlyhelp) Following on from multiagency focus groups, the improvements to the practitioner’s area are now complete. The practitioner’s area provides a one-stop repository for professionals to share resources, access information and training offers and more. 6
With both areas of the Portal, we encourage everyone to provide feedback using the GovMetrics (‘smilies’ at the bottom of each page) to let us know what you think and if anything is missing) We are also pleased to introduce the Families First Interactive Process Map. This tool has been created to assist professionals in navigating the Families First process and ensuring that families get the right support at the right time. If you are considering requesting early help support for a family, take a look at the Process Map. In addition to the Interactive Process Map, we have also created the Families First Champions Pack which brings together all key resources and links for professionals to understand and promote Families First. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work and continued support across Families First, whilst there is still much to do; we have achieved so much thanks to the dedication and commitment of partners and professionals countywide! Don’t forget you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, resources and training offers for Families First professionals by subscribing to Families First News? *The practitioners area is currently password protected as there are some contact numbers stored within which are solely for professional-to-professional use. If you tick the ‘Save Password’ box before you log in, the Portal will remember you for subsequent visits. _________________________________________________________________________
Suicide in children and young people linked to bereavement, new report finds A national study found that children and young people who die by suicide have often experienced the death of a family member or friend, in some cases also by suicide. The University of Manchester’s National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCISH) calls for better support for students, internet safety and services for children who self-harm. The researchers found 25% of under-20s and 28% of 20-24 year olds - around 125 deaths per year - had experienced bereavement. In 11% of all the under 20s examined, this death was also a suicide, usually of a family member or friend. The report emphasises the emotional impact of bereavement on young people and recommends that bereavement support should be widely available. Professor Louis Appleby, Director of NCISH, said: “Suicide is the leading cause of death in young people in England and Wales. Although there is no single cause, bereavement was an important theme in many of the deaths we examined. Some of the young people had experienced the suicide of someone close to them - it's tragic that the trauma of suicide may lead young people to take their own lives."
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The study estimates there are around 75 suicides per year in students under 25 and found that suicide in students under 20 occurred more often in April and May, conventionally exam months. Only 12% of those who died were known to be seeing student counselling services. A quarter of under 20s who died were found to have searched for suicide methods on the internet, posted suicidal messages on social media, or had been bullied online. Read the full report here: https://www.hqip.org.uk/resources/report-suicide-by-children-and-young-people-2017/ _________________________________________________________________________
Spot the Signs suicide prevention and awareness campaign in Herts Spot the Signs is a suicide prevention and awareness campaign in Hertfordshire, run in partnership by HPFT, Hertfordshire Mind Network, and Mind in Mid Herts. We have two campaigns within Spot the Signs; one targeting adults, and one targeting young people. Through these we provide training courses and signpost to mental health services in Hertfordshire. The young people’s project aims to: Increase public awareness of depression and suicide in Hertfordshire Remove the stigma linked with suicide Provide suicide prevention training to those working with young people To work with existing youth services to create safer environments Signpost to mental health services for children and young people in Hertfordshire Encourage peer support Suicide awareness training Spot the Signs youth project offers free-of-charge suicide awareness training for professionals working with children and young people. The training will increase participant’s awareness and knowledge of youth suicide, and provide information about the latest statistics and Hertfordshire support services. It will explore groups of young people most at risk and why, protective factors and practical strategies for identifying and responding to signs of risk. Effects of media and contagion on youth suicide will also be discussed, with internet use having an important contemporary role. Support services The Spot the Signs webpage has information and signposting for young people and adults who are struggling with suicidal thoughts, or supporting someone who is. A signposting guide for young people is currently in development, and will be available soon. Visit www.hpft.nhs.uk/spot-the-signs for support. For more information or to book a training session, please contact Naomi Jackson at
[email protected] or call 0203 727 3600. For more information, visit: www.hpft.nhs.uk/spot-the-signs _________________________________________________________________ 8
Can you talk about suicide with confidence? Do you feel like you have the skills needed to be able to have a conversation about suicide and ask the difficult questions? The safeTALK (Tell Ask Listen Keep Safe) training course is a half day (3-4 hours) interactive training course which enables you to feel competent in starting a dialogue and looking for any indicators of vulnerability. What happens if you ask the question ‘are you thinking about hurting yourself?’ and the answer is yes? Would you know what to do next? This subsidised course costs £30 per person. At the next level, ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), a 2 day course, equips participants with the skills and insights to help them support vulnerable people and signpost them towards appropriate support. This subsidised course costs £80 per person. Suicide is the biggest killer of young people under the age of 35 in the UK; on average, four young people end their own lives each day. The OLLIE Foundation was set up by three parents who had all lost their teenage sons to suicide; they vowed to do all they could to prevent other families suffering similar tragedies. As a charity we are devoted to stopping teenagers and young people from taking their own lives. If you’re interested in either of our training courses visit www.theolliefoundation.org or email
[email protected]
Meet the CAMHS targeted team The CAMHS targeted team provides a mental health service to children, young people and their families who are open with an allocated social worker and receiving a service from Children’s Services as part of a Child in Need Plan, safeguarding plan or is an adopted child and open to the Post Adoption Team. Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation University NHS Trust’s (HPFT) multi-disciplinary team includes clinical social workers, an art therapist, systemic family psychotherapist and psychologist. We provide initial consultation to the professional network and can then either offer direct evidence-based intervention to the child/family/carer or ongoing consultation to the professional network. We offer six sessions in the first instance and a further six if warranted. In addition, we have another service that offers more extensive work in respect of trauma and attachment difficulties. Eligibility criteria for our services are that children and young people must be open to social care for the length of any intervention, with an up to date Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) which scores over 15. The SDQ must be sent with the referral to our Single Point of Access (SPA) which triages all referrals. In addition, we provide regular monthly informal consultation clinics at Farnham House and Apsley, which social workers can book into. These clinics allow for discussion about cases 9
where it is unclear if the concerns are mental health and whether a formal referral would be helpful. Additionally, they can offer space for reflection and supervision in respect of mental health/emotional wellbeing and provide advice for professionals working with these children and families. Our team has been involved in an exciting research project called ‘Herts and Minds’ over the past 18 months. This feasibility study, in conjunction with the Anna Freud Centre and the University of Hertfordshire, has compared the usefulness of Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) for foster carers to treatment as usual for children and young people in foster care aged 5-16 years. Results from this study are currently being analysed and it is hoped that a full scale study will follow which our team will be involved in. You can read more about the Herts and Minds study here - http://rdcu.be/px9c _______________________________________________________________________
YCT’s successful year Counselling provider YCT has marked another successful year in its 2017 Annual Report. The report, available to download online, gives an overview of our services, information about us, recent awardees and summary of our exciting research project to be launched next year (cost benefit ratio, £5 saved for every £1 invested!). Most importantly, our case studies highlight the difference our varied services make, impact/effectiveness stats we have made a significant impact on the majority, and 94% of clients said they would recommend us to a friend. YCT provides counselling and therapeutic support in schools and colleges across East Herts from primary upwards and has new art and drama therapists. We also provide open access counselling at youth friendly times/locations accessible to all 13 to 18 year olds - young people, families/friends and professionals can make a quick referral by calling 01279 414090. Recent client feedback: If I didn't receive help from YCT... "I would have had to keep the feeling of being worried all the time a secret" "A continuation of an unhealthy mind-set and therefore, physical lifestyle" "Made wrong decisions, possible trouble with the police" "I would have felt sad and upset and would have moved schools again" YCT is a BACP accredited organisation, and all of its therapists are accredited, or applying within six months of appointment. Visit www.yctsupport.com ________________________________________________________________________
STOP PRESS: Coming soon! Feeling Good Week 2018 The date has been set for Feeling Good Week 2018 - it will start at the end of half term, from Saturday 17 February. Bidding for funding starts soon and we’ll be in touch with details. Visit https://www.healthyyoungmindsinherts.org.uk/feeling-good-week2018 ________________________________________________________________________ 10
YC Herts in partnership with Sandringham School put on Mental Health Conference this November If you are interested in young people's mental health and emotional wellbeing you could attend a full day conference at Sandringham School in St Albans on Thursday 23 November. Organised by YC Herts (formerly Youth Connexions), Sandringham School and their Youth Health Champions and supported by colleagues from across the District and services, you can book a place at the conference on Eventbrite. Programmes are planned for professionals, parents and students, with lectures and workshops including reflexyoga, emotional freedom technique and an in-depth look at stress anxiety and eating disorders from experts from Elysium Hospital and the eating disorder charity B-Eat. Hectors House will be running their "love eat move" workshop and a goalsetting workshop from the Head of Lean in Europe is proving very popular. They also offer very important talks from the Samaritans 'post-vention' team, Public Health and local service providers as well as incredibly insightful workshops from the original thrive team based in Devon and the Maudsley Hospital. There will be a special focus on young men’s mental health throughout the day with talks from Arsenal FC's safeguarding lead as well as one of the Arsenal under 21s players and if that isn't enough, a Saracens and ex-England rugby coach will also be popping in to talk about fitness and pressure. Finally, you won't want to miss the amazing keynote speakers Jonny Benjamin MBE, the man who saved his life, Neil Laybourn, and comedian Jake Mills. Day tickets are free for teens, £35 for professionals and £15 for parents (only a few parent tickets left now). You can also book individual workshops (for free) without a day ticket. ‘Workshop only’ tickets exclude refreshments and keynote speeches but include entrance to the info and marketplace. For more information please contact Debi Roberts at
[email protected] or Sandringham Head of Pastoral Care, Stuart Kemp at
[email protected] _________________________________________________________________________
DSPL 8 Conference: Anxiety – Looking beyond behaviour The theme of this year’s DSPL 8 Conference was Anxiety, providing a fantastic opportunity to focus on an area often overlooked or misunderstood. Over 100 participants from a broad range of settings attended Hemel’s South Hill Centre on Wednesday 18 October, including parents, early years workers, schools’ partnerships, schools and key local organisations working with special educational needs. 11
The format included morning presentations from CCG/Public Health/ESMA on the MultiAgency Anxiety Toolkit currently in development which will be providing early intervention resources for schools, parents, children and young people. Pauline Hickey, manager of Longdean Speech and Language Base, presented on the important area of considering anxiety alongside speech language and communication difficulties and the need for flexibility of intervention to meet the needs of the child or young person. The theme of identifying and addressing the needs of vulnerable groups was highlighted in discussions throughout the day, along with the need for flexibility of approaches in engaging and supporting children and young people experiencing anxiety to improve access to earlier support. The level of parental engagement was very impressive and was reflected in the question and answer session and within the afternoon focus groups. A range of key questions were discussed, including gaps in provision, areas of concern and how these could be addressed, existing models of good practice within the local area and countywide. Parental feedback regarding their experiences of navigating the system to access support clearly demonstrated the need for availability of clear information, accessible early support for younger children with complex needs both pre- and post-diagnosis, improved health/education partnership working, recognition of the impact on parental emotional wellbeing, increased awareness within schools and greater consistency of good practice across schools. The impressive work that has already taken place within the DSPL locally was acknowledged and suggested areas for consideration regarding next steps. The DSPL conference, by focusing on underlying issues, is significantly broadening perspectives on our understanding of anxiety. For more details, email Maria Oliver at
[email protected]
Priory conference: Resilience On Friday 6 October, Katie Southall from Hitchin’s The Priory School and Kieran Murphy, director of local charity, Phase, led their second annual mental health conference. The theme was Resilience and schools from Herts and Beds attended in order to gain ideas and share practise around developing resilience strategies for our young people. It was a superb event with over 200 in attendance all working together to gain an insight into better practises for mental health provision and support. We are hoping that schools have taken their ideas back to their own settings in order to implement some of their new-found knowledge. ______________________________________________________________________
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School’s revolutionary approach hits the headlines Pioneering Hemel Hempstead school, Haywood Grove, was featured in The Guardian recently for helping excluded children control their rage. Haywood Grove gives another chance to children who have been taken out of mainstream primaries, encouraging pupils to regulate their own behaviour and sort out their own problems. All 42 pupils, aged four to 11, have social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH). All have been excluded (or were on the verge of being excluded) from mainstream primary schools for their “challenging” behaviour, with up to 50% were excluded from three or four schools before going to Haywood. Some are autistic, others have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or anger issues, and many have experienced developmental trauma caused by problems at home, parental breakups and bereavement. Most have only limited social and communication skills, often resorting to anger and violence. Catherine Smith, headteacher at Haywood Grove, told The Guardian: “The traditional approach is control through rules, punishment and exclusion, but children with problems have a greater need for a non-punitive approach. Most of their ‘naughty’ behaviour is the result of being anxious and stressed. We believe we can help these children by reducing their anxiety and providing a secure base. “Our relationship with the children is paramount, as it provides a blueprint for their relationships in future. We give them more freedom to explore their emotions and behaviour so that it can be unlearned or adapted, but we’re not soft. “This is a unique approach to managing and modifying behaviour and, at times, counterintuitive – we are perceived to be unusual and different. However, with younger and younger children attending our school, we believe there is a real opportunity to change behaviour in the developing brain. We can’t give up on these children.” Key to the new approach is the Just Right State programme, devised by occupational therapist Éadaoin Bhreathnach, which uses activities and foods to help children learn how to self-regulate their emotional state. The school is the first in Britain to fully integrate the programme into its curriculum. Every child takes part in a 40-minute session at 9am each school day, during which they pat or stroke their body as if they have just got out of the shower, roll on gym balls, climb, and eat crunchy foods or sucky sweets. The programme also uses a series of nine characters from Bhreathnach’s children’s book, The Scared Gang, to help children recognise their own approaches to stress – and offer alternative ways to deal with those feelings. Wary Wanda is hypervigilant and constantly on 13
the alert for danger, while Frightened Fred represents behaviours associated with fear such as being startled, crying out and clinging. Hayward Grove also uses the Forest School programme, where children learn through play outdoors, as well as play therapy and Lego therapy, and it has redesigned its grounds to incorporate a pond with a small boat to provide a calming environment for pupils. The school has seen a reduction in harmful behaviour and an improvement in parental engagement and academic achievement. “It is a longer game to do it this way,” said the head. “But in terms of future life chances, these children will be able to help themselves when they get older. At this point we are unusual, but there is a growing sense that what we are doing might be the way forward.” Caleb, aged nine, said reading about Fired-Up Freda, who becomes angry with others when she is frightened, has helped him to understand his feelings. “Anger is the reason why I came to the school. I feel bad inside when I am angry and now I send sorry cards to people I have been angry with afterwards.” ______________________________________________________________________
SEMH school’s approach helps community Also in the news recently was Baldock’s Brandles School, where the programme for pupils – boys with social, emotional and mental health needs – includes community projects. The Comet newspaper spoke to school staff and pupils at Lister Hospital in Stevenage, where they were selling cakes and cycling on an exercise bike raising money for the neo-natal ward. Chief reporter Martin Elvery was impressed with the school’s good practice to get young people out of the traditional classroom setting by teaming up with community enterprise company Education Learning Skills & Achievement for a series of projects to get them out and about, talking to people and getting involved in good causes. Fun tasks help pupils develop vital social and communication skills and the school uses them to count towards pupils’ qualifications. Other projects in the pipeline include helping build a community garden at Westmill Community Centre in Hitchin and making planters at Tapps Garden Centre in Baldock.
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Review of best practice in psychological services in schools launched A review on how schools can provide the best psychological support to both pupils and staff was recently published by the British Psychological Society (BPS) Faculty for Children, Young People and their Families. ‘What Good Looks Like in Psychological Services for Schools and colleges: Primary prevention early intervention and mental health provision’ reviews the evidence and discusses the practical ways in which psychological wellbeing can be addressed in school settings, as well as the implications for commissioning and delivery of provision. The 36-page report contains various case studies of applied psychologists working with individuals, schools and services. Review author Julia Faulconbridge, BPS Division of Clinical Psychology Child Lead, said: "In a climate of limited resource and rising demand there is clear and growing evidence that embedding psychological services in schools is an effective way of identifying and working with children and young people’s mental health needs. We believe psychologically healthy schools with support for the wellbeing of staff and students should be a priority. “Schools can provide a setting in which we can work to improve the resilience and psychological wellbeing of children and young people to prevent the development of difficulties as well as intervening early when difficulties arise.” The review helps the understanding of: - How schools can build cultures and develop resources aimed at building resilience, and ameliorate the negative impact of risk factors like poverty or bereavement. - How the PHSE and wider curricula (together with models and support and appropriate resources) must be developed to tackle within school risk factors such as bullying and other social concerns, academic and sexual pressures. - The need to train teachers in the delivery of those curricula. - The importance of early recognition of problems and high quality assessments so that the right help is provided at the right time. - How rapid access to high quality psychological assessment is essential to quickly identify any risk of harm to the self or others. - How teachers need to be trained to understand what normal distress looks like and to recognise when more specialist help may be needed. - How enhanced training for teachers must be followed up in terms of ongoing access to consultation, support and provision from relevant health and social care professionals. Read the full report here. _________________________________________________________________________
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Drama offer for Dacorum young people Young people with mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression can benefit from a special 12-week drama programme in Dacorum. Fifteen free spaces are being offered for the next course, starting in January 2018 by Dacorum Borough Council, in partnership with Trestle Theatre Company and Signpost Counselling. A Signpost counsellor will be on hand at every session, which will explore theatre techniques using masks. Young people aged between 11- 25 living in the borough of Dacorum can join the programme, which runs from 5.30-7.30pm on Thursdays (term time only) at the Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead. If you know of anyone who is interested contact
[email protected], call 01442 228181, or visit www.dacorum.gov.uk/mask
Hertfordshire’s new and improved SEND Local Offer Have you used Hertfordshire’s SEND Local Offer? The Children and Families Act 2014 has reformed how we support children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities across the country. The duties of the local authority are explained in the SEND Code of Practice, which requires that each local authority establish and maintain a SEND Local Offer. The Local Offer provides information on local services and support available for families including children and young people aged 0 - 25 years with special educational needs or disabilities. Following a recent review of SEND information, advice and guidance in Hertfordshire County Council, it has been agreed that the Local Offer must become the one front door for SEND information in Hertfordshire. We are working together with all teams and partners to ensure this happens so that we can provide the right support to help children and young people with special needs or disabilities, to live as full and independent a life as they can. We also recognise the different needs of our users and are constantly updating our information films where relevant, with BSL interpreting access. Two of these are the introduction to the Local Offer, information about education, health and care plans and more. Whether a parent/carer, child or young person needs a support group, information about preparing for adulthood, how to apply for an assessment, or simply wants to find more detail on a special need, the Local Offer is the place to look. There are over 25,500 young people in Hertfordshire with a special need or disability. If you work with families with any special needs, please share the Local Offer information with them. Visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/localoffer _________________________________________________________________________ 16
Parental Drug & Alcohol Awareness Workshops 2017-18 Making choices about drugs and alcohol can begin earlier then many parents / carers realise, with some children exposed before they leave primary school. HCC Parental Drug & Alcohol Awareness Workshops provide useful, practical information about drugs, alcohol and the law, along with tips on how to have positive conversations at home to help reduce the risks and encourage healthy choices. Adaptable for primary and secondary schools, last year’s workshops engaged with over 1,800 parents / carers, making it the most popular of its type in the county. Feedback was positive with 100% saying that they would recommend it to others and over 80% saying that they felt more confident talking to their children at home afterwards. ‘Every school should offer this to parents; it should be in every school every year.’ (Parent, Ashlyns School, Berkhamstead) Updated to use information from the Hertfordshire Health Related Behaviour Survey 2016, this workshop offers parents a genuine insight into the trends and substance misuse patterns of over 8,000 pupils across the county. Learning outcomes By the end of the workshop participants will have: Increased awareness about a range of drugs and alcohol (including cannabis, cocaine and psychoactive substances) A basic understanding of the laws that control drugs in the UK Considered how and why young people might choose to drink alcohol or take drugs, despite the health risks Discussed how to build resilience and talk to children at home about drugs and alcohol Information about where to go for support and advice in Hertfordshire. To book a Parental Drug Awareness Workshop at the subsidised rate of £260 or to discuss the newly updated workshop in more detail please email
[email protected] giving the name of your school. This promotion is available to all schools in Hertfordshire for workshops if they book before the end of March 2018.
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Families Feeling Safe, Protective Behaviours Services Families Feeling Safe, Protective Behaviours Services provide Protective Behaviours training courses, services and programmes for children and families. We work in partnership with settings across Hertfordshire and beyond and help them build capacity and the sustainability of Protective Behaviours practice. As an early intervention approach, Protective Behaviours can improve the emotional wellbeing of children, families and individuals of all ages and help them build skills to keep themselves and others feeling safe while reducing the need for more specialist help. Our training courses are intended to support staff by enhancing their own emotional wellbeing, 17
with skills and strategies to keep themselves feeling safe and with increased tools and ideas to use in their practice. Spring 2018 New Level 1 Protective Behaviours training courses: 23 & 30 January 2018, Stevenage 21 & 28 February, St Albans 13 & 20 March, Stevenage We have a few places remaining on our next Protective Behaviours Level 2 course on 29, 30 November & 1 December 2017 in Stevenage. For all training enquiries, please email
[email protected]
Morris the bear and friends talk about feelings ‘Morris’ is four sessions with parents and children age 5-7 years together using puppets and fun activities. They help parents and their child learn and talk about feelings with Protective Behaviours ideas. It can help reduce anxiety, build confidence and wellbeing, enhance family life while enjoying learning and playing together! ‘I’ve learnt new skills about how to talk more to my children about their feelings’ ‘I’ve been able to be involved with my child at school' ‘This programme is completely supportive of our school’s commitment to “Learning to love and loving to learn.” We are finishing off the pilot programmes and will be collating the resources and information into a training manual for facilitators. We envisage that this will take place early in 2018 and will be followed by a training course for those who have completed Level 2. The programme can also be commissioned by schools and other settings. You can register your interest by emailing
[email protected] For more information, visit www.familiesfeelingsafe.co.uk
How to Thrive – Specialists in practical resilience training in schools How to Thrive wants children and young people to feel good and function well. We’re grounded in the real world and it’s a messy place. That’s why we want every child to learn the skills of resilience so they can thrive no matter what happens. We give schools the training, skills and resources they need to build their young people’s resilience. 18
Our programmes are practical, based on evidence, and deliver deep and lasting change in young people’s behaviour and ability to learn. Our approaches are based on three core principles: 1. grounded in evidence 2. skills and strategies 3. the adult matters Since being founded in 2009, How to Thrive has impacted on the lives of over 150,000 young people, through the delivery of world-renowned resilience training to teachers in schools across the country. In classrooms Penn Resilience Programme 11-13 year olds Boosting Resilience 13 -16 year olds .breathe (mindfulness) 11-13 year olds Resilience and Social Media 11-14 year olds Mental Illness Investigated 14-16 year olds Resilience for Young Adults 16 -25 year olds In non-school settings Setbacks Sorted 11-15 year olds For parents Raising a Resilient Child For professionals Thriving Headteacher Programme Staff Resilience Resilience for Newly Qualified Teachers Schools Engagement Programme For more information on all our programmes visit www.howtothrive.org We are passionate about working in partnership to solve the problems you face. Contact us to start the conversation on 0330 133 0776. _________________________________________________________________________
Mindfulness for wellbeing - new training course Dave Austin, co-director of Families Feeling Safe Protective Behaviours services, has added Mindfulness Training to his portfolio and is running a course in early 2018. Dave, pictured right, who has been practising mindfulness and meditation for many years and is a qualified teacher of mindfulness, wants to help other people gain the benefits that mindfulness can bring into their everyday life. What is mindfulness? Mindfulness teaches us to stand back from our thoughts and not become trapped in a circle of endless worrying about the past and anxiousness about the future. By calmly observing our thoughts, feelings and sensations, we can become better able to manage them. The training involves learning meditation techniques and re-training the mind to observe our thoughts from a distance and not allow them to dominate our actions and behaviours. 19
Some of the proven benefits of mindfulness are:
Enhancing wellbeing, improving the immune system and lowering the risk of heart disease Helping to manage feelings and take charge of them to improve our ability to cope with the ups and downs of life Helping to focus on the ‘here and now’ instead of the past and the future Enabling us to take more control of our life and improve our mental wellbeing Developing the ability to be calm in difficult circumstances and to make clear decisions
Course details The course runs over 8 weeks between 10.30am and 12.30pm on Saturdays, starting on 20 January 2018, with a break for half term. The aim of the course is to become more aware of body sensations, feelings and thoughts from moment to moment, through doing exercises in mindfulness of body, breathing, thoughts, movement etc. There will be a combination of exercises in the class and exercises to practice at home. For the best possible results from the course it is beneficial to spend between 30-40 minutes on home practice for 5 or 6 days a week. The venue for the course is Starfish House, 3 North Road, Stevenage, SG1 4AT. Free parking is available on site. The cost of the course is £200. Please click here http://www.amindfulness.co.uk/ for the booking form and details about the current course. Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment. For more information contact
[email protected] Tel: 07929 742295 ________________________________________________________________________
We do not accept responsibility for the availability, reliability or content of the items included in this newsletter and do not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them.
A suite of workshops for parents/carers When schools invest in helping parents/carers to support their children’s wellbeing and learning, a range of benefits result, explains Herts for Learning. The parents/carers develop more positive attitudes toward school, they understand more fully how school works and what school is trying to achieve, and they are more likely to feel that they are working in partnership with teachers in the support and education of their children. This can result in schools dealing with fewer complaints and pupils reaching higher levels of attainment. This parent partnership can also benefit schools in their Ofsted inspections, giving clear evidence of enhanced parental engagement. 20
The following parent workshops can be delivered in individual schools or across a group/cluster of schools in a location of your choice. All sessions last for approximately 1 hour. The sessions are designed specifically to meet the needs of parents/carers seeking to provide a supportive home environment for their child/ren. They are not designed to replace staff training.
Positive approaches to emotional health and mental health, Primary, secondary and special schools An introduction to mindfulness and positive psychology, Primary, secondary and special schools Reducing exam stress and anxiety, Primary, secondary and special schools Safe use of the internet, Primary, secondary and special schools Using ‘Protective Behaviours’ to teach your child to be safe, Primary and special schools Relationships at school, Primary and special schools Understanding 21st century approaches to gender in schools, Primary, secondary and special schools Drug & Alcohol Workshop, Primary, secondary and special schools Talking about sex and relationships, Primary, secondary and special schools
Charges for 2017/18:
Shareholder school/MAT Non-shareholder school/MAT
Individual session
3 sessions
5 sessions
£315
£890
£1,500
£355
£1010
£1,700
To book sessions or for more information, contact
[email protected] or call 01438 844819. ________________________________________________________________________
A busy term for Natural Flair It’s been another busy term with Natural Flair supporting wellbeing in schools and in the community. Director Sharon Lawton delivered five Parenting Masterclasses for ‘Supporting and understanding a child living with anxiety’ at the University of Hertfordshire, with approximately 80 parents attending in all. Sharon invited two young people whom she has previously coached to share a personal story of living with anxiety, giving the parents who attended a really inside view from a young person’s perspective. More of these and other wellbeing workshops are scheduled for 2018.
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In October, Sharon worked in partnership with ASPECTS school partnership to deliver a nurturing and wellbeing twilight session for school staff. The session was very nurturing, starting with tea and cake, and continued with Sharon delivering some fun activities and wellbeing tips. Approximately 45 staff attended and each member of staff left with a complimentary “wellbeing goodie bag”. Pippa Chowdhury, manager of Aspects, said: “The afternoon was a great success and we received lovely feedback, it’s something we will definitely do again in the future.” Natural Flair is also excited to announce two new coaches have joined the team: Anne Newby and Sarah Bojakowski. Anne is a qualified “Relax Kids” coach and Sarah is a fully qualified mindfulness teacher. Sarah has already delivered two mindfulness awareness sessions at DSPL3’s SENCO Conference at Fanhams Hall in Ware this term for Primary and EYFS staff. Sarah gave an introduction to mindfulness and tips and strategies for how to introduce and use mindfulness in the classroom. Sharon also had the privilege to speak at two wellbeing conferences this year. The Happy Children Wellbeing Conference in Brookmans Park where she delivered a talk to parents and professionals called “Don’t Shout At Me” looking at understanding anger and its link to mental health and then for The Pre-School Learning Alliance Annual Conference where she delivered a keynote speech on Understanding how to Support a Child’s Mental Health and Wellbeing. Sharon discussed what mental health and wellbeing is and what it means. She looked at ways in which delegates could develop knowledge and tools to support their day to day interactions with children and create a nurturing environment. For people to succeed and reach their full potential we know it's important to have good mental health and wellbeing and this starts in childhood. Children need to grow and develop in a nurturing environment; this sets the foundation stones for their mental health and wellbeing as an adult. Sharon is the owner of Natural Flair Coaching; she is an award-winning parent coach, is NHS England Mental Health First Aid trained If you would like to find out more about this or other training Sharon and her team deliver on emotional wellbeing, she can be contacted at:
[email protected] or 01992 446051 and via the website on www.natutralflair.co.uk ________________________________________________________________________
Primary pupils dance their way to wellbeing Natural Flair has been involved with the #MHDchallenge – the mental health dance challenge – that encourages people to look after their mental health and wellbeing, fight back against depression and other mental health issues and raise awareness generally through dance and movement. It's fun, engaging and interactive. Sharon Lawton has been working in partnership with the host of The Chrissy B Show which airs on “Mytv” SKY channel 203 Monday, Wednesday and Fridays to raise awareness and promote the challenge, focusing particularly on schools and young people’s groups. The Chrissy B Show is the only UK TV show that focuses on mental health and wellbeing and Sharon has been the resident family and parent coach for the show since 2012. 22
On 12 October, Sharon launched the project but sharing a special assembly with The Brookmans Park Primary School, who were the first school to sign up to this exciting project – on 6th November she returned with the official #MHDchallenge dance group, Chris Boodrum, the TV show host and the film crew from the show itself, who recorded the children taking part in the challenge. The footage will be shown on a future TV show very soon. It was clear to see that children really enjoyed the fun aspect of the challenge. Teacher Kat Shaw, also a mindfulness mentor and founder of “The Mindful Classroom” said: “We are so committed to raising awareness of mental health in our school, and cultivating a culture of emotional wellbeing, that we jumped at the chance to be the pilot school for #MHDchallenge. It is such an important and current issue and we are always looking for ways to ensure our children are developing resilience, self-esteem and happiness. The excitement buzzed around the school for weeks before the event itself, and on the afternoon that the dance troupe visited, the children were beyond excited! Not only did they have a truly amazing afternoon, but they also learnt an extremely important lesson in fighting back against depression and knowing that they always have somebody to talk to.” So now Brookmans Park Primary School challenges you to join #MHDChallenge. All schools across Hertfordshire are invited to take part. How does it work? Decide if you would like Sharon to come in and lead an assembly and schedule a date - Sharon will then deliver an assembly using material from Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families on Mental Health and then introduce the challenge, showing the children the dance video and then inviting them to give part of the dance a try together during the assembly. You can then encourage the children going forward to continue the challenge by challenging their friends, family, and other schools to take part. Here is a little taste of what is in store... Step 1: Watch the official dance video and get inspired. Step 2: Watch the tutorial & learn the dance. (Sharon might ask one or two of the teachers to join in) Step 3: Download the tune for free to encourage the school community to keep dancing. Step 4: Optional: Record your students doing the challenge and post on social media and challenge your friends and colleagues and other schools to do the same (photos are great too) Step 5: Send photos and videos to Sharon so that she can ensure you are mentioned in the Herts CAMHS Schools Link Newsletter! The dance has a challenging part and an easier part. Choose to do either or both parts. (Part 2 only is introducing during the assembly) You can even put your own stamp on it by freestyling at the end. And remember, have lots of fun. Note: You will need something red such as a handkerchief or scarf to do the dance, which signifies you declaring war against depression and anything else that is trying to put you down. Schools are encouraged to film or photograph their young people taking part in the dance and some of the video footage may be shown on the TV show, on the national social media campaign and other media. 23
As well as Brookmans Park School, both St Andrews CofE Primary School in Stansted Abbotts and High Wych Primary School are taking part in the challenge. So, if you want a free assembly that’s different, fun and raises the topic of mental health, then contact Sharon for more information on 01992 446051 or
[email protected] _________________________________________________________________________ Ideas bank: How do you talk with a pupil who is distressed? ☺ Create a non pressured opportunity for your pupils to share with you their feelings: Start a conversation whilst clearing away, for example “You don’t seem your usual self, I am happy to listen if you need to talk” ☺ Validate / ask about their feelings: “How are you feeling right now?” or “I can see that you are very sad / angry” ☺ Normalise the feeling and make a human connection, offer empathy rather than solutions, try to resist steering away from or minimising difficult emotions: “I would feel very sad / angry if that had happened to me” “I can understand why you are feeling sad / angry” “I would think most people would feel sad / angry if that happened to them” ☺ Give them time to reconnect their thinking brain: “It’s hard to think things through when we are upset / angry so we need to figure this out when you are feeling less upset / angry” ☺ Give them as much choice and control as possible: “Would you like to do it now or later?” “Would you like to talk to your parents about it or shall we do it together?” ☺ Create a sense of collaboration and encourage problem solving: “What do you think we should do next?” ☺You don’t have to know the answers: “I’m not sure what to do about that. I need to have a think about it but I will try my best to help you.” ☺Thank them when they tell you about feelings or other difficulties: “Thank you for telling me about this, I can imagine it wasn’t an easy thing to do.” ☺ Give hope for the future: “I know this is a really difficult feeling but I want you to remember that you won’t always feel like this, the feeling will go.”
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