Mental Health & Wellbeing

Information for parents and students

At SHSG, we are committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students, working closely with parents and carers. We fully understand the importance of promoting good mental health and wellbeing and are proud of the pastoral provision we offer, with dedicated staff to ensure that students are nurtured in a safe and caring environment.

Our culture is supportive, caring, and respectful. We encourage students to be open and we want each student to have their voice heard. At our school, we know that everyone experiences different life challenges, and that each of us may need help to cope with them sometimes. We understand that anyone and everyone may need additional emotional support. At our school, positive mental health is everybody’s responsibility. We all have a role to play.

Our Senior Mental Health Lead is Ms Helene Marcel.

Support Strategies we provide at SHSG

Students have access to a wide range of mental health and wellbeing provisions:

Access to Mrs. Leah Dexter, the student counsellor, who is in school every day.
The NHS Mental Health Support Team is in school every Tuesdays and Thursdays.
A member of Mental Health Charity Evolve is in school on Wednesday afternoons.
Lower and upper school ‘Padlets’ with a wealth of useful links, videos and articles about wellbeing (see links below)
Peer to Peer emotional support group (every Tuesday in room 3 at lunchtime)
We promote the 5 steps to wellbeing (in the links below)
World Mental Health assemblies
Youth Health Champions – we have a team of ambassadors who promote and support the safety and wellbeing of all students throughout the school. They run the ‘self care’ campaign with all year groups
Self care resources are accessible to all students (in the links below)
Diana Anti-bullying ambassadors

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS

For tips on how to keep on top of your mental wellbeing, visit Every Mind Matters – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

If you are worried about something, talk to an adult that you trust as soon as possible.

This could be:

Someone in your family, like your mum, dad or carer
Someone at school, like a pastoral support officer or teacher
Your doctor or the school nurse

If you are not sure who to talk to:

Call Childline on 0800 1111 or
Text CONNECT to 85258 to contact Shout (Talk or text for free any time, wherever you are in the UK)

Urgent support

If you are having thoughts of suicide, are harming yourself or have thought about self-harm, it’s important to tell someone.
These thoughts and feelings can be complex, frightening and confusing, but you do not have to struggle alone.
If you cannot wait to see a doctor and feel unable to cope or keep yourself safe, contact one of the organisations below to get support right away. Or see further NHS advice on dealing with a mental health crisis or emergency.

Support for Parents and Carers:

If you’re concerned about a child or young person’s mental health, contact your child’s Pastoral Support Officer. You can also get free, confidential advice via phone, email or webchat from the Young Minds Parents Helpline.

Action for Children has lots of tips to help you spot signs of mental health issues in children and advice on the action you can take to help.

Any professional that works with children and young people should be able to help you get support. You could talk to a teacher, school nurse, social worker or GP.

You can find more information about NHS children and young people’s mental health services (CYPMHS) on the NHS website. You can also look at your local Clinical Commissioning Group website, and most services also have their own website with information about access, referrals (including whether you can “self-refer”) and contact details – try searching in your area for “CAMHS” (children and adolescent mental health services)

If you are worried about a child or young person who has or may have an eating disorder, check if your local Children and Young People’s Community Eating Disorder Team accepts self-referrals and contact them as soon as possible. You can also speak to your GP. Beat has lots more useful advice for children, young people and adults.

If you look after a child that has additional needs, Mencap, the Mental Health Foundation and the National Autistic Society all have excellent resources and support for parents or carers of children with learning disabilities or autism.

Do not hesitate to get urgent support if you think either you or your child needs it.