Children's Mental Health Week 2020
This year Children’s Mental Health Week takes place between the 3rd & 9th of February. Set up by children’s mental health charity Place2Be, the week highlights the importance of children’s and young people’s mental health. This year’s theme is “Find your Brave”.
Bravery can be about sharing worries and asking for help, or trying something new. This can all help to build the self confidence and self esteem of your child, helping them to feel good about themselves.
As parents and carers we play a crucial role in helping to shape the mental health of our children. You can support the children in your care by helping them to find positive ways to deal with things that might be difficult. The more you can understand about mental health and your child’s difficulties, the more confident you will be in supporting them. Below are some strategies for supporting the children in your care with their mental health:
Try asking ‘open-ended’ questions like, “How are things for you?”, “What’s happening with you?”, “What do you think or feel about...?” or “What’s on your mind?”.
When discussing their problem, don’t try to ‘fix’ it. For the most part, young people simply need to know you are there to support them.
Be open minded, listen calmly and try not to judge your child. Let them know you are happy to listen while they chat about anything and everything.
Encourage your child to go out (if only for short periods) and to keep in touch with friends.
Promote participation in regular exercise, such as going for walks, as this can really help improve mood and reduce anxiety.
Most importantly - look after yourself. The saying goes that “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. By practising self care you are not only looking after your own mental health, but also modelling to your children how important it is to take care of yourself and your own wellbeing and happiness.
As a foster carer with Fostering Rotherham you will have access to a wide range of fantastic support services. Our foster carers and children have access to 24/7 support from our team and a dedicated Therapeutic Team to help you navigate any specific needs you or your foster child may have. The Therapeutic Team provides advice and training in understanding and managing children’s emotions and behaviours, particularly in regards to their attachment needs.
We are also incredibly proud of our Mockingbird support system. Mockingbird is a model of support system for foster families that comes in the form of one central ‘Mockingbird hub’, another foster home, which supports six to ten fostering households. The hub provides a safe place for foster children for planned and emergency sleepovers, or short breaks, as well as support and advice on any matters relating to fostering.
Rotherham foster carers can also benefit from the support of the Rotherham Foster Carers’ Association, run by existing foster carers in the area. The Rotherham Foster Carers’ Association meet regularly and host events for foster families, offering them a support network of people with shared experience.
There are also a number of downloadable resources available on the Place2Be website to assist parents and carers in helping to support their children to “find their brave”. The resources can be accessed here.
It is important to let your child know that if they are not sure about something, they should talk to an adult they trust. It could be you, someone in your family, a teacher or another staff member. You can also find a list of organisations that provide support and advice on the Place2Be website.