Whilst we want to support our children and their families, some things can (and possibly should) be managed at home. These solutions often happen more quickly and easily.
Below you will find a selection of articles, websites and leaflets that can both support your child and your wider family.
Northamptonshire Healthcare - 0-19 Universal Children's Services
Children’s 0-19 Services | NHFT provide the Healthy Child Programme, a planned series of contacts (face to face or virtual via video call) with children and young people up to 19 years old and their families. These contacts are provided by a health visitor for children who are pre-school age, and school nurses who help to look after children who are school age.
Their team also has an infant feeding support team, family nurses (if you are under 18 and pregnant), and children's weight managment and continence services. They aim to support families across Northamptonshire providing a universal service for all, whilst also identifying those who might need specific help.
Their Children's Hub aims to give you more information that will be useful to you and your family.
Here you will also find access to theSchool Nurses Team who work with children aged between 5 and 19 years old who are attending schools. They offer support on many different areas of life including:
- encouraging healthy lifestyle choices
- support with emotional wellbeing including services such as Chat Health
- identifying children and young people who may need additiona support
You can also contact the 0-19 Admin Hub via the telephone: 0800 170 7055.
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Anxiety
Supporting Your Child with Anxiety
Managing Change
We experience lots of changes during our lifetimes, and this includes children. For example, changing classes, moving house or changes to our friendships or families. Change can be positive and negative but no matter how large or small a change is, it’s important to look after our wellbeing. It can be challenging to support your wellbeing when you’re dealing with stressful situations. Here is a child-friendly leaflet, from the charity MIND, to support your child.
Resilience & Coping
Activating resilience and coping methods
Self-Regulation
Regulation is something everyone continually works on whether we are aware of it or not. We all encounter trying circumstances that can test our limits. If we can recognize when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings and get ourselves to a healthy place. This comes more naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs more attention and practice. You can find out more about this by visiting this website.
There is also this useful resource, which has been produced in a child-friendly format.
It also often helps children to talk about their feelings in simple terms that they feel comfortable using. Below are two tools that facilitate this:
Understanding our emotions
We have a resource here that can be used to help children better understand their brain and any emotions or thoughts they may be having. This is done by treating their emotions as different animals. You can find this child-friendly resource here.
Wellbeing
Espresso Yourself - Wellbeing cafes for young people
Espresso Yourself Cafés are for young people aged 11 to 18 years and their parents and carers. If you find you or your child need support with mental health, or find yourself in crisis then the team are here to listen and help you in your time of need.
Their drop-in sessions have professional mental health workers who can offer you a safe space to talk and be listened to. There will also be group activities and peer support. Parents and carers are also welcome to gain support, advice and information on our services.
If you'd like to, do visit an Espresso Yourself Café. Cafés are open across Northamptonshire and you don't need an appointment - just drop in during opening hours. To see café locations and opening dates and times, please click on the 'Available locations' at this link.
Our local venues are:
Espresso Yourself - Kettering
Every Thursday
4pm to 8pm
Youth Works
97 Rockingham Road
Kettering
NN16 9HX
Telephone: 01536 518339
Espresso Yourself - Corby
Every Tuesday
4pm to 8pm
Youth Works at Corby Mind
8 Argyll Street
Corby
NN17 1RU
Telephone: 01536 518339
Espresso Yourself - Thrapston
Every Wednesday
4pm to 8pm
Chat Youth Counselling
Souster Youth Building
30 Market Road
Thrapston
NN14 4JU
Telephone: 01832 274422
Horses For Good
Horses for Good aims to provide an environment in which horses and people can receive support, therapy, education and experiential learning to improve their lives and wellbeing.
Seperating Better
Separating better equips parents with the practical information and emotional skills they need to put arrangements in place that work in the best interests of their children. The app is available to download for free now, and offers an accessible and sustainable solution to supporting parents through many of the practical steps of separation to help them to co-parent effectively. You can find out more on the leaflet below.
Parenting Smart
Parenting Smart offers practical advice for parents and carers of children aged 4-11. All of the content is created by Place2Be’s parenting experts. It’s based on evidence and their experiences working with children, young people and their families. By clicking on the abov logo, or here, you can browse their topics for answers to some common parenting questions on a wide range of topics from peer pressure to sibling rivalry. Well worth a look when you begin your journey to guide your child!
Support for Parents & Carers at Home
Below are some links to some really useful documents, including games and activitiesm that may help you.
NSPCC Guide to Positive Parenting
Steps for giving Behaviour Choices & Consequences
Steps for Giving Praise Effectively
Steps for Giving Time to Countdown
Sometimes the simplest of things can make the biggest of differences.
Brain breaks to support your child
CAFCASS
CAFCASS independently advise family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests. Focused on their needs, wishes and feelings, they make sure that children’s voices are heard and are at the heart of the family court’s thinking and decision making. For every child, whose current and future living arrangements are decided by the courts, they seek to provide an exceptional experience, everywhere, and every time. To find out more abou CAFCASS and what they do, please visit this link.
Early Help
The EHSS is a team dedicated to offering information, advice, guidance and support to those working with children and families in need of early help. You can contact the EHSS quickly by calling 0300 126 1000 then enter 12 when prompted.
The Northamptonshire’s Partnership Early Help Strategy
Family Hubs
Family Hubs bring together many different services to support families from pregnancy through the early years of childhood and onwards. They support children and young people up to the age of 19, and if they have Special Educational Needs until age 25. The Hubs are not one building but a network of different physical locations across the local areas, including online virtual support.
Click here to download an information booklet about Family Hubs
Click here for the Family Hubs handout
Click here for the Start For Life flyer
Click here for the Digital Front Door Link
Shout
Shout has now been launched in Northamptonshire. Anyone in the area can text the word ‘IMATTER’ to 85258 to be connected to a trained Shout Volunteer. The service is open to all, 24/7, and can help with issues such as anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression and suicidal thoughts. The conversation, which takes place entirely by text message, aims to help the texter reach a calmer place with a plan to move forward. It will also signpost them to further support available locally.
Shout is a free, confidential and anonymous service, designed to provide people with in-the-moment support. Texting 'IMatter' does not appear on phone bills and all messages are confidential unless there is concern about someone’s safety. Shout is available and free to use on the following major phone networks: EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.
Northamptonshire Healthcare - Children and Young People's mental health services
The Children and Young People's Mental Health Service is often known as CYMHS or CAMHS.
They help to look after those children and young people with emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. They offer a variety of interventions and therapies in both individual or group settings. They work with families across our county to help children and young people up to the age of 18 (and registered with a GP in Northamptonshire) feel better.
Access their services here CAMHS in the Community | NHFT.
Place2Be - Children's Mental Health
Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity that believes that children should not have to face mental health problems alone. Find out more about their work on their main website. They also run the Parenting Smart service which you can find on the Family Support tab.
Shout
Shout has now been launched in Northamptonshire. Anyone in the area can text the word ‘IMATTER’ to 85258 to be connected to a trained Shout Volunteer. The service is open to all, 24/7, and can help with issues such as anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression and suicidal thoughts. The conversation, which takes place entirely by text message, aims to help the texter reach a calmer place with a plan to move forward. It will also signpost them to further support available locally.
Shout is a free, confidential and anonymous service, designed to provide people with in-the-moment support. Texting 'IMatter' does not appear on phone bills and all messages are confidential unless there is concern about someone’s safety. Shout is available and free to use on the following major phone networks: EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.
Download the 'I Matter' flyer here
Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity is a word used to describe the different thinking styles that affect how people communicate with the world around them. It is an umbrella term - a word that sums up lots of different things. It includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Tourette's.
Here is a leaflet that discusses forms of neurodiversity.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - its medical name - is the name for a range of conditions which affect how a person communicates and interacts with the world around them, as well as their interests and behaviour. It's not a disease or an illness, but a condition that somebody is born with. People who are born with autism have it all of their lives. Some people prefer to call it 'autism spectrum condition' (ASC) instead of ASD.
ACE - Autistic Children Embraced
ACE are a parent support group for the families of children and young adults wih Aspergers Symdrome and Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Formed by a group of parents, they aim to support and supply information to ther parents and carers. Please find their details by downloading this leaflet.
ACE - Autistic Children Embraced Leaflet
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse. Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school. Below is some information that may help families support those with ADHD.
10 frequently asked questions about ADHD
Northamptonshire Local Offer: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Information Pack
The ADHD Foundation is one of the UK’s leading neurodiversity charity, offering a strength-based, lifespan service for the 1 in 5 of us who live with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, DCD, Dyscalculia, OCD, Tourette’s Syndrome and more. Visit their webiste here: https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/resources/
They also produce a very useful leaflet, which you can download below - "What is ADHD?"
If you are malnourished and losing weight, it is important to eat a balanced and fortified diet to restore good health. Always talk to your GP if you are concerned about your weight loss and want advice on changing your diet. There is also some useful information that you'll find by clicking here and also by visiting this page.
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