We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of our pupils. We expect everyone to share this commitment. View the safeguarding section of our website for more information.
Your Child’s Wellbeing and Mental Health
Here at Bowlee Park Community School we are committed to supporting the wellbeing of all are students. We are a Rights Respecting School and under Article 24, every child has the right to the best possible mental health as well as physical health. At Bowlee Park, ‘Good mental health is defined as a state of wellbeing in which every individual, recognises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her own community.’
5 Ways to Wellbeing
We all have mental health and we do not need to wait until there is a problem before we look after our family’s wellbeing. Following the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ can help children and adults to achieve a more positive wellbeing.
Help when things are not going well
Sometimes, despite our best efforts things may not turn out as we had hoped and mental health may decline. Many children and young people experience emotional and behavioural problems from time to time. They may be stressed about exams, friendship problems, confused about body changes or anxious about the future. They may experience worries and sadness. There is lots of advice and information online about how to help. The organisations below may be able to help your child:
The Anna Freud organisation have an excellent website full of really useful resources to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. They have 5 main aims:
To signpost to trusted organisations who may help support a child or young person and their family and advocate on their behalf
If you are worried about your child, you can get excellent advice and support from YoungMinds. They have a free helpline (0808 802 5544) staffed Monday to Friday. You can also find information on their website at: www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/
You can also get lots of information about how you can help using Mind-Ed. Mind-Ed is a free on-line service. The website contains simple advice to help adults identify, understand and support children and young people with mental health issues. Sections about Talking to children and Is your child depressed? maybe particularly helpful for parents.
#Thrive is for children and young people aged up to 19 years.
Is your child: Feeling worried, angry or upset Struggling to cope? Stressed about school or exams? Feeling bad about themself? Experiencing bullying or relationship worries? Or are you just feeling a bit low and not enjoying things? You must live, or be registered with a GP practice (doctor), in Heywood, Middleton or Rochdale. Contact them on 0161 716 2844.
Kooth provides a safe, secure means of accessing help for mental health via the internet for pupils aged 11+. By accessing Kooth students can benefit from:
The Proud Trust is a charity who support LGBTQ+ young people and those young people who may be questioning their identity.
Their website hopes to give a deeper understanding of LGBT+ identities and also provide information about how to support LGBT+ children and young people. The hope is that this will lead to more informed, open and supportive conversations with children and young people about LGBT+ identities.
In the case of a mental health emergency call 999. You will not be wasting anybody’s time and this is just as important as a physical emergency.
Please open the link below to view our Mental Health and Wellbeing policy