Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

Everyone has “mental health” which affects:

  • how we feel about ourselves and the people around us
  • our ability to make and keep friends and relationships
  • our ability to learn from others and to develop psychologically and emotionally.

Being mentally healthy is also about having the strength to overcome the difficulties and challenges we can all face at times in our lives – to have confidence and self-esteem, to be able to take decisions and to believe in ourselves. It is quite normal to sometimes feel worried, anxious or upset when things don’t go as you hope. Most of the times these feelings pass, but sometimes they develop into more serious problems.

  • Between 1 in every 12 and 1 in 15 children and young people deliberately self-harm.
  • More than half of all adults with mental health problems were diagnosed in childhood. Less than half were treated appropriately at the time.
  • Over 8,000 children aged under 10 years old suffer from severe depression.
  • 3% or about 290,000 children and young people have an anxiety disorder.

(Source – Young Minds) Details of how we, at Mile Cross Primary school identify children in need of support can be found in our Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being Policy. 

School Support

  • The school employs nine trained ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) – Mrs Pomeroy, Miss Hall, Miss Styles, Mrs Knight, Miss Blazer, Mrs Livingstone, Mrs May, Miss Matthews and Miss Crowe.
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  • PSA (Parent Support Advisor) support for families – Debbie Oldfield

Resources to use in the home

The following websites and resources may also be helpful. 

National Charities and Organisations: 

Young Minds 

Minded 

Family Links 

Time to Change 

Children and Young People – Mental Health

Local Support:

If you feel a child or young person within the family is in need of professional support you could contact:

  • Your family GP
  • Norfolk Healthy Child Programme – Just One Number
  • Point 1 
  • Child, family and young people’s mental health services – Norfolk and Waveney 0300 790 0371

Further information can be found in The Local Offer

Helplines

  • Young Minds Parents’ Helpline 0808 802 5544(Monday to Friday 9.30am-4pm)
  • NHS 111 (For help, advice and reassurance, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year)
  • Mind Infoline 0300 123 3393 (9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday)
  • Point 1 – 0800 977 4077