Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental Health and Wellbeing - Anxiety Workshop October 2019
At Oaklands, we are committed to supporting the positive mental health and wellbeing of our whole school community (children, staff, parents and carers). We recognise that mental health and emotional wellbeing is just as important to our lives as physical health.
We endeavour to ensure that children are able to manage times of change and stress. We aim to ensure that they are supported to reach their potential or access help when they need it. We also have a role in ensuring that children learn about: what they can do to maintain positive mental health; what affects their mental health; how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and where they can go if they need help or support.
At Oaklands we have a designated leader for mental health:
Oaklands Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader: Mrs K Thompson
Deputy Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader: Miss H Doutre
Mental Health and Wellbeing Governor: Elin Gillard
Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy
Teaching about mental health
At Oaklands we take a whole school approach to promoting positive mental health, aiming to help children become more resilient, happy and successful and to work in a pro-active way to avoid problems arising. We do this by:
- Creating and applying consistent ethos, policies and behaviours that support mental health and resilience, and which everyone understands.
- Adhering to Herts Steps therapeutic approach to behaviour management.
- Focusing on the 5 steps to wellbeing and ‘Zones of regulation’.
- Helping children to develop social relationships, support each other and seek help when they need it.
- Promoting self-esteem and ensuring children understand their importance in the World.
- Helping children to be resilient learners and to manage setbacks.
- Teaching children social and emotional skills and an awareness of mental health.
- Identifying children who have mental health challenges and planning support to meet their needs, including working with specialist services, parents and carers.
- Supporting and training staff to develop their skills and their own resilience.
- Developing an open culture where it’s normal to talk about mental health.
Parents and carers.
Parents or carers should approach their child/children’s class teacher if they have any mental health concerns. This will be cascaded to the Mental Health Leader for assessment. In addition to offering universal support within school, we may also discuss with you additional support mechanisms available to you from the following agencies:
- School Nursing Service www.healthforkids.co.uk (Interactive website for children and parents)
- Step2
- CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)
- School Family Worker
- Play Therapist
Online resources to support Mental Health and Wellbeing can be found on the following websites:
http://fiveways.rochdale.gov.uk/what-do-the-5-ways-to-wellbeing-actually-mean/