MORE than half of parents in the South West have been worried about their child’s mental health during the Covid pandemic – and as schools and colleges go back, Public Health England (PHE) is providing support and guidance for parents, carers and young people.

Davina McCall, Marvin Humes, Katie Piper, Sean Fletcher and Edith Bowman are among the celebrity parents in a short film encouraging people to visit the Every Mind Matters website for advice on looking after mental wellbeing.

A household survey carried out for PHE reported that the three feelings children and young people said they most experienced during lockdown were boredom (51%), worry (28%) and feeling trapped (26%), with nearly 1 in 5 saying they were unhappy during this period.

New PHE data from the South West reveals that over two thirds of parents surveyed say their children’s behaviour has changed since the start of the pandemic (72%), and when asked their top three worries around coronavirus,  over half (54%) said the mental wellbeing of their children topped the list of their biggest worries.

As we adapt to a new normal many parents and carers anticipate their children will experience new stresses. This includes facing the challenges of catching up with missed education, starting new schools or colleges and building relationships with friends again.

Over a quarter of parents surveyed in the South West say that not knowing what action they can take to support their children’s mental wellbeing has prevented them supporting (27%) and more than a third (41%) want more advice on how to support their mental wellbeing when returning to school.

The NHS-endorsed advice available on the Every Mind Matters website has been developed in partnership with leading children and young people’s mental health charities.

NHS’s Top 5 Tips for supporting children and young people’s mental wellbeing as they go back out into the world (please view all tips on the Every Mind Matters website)

 

 

1. Be there to listen: Ask the children and young people you look after how they are doing regularly so they get used to speaking about their feelings

2. Stay involved in their life: Try to know something about all parts of your child’s or young person’s life

3. Support positive routines: Be a positive role model and support positive behaviours including regular bedtime routines, healthy eating and getting exercise

4. Encourage their interests: Children and young people are often drawn to particular interests, so support them in exploring them

Take what they say seriously: help the children and young people you look after feel valued in what they say

Search Every Mind Matters for expert tips and advice to support children and young people with their mental wellbeing, or for more information, visit https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/