Health and Wellbeing for Children and Young People
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, it is important that we take care of the health and wellbeing of children and young people across Sefton.
This page has advice and guidance for children and young people, and the people who care for them, on how to maintain good health and wellbeing.
Urgent Help
If you need urgent advice on mental health during COVID-19, ring the Alder Hey Crisis Team on 0151 293 3577
For full national guidance, please visit the government website.
CAMHS
Sefton Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) partnership has been adapting in the face of Coronavirus.
To ensure children, young people and families can get the support they need they have issued new guidance on the support available and how to access it.
The guidance covers information on:
- Crisis Support, Alder Hey CAMHS;
- the Alder Hey Eating Disorders Service for Young People;
- the School Nurse Service - Emotional Health and Wellbeing support;
- Parenting 2000;
- the Venus Star Centre;
- Kooth;
- Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS).
You can download the CAMHS guidance here.
Resources
This page will be regularly updated as new resources become available.
Health and Wellbeing Top Tips
It is important that you look after your wellbeing by talking to friends and family, and keeping healthy during this difficult time.
Talk to others
Share your feelings and thoughts with the people you live with. This is good for your wellbeing and may help others to manage their own thoughts and feelings. If you struggle to do this or would just like to be connected with someone to talk to, you could access the online community at The Mix or join Kooth.
Connect with others
Use technology to stay in connect with your family and friends. Use telephone, video calls and social media as an alternative to meeting in person. Tips and information about staying safe online can be found at Think U Know and CEOP
Keep healthy
Your physical health and mental health and wellbeing are linked together. Try to keep a familiar routine - this might be as simple as setting an alarm to wake up in the morning or completing a daily activities and task list. It is important to eat healthy and well-balanced meals, whilst staying hydrated by drinking enough water. Try to go outside at some point during the day. This could be to walk, run, or dance - just remember to keep 2 metres from others not from your household! The Stay In, Work Out website contains lots of useful links for young adults and children from yoga classes to dance routines.
Sleep well
Try to maintain regular sleep patterns and make sure you get enough sleep. If you want tips on how to improve your sleep, click here https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/sleep/
Manage anxiety
It is common to feel concerned by the COVID situation, but some people may feel overwhelmed. Try to focus on those things in your control. If you want help on managing anxiety, click here. https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/anxiety/
Have fun
Maintaining your favourite hobby or learning something new will give you some relief from anxious thoughts and feelings and can boost your mood. If you can’t do the things you normally enjoy because you are staying at home, try to think about how you could adapt them, or try something new. There are lots of free tutorials and courses online and as well as alternatives to our favourite things like online quizzes and streamed live music concerts. Try to keep your mind active, play games, read a book, do a jigsaw; find something you enjoy.
If you need any support there are lots of places to get advice, support or just to have a chat.
Where can I get further support?
Kooth provides online support form children and young people in Sefton aged 11-19. The site is staffed by fully trained and qualified counsellors and is available until 10pm each night, 365 days per year. It is free, safe, confidential
Shout provides free, confidential support, 24/7 via text for anyone at crisis anytime, anywhere.
You can:
- text SHOUT to 85258 in the UK to text with a trained Crisis Volunteer
- text with someone who is trained and will provide active listening and collaborative problem-solving
ChildLine provides a confidential telephone counselling service for any child with a problem. It comforts, advises and protects.
You can:
- call 0800 1111 any time for free
- have an online chat with a counsellor
- check out the message boards
The Mix provides a free confidential telephone helpline and online service that aims to find young people the best help, whatever the problem.
You can:
- call 0808 808 4994 for free – lines are open from 11am to 11pm every day
- access the online community
- email The Mix
Swan Women's Centre provide counselling service for young women aged 14-18 in Sefton. During the COVID-19 situation, the team are working from home and are able to respond by phone, email, text, Facebook. You can contact them, if you are worried, anxious or just need to talk to someone.
Alchemy Youth Provision is a youth club in Crosby and Southport. You can keep connected with them on Facebook and Instagram and join their monitored online youth club.
The Anti-Bullying Alliance website can provide you with support around bullying and cyberbullying.
Health and Wellbeing Top Tips
Look after you own mental health
Parents and carers must look after their own mental health and wellbeing to be able to support the children and young people in their care.
Provide clear information about the situation
Talk openly and honestly about what is happening. Use words that are understandable and reliable information sources. You can visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus or www.nhs.uk/coronavirus for up-to-date information.
Click here for child friendly resources for explaining COVID-19 to children.
Support your child to keep connected with others.
Regular contact by telephone, video calls and social media are important. Online monitored communities such as The Mix or Kooth can also support children and young people to connect.
It is important children and young people stay safe online and are aware of the dangers of chatting online.
Advice on how to ensure your children are safe online can be found here.
For advice and resources on child sexual exploitation online, click here.
Monitor media coverage
Think about the amount of media coverage your child or young person is exposed to. Stopping all access to information or news is rarely helpful, but it can be useful to consider limiting the amount of time you spend watching the news or reading social media information.
Create a new daily routine together.
This should include time for fun, learning and exercise. There are lots of available online resources with information about looking after your and your children's health and wellbeing, for example the Change 4 Life website contains great indoor activities for kids and recipe ideas for healthy eating and online educational resources are available from the BBC.
If parents and carers should want to do some home schooling, advice and resources can be found here.
Where can I get further support?
If you need support or advice there are lots of resources available.
The Children's Commissioner has produced a guide for explaining COVID-19 to children.
| CAMHS COVID explainer |  (pdf 1.06MB) |
Young Minds for Parents and Carers provides advice about mental health and behaviour problems in children and young people up to the age of 25. You can call the parents’ and carers’ helpline on 0808 802 5544.
Venus Centre provide counselling and advice to women, families, young people and children with multiple and complex needs. Counselling is available at the Star Centre for children and young people. During the COVID-19 situation, services are running virtually via telephone calls, apps and video calls or if preferred text or email. They are still accepting referrals and providing assessments, support and therapies.
If you want advice on supporting children and young people, Parenting 2000 offers a wide range of support services - services are now running via telephone and from a range of online platforms:
This is a difficult time for children and young people with additional needs as well as for their parents and carers.
If you need help explaining COVID-19 to a child or young person with additional needs, please see the easy read guidance here.
| Easy Read for Children | (pdf 3.02MB) |
The National Autistic Society has produced the following guidance and resources for parents and carers of children and young people with autism.
Further resources on supporting Children and Young People with additional needs can be found at our dedicated local offer page on the Sefton Directory.