Mental Health worries for children and young people have increased significantly in the recent times, with lockdowns, being unable to meet with friends and family, go to school and college and keeping in a regular routine and of course health worries that Covid-19 has presented. According to Stem organisation one in six young people aged 5- to 16-year-olds had a mental disorder.

We have shared some tips to help support your child or young person’s mental health.

Get your child or young person involved in activities they enjoy doing. This could be any supporting activities, cooking and baking, the options are endless. Activities are very helpful for brain health and can reduce stress and increase mindfulness.

Try positive thinking, how we think will influence our emotions and our actions. The way that we all think is completely unique, having positive thoughts helps to improve your overall mood. As Albert Einstein said, ‘We cannot approach a problem with the same thinking we used when we created them’.

Be there to listen. Make sure your child or young person knows they can speak to you about any problems they may be facing. Reassure them that they are not on their own and you will be there to guide them, support them and help resolve the issue.

Build positive routines. We know after the year of lockdowns routines may be difficult to get back into but try to reintroduce and encourage your child or young person to stick to a daily routine. Eating healthy and at regular times, exercise, and a bedtime structure. Ensuring that your child gets enough sleep each night is key.

Be a role model, it is ok to show your child or young person the ups and downs of life. Show them how you deal with difficult feelings and looking after yourself.

Try new talking methods. If your child or young person doesn’t want to talk, ask them if another method would work. This could be writing their feelings down or even sending you a text.

Around 1 in 8 children and young people experience behavioural or emotional problems when growing up. With some children and young people this resolves as they grow up, in other cases they may need some additional help and support. It can be difficult to know if there is something upsetting or bothering your child or young person, but there are ways to spot when something is wrong. The NHS have provided some points to look out for:

• Significant changes in behaviour
• Ongoing difficulty sleeping
• Withdrawing from social situations
• Not wanting to do things they usually like
• Self-harm or neglecting themselves.

At Sunbeam Fostering Agency, we are here to support our children, young people, and foster carers. We hold regular support groups which gives our children, young people, and foster carers the opportunity to get together and share their experiences and stories. We also provide lots of trainings for our carers on how to deal with situations and supporting children and young. Each of our foster carers also have their own dedicated supervising social to support around the clock.

If you have any concerns about your child or young person’s well-being, please do contact us on 02087 990 930 or speak with your supervising social worker. We are always here to help and support you.