Wellbeing
Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
(World Health Organisation)
Article 24 – Every child has the right to the best possible health. Governments must provide good quality education on health and well-being so that children can stay physically and mentally healthy.
(UNCRC – The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child)
At The Barlow RC High School, we are committed to promoting and protecting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing for all our pupils, their families, our staff members and governors. It is our shared vision to ensure mental health related problems are identified early, through: the mindful observation of all our young people and each other, excellent, professional relationships, an open mental health culture and our extensive, embedded support system, which is open to all members of the school community.
Our commitment to promoting positive mental health and wellbeing across our school community can be recognised through our achievement of the Wellbeing Award for Schools. We were also the proud winners of the Wellbeing Award in The Manchester Evening News school awards 2022 in partnership with One Education.
The Barlow Mental Health & Wellbeing Champions:
- Mrs N Staniforth - Senior Mental Health & Wellbeing Lead & DSL
- Mrs C Redford - Mental Health & Wellbeing Link Governor
- Mrs R Seddon - SENDCo & DDSL
- Ms K Wright/Mrs V Carroll - Safeguarding Coordinator
- Mrs V Carroll, Ms J Bywater, Mrs C Lutman, Mrs C Edge, Ms N Smith, Mrs N Fisher, Mrs E Douglas, Mrs J Cowell, Mrs L Usher - Mental Health First Aiders
- Mrs D Wilcox - PSHCE Co-ordinator
- Ms J Bywater, Miss K Livings - Pastoral Support Assistants
- Miss N Roberts - CAMHS Education Mental Health Practitioner
- School Nurse Practitioner
Promoting positive mental health
At The Barlow we actively promote a positive and mentally healthy environment for our whole school community. We have a comprehensive support offer for our pupils, staff and parents/carers.
We encourage each other to prioritise our own self-care and wellbeing, click below to find some simple strategies to help maintain positive mental health and wellbeing.
External Signposting
Manchester Healthy School’s Mental Health Toolkit – Keep Calm and Read On….
Bereavement Support Signposting
Talking to your child about Mental Health & Wellbeing
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/anxiety-in-children/
General Health Advice and Guidance
Advice and information on how to look after your mental health and wellbeing translated into: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Gujarati, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Urdu.
Useful advice and guidance for parents about where and how to use local national health services in Manchester. Find helpful videos with translated versions below in Arabic, Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu created by Choose Well Manchester.
Find more healthcare information on the Choose Well Manchester website and on their YouTube channel.
You can also look up symptoms and get advice via the Symptom Checker on the NHS Choices website.
Teens & Screens
Children aged between 5-15 are spending around 24 hours each week online. The Office for National Statistics found that children who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media are more than twice as likely to encounter poor mental health. Compulsive checking, ‘Fear Of Missing Out’, has been linked to poor and disturbed sleep, as well as difficulty to relax during the evenings. One in five young people say they wake up during the night to check messages on social media, leading them to be three times more likely to feel constantly tired at school. Excessive screen time is a common worry shared by most parents of teenagers, especially if it starts to interfere with school work, family life and sleep. Regular poor sleep not only runs the risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes but can also shorten life expectancy. However, how do you get your teenager to put their phone down and prioritise a good night’s sleep over screen time?
- Choose a time when you are both calm and relaxed to talk to your child about your concerns.
- Agree reasonable compromises – mobile phones are far more important to teenagers than some parents realise. Agree some time boundaries, especially around late night use.
- Use the technology to help safeguard their wellbeing – many phones now include weekly screen time reports that will help you and your teenager keep track of their usage. There are also settings for night time use and ‘do not disturb’ time. Even something as simple as switch off the red notifications and putting the phone screen down at night can help to reduce the anxiety of missing something ‘important’
- Try to ensure that all adults in the household are setting a good example – make sure your teenager sees you spending time away from your phone too
Useful Links to Recommended Reading for Parents:
My Teenager is Always on Their Phone https://www.relate.org.uk/relationship-help/help-family-life-and-parenting/parenting-teenagers/communicating-teens/my-teenager-always-their-phone
Practical Strategies to Limit Your Teen’s Screen Time https://www.verywellfamily.com/strategies-limit-your-teens-screen-time-2608915
Why Lack Of Sleep is Bad for Your Health
Staff Wellbeing
Employee Assistance Programme
Sometimes it can be difficult to balance the pressures of work with the needs of home life. As your employer, we recognise help is sometimes needed to deal with the challenges you may face in life, both practical and emotional. Health Assured provides confidential support services which are available to you.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMEPROGRAMME INFORMATIONEAP FAQS
What is an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)?
An EAP is a confidential employee benefit designed to help you deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting your home life or work life, health and general wellbeing.
The EAP service provides a complete support network that offers expert advice and compassionate guidance 24/7, covering a wide range of issues. We strongly believe in providing an EAP service that offers not only reactive support when someone needs it but also proactive and preventative support to deliver the best possible outcomes.
At Health Assured we pride ourselves on offering the highest level of service quality, assured through the calibre of people we employ and our exceptional clinical governance infrastructure.
With Health Assured there really is a better way
Balancing everyday life with the requirements of work and home can create pressures for all of us. Work is a large part of people’s lives. With increasing working hours as well as technological developments to support remote working, it is vital to ensure that there’s a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
Health Assured, in partnership with Manchester Schools’ Alliance provides all employees with complimentary access to an enhanced Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to assist you in achieving this balance.
Services Available
Health Assured offers cover for you and your immediate family members*, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year:
- Life support: Unlimited access to counselling for emotional problems and a pathway to structured telephone counselling or face-to-face counselling sessions (employees only) at your convenience.
- Legal information: For any issues that cause anxiety or distress including debt management, accountancy, lawsuits, consumer disputes, property or neighbour legalities (employees only).
- Bereavement support: Health Assured offers qualified and experienced counsellors who can help with grief and related stress plus a team of legal advisors to help with legal issues.
- Medical information: Qualified nurses are on hand to offer advice on a range of medical or health related issues. They can’t diagnose but can offer a sympathetic ear and practical information and advice.
- CBT online: We recognise the value of self-help tools in dealing with a range of issues, which is why we have a range of CBT self-help modules, informative factsheets and invaluable advice videos from leading qualified counsellors.
* Health Assured define dependants as immediate family members (spouse/partners) and children aged 16 to 24 in full time education, living in the same household.
Wellbeing Portal
In addition to the counselling support and advice, they also offer a virtual library of wellbeing information. These informative articles and self-help guides provide support on a range of health and advisory issues, as well as instant guidance to aid an employee’s physical and mental health. We understand that the information needs to be available in a way that is suitable for you, whenever you require it. From simple lifestyle changes to advice for many of life’s most common concerns, the portal offers:
- Interactive health assessment providing personal tailor-made dietary tips and fitness plans
- Fitness and lifestyle advice, such as detoxing methods
- Four week self-help programmes
- Mini health checks
- Financial wellbeing articles
Health e-Hub Mobile App
Sometimes it can be difficult to balance the pressures of work with the demands of home life. When daily life feels overwhelming you need help and support to deal with the practical and emotional challenges you may be facing. The free Health Assured app offers access to holistic health and wellbeing support at the tap of a finger anywhere and anytime.
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To find out more information on what services Health Assured can provide, please visit www.healthassuredeap.com or contact 0800 030 5182.
To gain access to the Health and Well-being Portal www.healthassuredeap.com you will need to contact hr@thebarlowrchigh.co.uk to obtain the username & password.
Staff Wellbeing Resources
- Education Support – providing mental health and wellbeing support to all education staff.
- Happiful Magazine – We’re on a mission to create a healthier, happier, more sustainable society. Our aim is to provide informative, inspiring and topical stories about mental health and wellbeing. We want to break the stigma of mental health in our society, and to shine a light on the positivity and support that should be available for everyone, no matter their situation.
Click here to subscribe for free…
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Headspace AppLive a healthier, happier, more well-rested life in just a few minutes a day with the Headspace app – free subscription available for educators.
