Mental Health & Wellbeing

Student Support Team

The Sixth Form’s student support team consists of experienced counsellors and youth workers who will liaise closely with the Sixth Form Leadership Team and academic tutors, as well as accessing help from a range of outside agencies. This ensures that students can receive all the specialist support that may need during the important Sixth Form years. 

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week Mrs Owen and our Student Council put togther a video sharing some strageies for dealing with anxiety.

WCCYM Chaplaincy Team

WCCYM (West Cambridge Christian Youth Ministries) provides a Chaplaincy Team to the college, to offer additional pastoral and spiritual support and development, to students and staff. 

The Chaplaincy team’s pastoral support for students includes one-to-one youth work support, targeted group work and detached youth work. They also offer additional opportunities for spiritual development and reflection, encouraging respect and tolerance for all within a safe space. This happens through formal settings such as lessons and assemblies, and through informal conversations and groups.

Cherie Williamson heads up the WCCYM Chaplaincy Team at Comberton Village College, alongside WCCYM workers Susie Thomson and Nick Slater, as well as a small team of volunteers.

 

Supporting Mental Health and Wellbeing

Sleep hygiene

A minimum of 8 to 10 hours' good sleep on school nights is recommended for adolescents. This isn’t always easy to achieve with all the digital distractions and school pressures your child might have. If possible If possible, do not have a mobile, tablet, TV or computer in the bedroom at night, as the light from the screen interferes with sleep. Having screens in the bedroom also means your teen is more likely to stay up late interacting with friends on social media. Encourage your teenager to have at least an hour of screen-free time before going to sleep. For more tips look at the NHS page found here.

Routines

A clear and consistent routine at home can help with managing feelings of uncertainty and stress. Where possible give warning about changes to this routine to help your child feel in control and allow them to talk through any concerns that they might have about changes. For further tips on parenting during the pandemic have a look at the UNICEF guidance found here.

Physical well-being

Students should try to be as physically active as possible. There is a very strong link between physical wellbeing and mental wellbeing.Fitness challenges like Couch to 5K can be a great opportunity for the whole family to get some physical activity into your life. Ideas on how to help your child with physical activity can be found on the NHS page here

Create opportunities to talk about feelings

 Where possible think about opportunities to talk about how you and your child are feeling. The Anna Freud Centre has produced a really useful resource for parents and carers on ways to talk about mental health it can be found here .

Where to Find Help

What do I do if my child has a mental health crisis?

If you feel that your child is unable to cope and is a risk to themselves or other people seek advice from 111 and dial 2 to get support from mental health teams. If you have an emergency dial 999 to get immediate support.

If you have concerns about your child’s well-being and need advice the school has an email address which is checked daily – this is: sixthform@combertonvc.org

 

Self-Referalls to Younited

YOUnited is the single point of access to NHS  mental health services. Young people over 13 can submit a self-referral or give consent to parents/carers to complete the referral on their behalf. Once the referral is received by YOUnited a team of professionals will triage the information and allocate to the team best suited to the needs of the child/young person indicated in the referral. This could be one of the partners of YOUnited (CAMHS, Centre33 or Ormiston Families) or the Mental health Support Team in school. The respective team will then offer a first appointment to understand needs further and decide on the best support in a collaborative approach.  YOUnited Self Referral | CPFT NHS Trust . Please note that this is only for mental health services and if you are seeking a neurodevelopmental assessment for Autism or ADHD you will need to follow the guidance here:  YOUnited Neurodevelopmental Help for Families | CPFT NHS Trust

 

What other resources are available?

The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families has some good guidance for parents and carers:  Anna Freud Centre - Advice for Parents & Carers

Local guidance on support and mental health can be found here: https://www.keep-your-head.com/

Online counselling for children and young people can be found here: https://www.kooth.com/

NSPCC – www.NSPCC.org.uk

Guidance on safeguarding children during school closure: http://www.safeguardingcambspeterborough.org.uk/children-board/parents-carers/

Guidance on online safety - https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/

Support for those experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence –

(national)  www.womensaid.org.uk (local) https://www.cambsdasv.org.uk/website/support__help/84011

Papyrus – this charity aims to support those experiencing suicidal thoughts and friends and families affected by another person’s suicide.