This guidance brings together sources of information about the main risks children may be particularly vulnerable to during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and signposts you to help and support available.
Please click below for the latest advice from CAMHS
The Children’s Society has a range of support materials for young people, parents and schools in their mental and emotional health resource ‘vault’ including:
The resources can be found here: childrens society.org.uk
Think U Know have created videos to support parents during Covid-19 and the closure of schools to many children.
You can find the videos here:Think U Know videos
Please find below a link to the Family Fund with details about grants for essential items for disabled or seriously ill children.
The government has announced that anyone with symptoms of coronavirus is now eligible to book a test, ahead of the rollout of the test and trace service. Anyone experiencing a new, continuous cough; high temperature; or a loss of, or change, in their normal sense of smell or taste (anosmia) can book a test.
A coronavirus test can be booked here:
Essential workers in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, can apply for priority testing through GOV.UK. A coronavirus test can be booked here:
Support for families in financial difficulties – please click below for a full guide on budgeting through the current crisis.
Links to other organisations that can help.
We understand that for many families suddenly managing childcare, home learning and working from home is particularly difficult and many people, especially children, will be struggling to cope with the anxiety and fear caused by the situation. That’s why we have developed a series of resources to help support children, families and school workers through this uncertain time.
A service for anyone who has lost a loved one and who needs support, advice or guidance.
The Parents Advice Line is delivered by our trusted third-party partner, Care first. Care first are an independent, leading provider of professional employee & family support services. Care first employ professionally qualified Counsellors and Information Specialists, who are experienced in helping people to deal with all kinds of practical and emotional issues such as Wellbeing, family matters, relationships, debt management, childcare, and much more…
The sector-led Oak National Academy has today launched its online classroom and resource hub. The Academy offers 180 video lessons each week for schools to use, across a broad range of subjects. The lessons cover children in Reception through to Year 10 and are free to use by both teachers and young people.
The Oak National Academy can be accessed here:
Launch of BBC Bitesize
The BBC has today launched an education package across TV and online, featuring celebrities and teachers, helping to keep children learning at home and supporting parents.
BBC Bitesize can be accessed here:
Please note that these lessons may not be suitable for special needs pupils but may be useful for other school children in the family.
It is essential that everyone washes their hands more often, using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Hand washing with soap employs mechanical action that loosens bacteria and viruses from the skin, rinsing them into the drain. Drying hands afterwards makes the skin less hospitable to the virus. Hand sanitiser can be effective if soap is not available or the situation makes using soap less feasible (i.e. when outside) but using hand sanitiser provides none of the virus-destroying friction that rubbing your hands together and rinsing with water provides.
Best practice hand washing guide
Sarah Wray at Live Well Consultancy has posted a blog on her website and will continue to add blogs and videos regularly on there to support adults and children with their well-being during this period.
You can also sign up to the mailing list on the blog page to keep updated with blog posts and videos.
Follow the link below to keep up with Sarah on her journey with you all through this difficult time.
https://www.livewellconsultancy.org/blog
To help you take care of your mental health & wellbeing Every Mind Matters have put together their top 10 tips for coping at this time. Every Mind Matters
Parent-Guardian Online Radicalisation Information and Support
Staying Safe During COVID-19 Domestic Abuse Victim & Survivors guide
Community-hub-postcard- – please click to view help available from Doncaster Community Hub
A Message from Mindfulness in Schools Project
We are waiting to hear how this will pan out for small charities like ours. But in the meantime, we wanted to do something positive whilst the world is now pretty unfamiliar, and for, many frightening. We therefore launched a daily online mindfulness session yesterday, where we can ‘Sit Together’. Meeting at 11am every week day, these sessions are suitable for anyone, whether experienced mindfulness practitioners or absolute beginners, and last about 20 minutes. Children and young people are very welcome if accompanied by an adult. We had 55 attendees yesterday and 158 today, and it has been so heart–warming and inspirational to see so many people gather together to support each other. As well as the practice, just a smile and a wave from so many people is uplifting.
So I am warmly inviting you, your colleagues, staff in your schools and the wider community to drop in and join us. Please find and share details here: https://mindfulnessinschools.org/misp-sit-together/ If you can’t make it tomorrow, just drop in any week day when you can. We’d love to see you there.
Do take care, and sending very best wishes to the whole Doncaster community.
Chivonne Preston
Chief Executive Officer
Mindfulness in Schools Project
www.mindfulnessinschools.org
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
