Mental Health and Wellbeing

Meet the team:

Pastoral Lead - Jo Griffin                  Senior Mental Health Lead - Jon Gambell

Inclusion Lead - Rebecca Evans       Pastoral and Inclusion Assistant - Claire Neall

At Harrietsham C of E Primary School, our ethos is embodied by our motto, 'Nurtured We Flourish'. We are working with Nurture UK on their National Nurturing Schools Programme and as such we are committed to supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff. We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play. 

If you have concerns about your children's well-being, contact us immediately. As well as advice and support, we can refer you on to the school nursing service, the Kent educational psychology service or to Early Help, who support families at home with a range of issues. 

Mental Health Interventions at Harrietsham

We offer different levels of support dependent on a child's needs, please see the document below which forms part of our whole school provision map. As you will see from the document there are three levels of support. The first level starts with our universal offer and in the classroom as part of our Quality First Teaching (QFT). Guided or group interventions is the next level, when more tailored support is needed beyond the classroom and finally we have more specialised Individual Support and potential referrals to other services. 

We are very lucky to have a range of support on offer within the school including Claire Neall, who is trained in delivering Drawing and Talking therapy along with Jo Griffin with her wealth of experience supporting children with Emotional Literacy, resilience, bereavement and much more.

If you need help with your child's mental health

You can:

• Go to your GP as a first port of call as they are a useful place to gain medical support and signposting of local services, or speak to a School Nurse. Referrals for the School Nurse service can be made both through your GP and through school. 
• Talk to your child’s class teacher or learning support assistant about your child's needs or your concerns.
• Talk to the school’s Pastoral Lead (Mrs Griffin), Senior Mental Health Lead (Mr Gambell) or SENCO (Mrs Evans).
• Young Minds - The Parents Helpline is available to offer advice to anyone worried about a child or young person under 25. You may have questions about a child’s behaviour, emotional well-being, or mental health condition. You may have a child who's already been admitted to CAMHS and have questions about their treatment or want to know what to say to your GP when you visit them. Call 0808 802 5544 or visit the website: https://youngminds.org.uk/
• Early Help – children and family well-being service. School and parents can make a referral for support from a Well-being Practitioner via the Kent County Council website
• Childline - free 24-hour counselling service for children and young people up to their 19th birthday. 0800 1111 https://www.childline.org.uk
• MIND - for information and resources understanding and improving mental health and well-being, contact. Tel: 0300 123 3393    https://www.mind.org.uk/
• Supportline - confidential telephone helpline offering emotional support to any individual on any issue. 01708 765200 https://www.supportline.org.uk/
• Beat - provides helplines, self-help groups and online support to anyone affected by eating disorders. Helpline: 0808 801 0677, Youthline: 0808 801 0711, Studentline: 0808 801 0811 https://www.b-eat.co.uk/
• The Samaritans - The Samaritans provide a confidential service for people in despair and who feel suicidal. 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/
• NSPCC - Provides helplines and information on child abuse, child protection and safeguarding children. 0808 800 5000 https://www.nspcc.org.uk/
• Kent Resilience Hub - Website linked to Headstart. A resilience hub for parents and young people age 10+. Support and help around resilience and emotional wellbeing. https://kentresiliencehub.org.uk/
• Beat Eating Disorders - support around eating disorders in young people https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
• Every Mind Matters - mental health and wellbeing website for both adults and children https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/