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Growing Healthy 0-19

Online event – Growing Healthy Northumberland 0-19 Service

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Online event – Growing Healthy Northumberland 0-19 Service

Join us on Friday 8 March, 1pm-2pm, to hear from Rachel and Sam from the Growing Healthy Northumberland 0-19 Service.

They will talk about what services are provided by the 0-19 Service for children, young people, and families in Northumberland, including the Health Visiting Service, 5-19 Service and their digital offer.

Suitable for mums, dads, grandparents, carers and professionals alike, Zoom in to find out more about these services for the children in your life.

This event has now passed.

Sign up to our newsletter to hear about future events.

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Healthier Together

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The Healthier Together website is full of useful health advice for parents, carers, young people and health professionals. All of the information has been approved by clinicians so it’s a great place to go for reliable advice.

Topics include common illnesses in babies and children, when to keep your child off school/nursery, support for young people and a guide to how the NHS works.

Healthier Together

If you need some help finding local health and care information or support, please get in touch.

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Have your say on support for children and young people

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North East and North Cumbria NHS Integrated Care Board and Northumberland County Council are looking at how to strengthen support for children and young people with emotional wellbeing and mental health needs.

Northumberland’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy for Children and Young People 2022-25 sets out how this will be achieved.

The aim of the strategy is to give children, young people and their families the confidence that they are receiving the best support possible.

Have your say on the strategy by completing this short survey. Closes 4 February.

Young People and Mental Health

Young people and mental health

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Healthwatch Northumberland is the independent champion for people who use health and social care services. We are a listening organisation working across Northumberland, interested in what people like about services and what can be improved. We act on what people are saying, sharing their views with those who have the power to make change happen. We also help people find the information they need about services in their area and record this as ‘signposting’.

Between January and March 2021 we ran an online survey to gauge the access and support received by young people (aged between 13 – 25 years) from mental health services in Northumberland.

We promoted the survey through our own social media channels and website as well as contacting all secondary and high schools in Northumberland. We also contacted all the local youth groups across the county and other relevant partners such as Northumberland CVA, the Aging Well Network and town and parish councils. The survey had 51 responses. Read our findings at the link below:

Young People and Mental Health: Experiences of access and support in Northumberland

Find mental health services and support

Parenting Workshops

Parent Workshops

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Online Parenting Workshops from Escape Family Support

Escape Family Support is running some parenting workshops, for parents with children between the ages of 9 -18 years of age. All workshops take place on Fridays between 10am and 12pm.

If you are interested in attending or would like further information, contact Angie Turnbull on 07812983611 or email: angie.turnbull@escapefamilysupport.org.uk. Please book as soon as possible as places are limited. If you need support to get online to access the workshop the team can help.

Workshops

14th May 2021 – Understanding why my child misbehaves
• Understand children’s behavior
• Discuss and list the needs we all have
• Identify the needs a child is trying to meet with a certain behavior
• Distinguish what is acceptable/unacceptable behavior
• Practice challenging unacceptable behavior, paying attention to feelings and underlying needs

21st May 2021 – Promoting positive behaviour
• Understanding influences on children’s behaviour
• To gain knowledge of positive parenting
• Encouraging and developing skills in our children
Setting goals for change

28th May 2021 – Managing misbehaviour
• Learning new strategies to promote positive parenting
• Using a behaviour chart/contract
• Gain knowledge of strategies to manage misbehaviour
• Understand the purpose of challenging difficult behaviour

4th June 2021 – Sibling rivalry
• To look at parent’s relationship with their siblings when they were children
• To discuss what causes conflict with their children
• To understand the impact this has on the family
• To work together for a way forward

11th June 2021 – Creating confident children
• To gain an understanding of self esteem
• To discuss low self-esteem and high self-esteem
• To gain an understanding of low and high self-esteem
• To look at how parenting has changed over the past twenty years

18th June 2021 – Setting boundaries
• To explore why we need boundaries for our children/teenagers
• To encourage parents to look at boundaries they had as a child
• To look at setting boundaries at different ages
• To discuss children/teenagers need rules to be safe

25th June 2021 – Parenting a teenager
• To reflect over parents’ teenage years
• To understand how it has changed for our teenagers today
• To understand changes from a child to a teenager
• To gain an understanding of where to go for support for parents and teenagers

Visit our Children and Young People’s Health Information Page

Kooth Q&A

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Providing information about local health and care services is part of the core work of Healthwatch Northumberland, and mental health services for children and young people is one of our key priorities.

In June 2020 NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) commissioned Kooth, a free online mental health support service for young people aged 11-25 years.

Watch this video to find out more.

We were therefore delighted to host an online seminar on 10 March 2021 with Malcolm Connelly, Engagement Lead at Kooth who told us about how the service works and how parents, carers and professionals can signpost young people to it.

Below are the questions from the audience and Malcolm’s answers which include links to the Kooth site and how to contact Malcolm for more information.

If you or a young person you know have used Kooth, we would like to hear about your experience. Share your feedback with us.

Q&A

How can parents check the suitability of Kooth?

There are demos available to see what the site looks like from a user’s perspective however the content will look different depending on the age of the child. A demo can be arranged by emailing Malcolm Connelly (mconnelly@kooth.com). There is also information on the Kooth website and Malcolm has put together a parents’ information letter.

Kooth follows strict safeguarding guidelines and young people will only speak to trained counsellors when using the platform. Any discussion is via pre-moderated threads.

How can I get resources to share to promote Kooth?

If you work for an organisation which supports children and young people, get in touch with Malcolm to add your details to his database of contacts. There are also A4 posters and wallet size cards available. Visit the Kooth Promotion Hub to find resources to promote Kooth.

Do you promote Kooth to schools and youth groups?

Yes, Malcolm does presentations in schools and for youth groups although it is more difficult at the moment with restrictions. Malcolm is currently only able to offer virtual presentations but is hoping to get back into schools later in the year.

What does Kooth mean?

During initial discussions about what to call the platform, a group of young people took the word ‘uncouth’ and flipped it to the more positive ‘Kooth’.

What is the adult equivalent of Kooth?

Qwell. This is currently only available to teachers and support staff in Northumberland.

Is there any data to show the positive impact that Kooth is having on young people and what are the recurring themes?

Monthly and quarterly reports are sent to the CCG which commissions Kooth, however these have to be requested and authorised for anyone else who would like to see them.

Is there any reason for Kooth starting at 11 years old?

This age was agreed with the CCG and is relevant as it is the start of secondary school. Around the age of 11 or 12 children are old enough to understand more and benefit from the support service. Gillick competency is assessed (more details here).

Is Kooth safe for autistic people?

Kooth is a safe space but we understand some young people may struggle with the text-based service and are constantly working to make Kooth fully accessible for all.

You mentioned face-to-face interventions. How does that work?

This is not currently available in the North East.

Are you getting into schools at the moment with the current restrictions?

Yes, but not as much as usual. Malcolm is hoping to get back into schools regularly by September.

 

Find out more about the support available for children and young people in Northumberland.

Back to school support from Diabetes UK

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As schools are due to reopen in September, Diabetes UK knows that parents and carers might be worried about the safety of their children with diabetes returning to school.

To help ease these worries they have organised a ‘Back to school’ question and answer session via Zoom with a panel of experts who will help to answer any questions you might have.

The Zoom session will take place on Wednesday 12 August from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.

The panel of experts will include:

  • Dr Fiona Campbell: Consultant Paediatrician and Diabetologist at Leeds Children’s Hospital
  • Carol Metcalfe: Advanced Specialist Practitioner in Paediatric Diabetes at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
  • James Rodger-Phillips: a Head of Department at a secondary school who lives with type 1 diabetes
  • Steve Paxton: parent of two teenagers with type 1 diabetes and Good Care In School Award assessor

The Type 1 Events team are also running further panels for parents and carers in August and September:

  • Newly diagnosed – what happens when type 1 diabetes joins your family? Tuesday 18 August – 7pm to 8.30pm.
  • Becoming more independent. Monday 21 September – 7pm to 8.30pm.

If you would like to attend any of these events you can sign up here.

All of the latest advice for managing diabetes during the coronavirus outbreak can be found on the Diabetes UK coronavirus advice page.

Events

Online event – mental wellbeing support for young people

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Are you a parent, carer or someone who is looking for initial support for a child or young person’s mental wellbeing? Perhaps you work with young people and want ideas about what mental health support is available in Northumberland? Come along to our online event on Wednesday 10 March from 10.30am to 11.30am and find out more about Kooth, an online counselling and support service available to all young people aged 11-25 across Northumberland.

Kooth is a safe, confidential and anonymous way for young people to access wellbeing and mental health support through self-help resources and articles, peer support and discussion, and access to fully trained and qualified counsellors until 10pm each night, 365 days per year.

This event is an opportunity to hear more about Kooth from Northumberland’s Kooth Engagement Lead Malcolm Connelly who will give a short presentation and introduction to Kooth, what it involves, how to access it and what you can expect. There will be a Q&A session following the presentation.

Find out more about Kooth here.

If you would like to come along to the event please contact Helen Brown at: helenb@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk, or call 03332 408468 to register.

We would also like to hear from young people who are using or have used children’s mental health services in Northumberland so we can understand what is working well and what could be improved. You can share your views here.

Parents, carers and relatives of young people who have used services can also share feedback on our website.

Children and Young People’s Services

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Are you a voluntary or community organisation working with young people? If so, we’d like you to join us for an open discussion on children and young peoples services, particularly around mental health services.

The forums will take place via Zoom. Read our guide on how to use Zoom.

If you would like to take part please contact Laura Kane: laurak@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk, or call 03332 408468.

Find out more about our other online forums

 

online events

Maternity services: Join our online forum

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As we will be unable to get out and about across the county to meet with and listen to people for a while, we’re holding some public online forums, and we’d like you to join us. If you are unable to take part but would like to tell us about your experiences of these services, Caroline and Lesley will be available by phone, text and email each Wednesday between 3.00pm and 4.00pm to listen, answer any questions and help with providing information about services.

The forums will take place via Zoom. Read our guide on how to use Zoom.

The subject of this online forum is maternity services, so if you’d like to share your experiences of services in the last 12 months, or those of someone close to you, please join us.

If you would like to take part please contact Lesley Tweddell, lesleyt@healthwatchnorthumberland.co.uk, or 07803 427 466.

 

Find out about our other online forums

 

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An Introduction to Safeguarding Children

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An Introduction to Safeguarding Children

 

Voices Northumberland supports third sector organisations and groups (voluntary and community, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives) to achieve positive outcomes for all children and young people.

What would you pay to keep a child safe?

If your primary area of work or volunteering is with babies, children or young people then this is the safeguarding course for you.

This course builds on the course ‘an awareness of safeguarding adults and children’ and explores in more detail: communicating with children in difficult situations, thinking about the needs of children with additional needs, consolidating skills in recognising abuse and responding to concerns and current hot topics in Northumberland.

To book your place please email contact@voices-northumberland.org.uk to request a booking form.

Costs

£10 per person – Volunteer based in Northumberland

£20 per person – VCS paid worker based in Northumberland

£35 per person – public/private sector and any VCS organisations based outside of Northumberland

This course will take place in central Northumberland – exact venue/location will be confirmed at a later date.

happy children running

An Introduction to Safeguarding Children

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An Introduction to Safeguarding Children

 

Voices Northumberland supports third sector organisations and groups (voluntary and community, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives) to achieve positive outcomes for all children and young people.

What would you pay to keep a child safe?

If your primary area of work or volunteering is with babies, children or young people then this is the safeguarding course for you.

This course builds on the course ‘an awareness of safeguarding adults and children’ and explores in more detail: communicating with children in difficult situations, thinking about the needs of children with additional needs, consolidating skills in recognising abuse and responding to concerns and current hot topics in Northumberland.

To book your place please email contact@voices-northumberland.org.uk to request a booking form.

Costs

£10 per person – Volunteer based in Northumberland

£20 per person – VCS paid worker based in Northumberland

£35 per person – public/private sector and any VCS organisations based outside of Northumberland

This course will take place in the south-east of the county – exact venue/location will be confirmed at a later date.

happy children running

An Introduction to Safeguarding Children

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An Introduction to Safeguarding Children

 

Voices Northumberland supports third sector organisations and groups (voluntary and community, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives) to achieve positive outcomes for all children and young people.

What would you pay to keep a child safe?

If your primary area of work or volunteering is with babies, children or young people then this is the safeguarding course for you.

This course builds on the course ‘an awareness of safeguarding adults and children’ and explores in more detail: communicating with children in difficult situations, thinking about the needs of children with additional needs, consolidating skills in recognising abuse and responding to concerns and current hot topics in Northumberland.

To book your place please email contact@voices-northumberland.org.uk to request a booking form.

Costs

£10 per person – Volunteer based in Northumberland

£20 per person – VCS paid worker based in Northumberland

£35 per person – public/private sector and any VCS organisations based outside of Northumberland

This course will take place in the north of the county – exact venue/location will be confirmed at a later date.

happy children running

Introduction to Safeguarding Children – Refresher

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Voices Northumberland supports third sector organisations and groups (voluntary and community, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives) to achieve positive outcomes for all children and young people.

This is a refresher course and will include hot topics and updates around safeguarding children.

What would you pay to keep a child safe?

If your primary area of work or volunteering is with babies, children or young people then this is the safeguarding course for you.

This course builds on our course on awareness of safeguarding adults and children and explores in more detail: communicating with children in difficult situations, thinking about the needs of children with additional needs, consolidating your skills in recognising abuse and responding to concerns and current hot topics in Northumberland.

To book your place please email contact@voices-northumberland.org.uk to request a booking form. The course will take place in Morpeth between 1.00pm and 4.00pm.

Costs

£10 per person – Volunteer based in Northumberland

£20 per person – VCS paid worker based in Northumberland

£35 per person – public/private sector and any VCS organisations based outside of Northumberland