Wellbeing Information for Parents
Parents and carers and pupils can seek to access and discuss potential support by contacting your child’s tutor and Head of Key Stage or Pastoral Leader respectively. These key staff will them refer to and action the most relevant and appropriate type of support moving forward. Key roles are outlined below:-
Andrea Sheldon
I am a senior TA and Mental Health First Aider here at Selwood Academy.
I meet with Pupils regularly and support with their mental health difficulties, including; Anxiety, Eating problems, self-injury, grief, low mood, stress, worries, anger and OCD.
Once I have received a referral the process involves an initial meeting with a pupil, introduce myself and complete an assessment. This helps to pin point the support needed for the pupil moving forward. I can then put strategies in place to help them and arrange future sessions with them.
Regularly with our Elsa and Place2Be councillor to ensure our pupils are getting the right support.
Communication with parents in person, via phone calls and emails keep parents up to date on how their child is getting on and to discuss progress and concerns.
I often refer children for further support including; ELSA, Oasis, Our resilience and self-esteem groups, place2be and outside agencies like Young Somerset.
I am very proud to have the following qualifications:
• Mental Health First Aid
• Level 2 in Understanding children and young people’s mental health
• Self-Harm awareness
• Managing stress
• Supporting children in grief
• Place2Be mental health champions
Elsa Practitioner- Joanne Barrett
Hello, I am the Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) at Selwood Academy.
Having previously worked as a Teaching Assistant, I have now developed my role to be able to offer this invaluable support to your children.
ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by Educational Psychologists. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are being met.
As an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant, I am able to help children and young people with emotional literacy, emotional regulation, self-esteem, social skills, friendship issues, relationships, conflict, anxiety, managing strong feelings, loss and bereavement, growth mindset and social stories.
I plan and deliver bespoke programmes of support to enable children and young people to work towards their specific programme aims. An example of this could be to help the child learn new skills or coping strategies.
ELSA sessions are relaxed, yet purposeful, and take place in the ELSA room. This is a lovely, calming space providing children and young people the opportunity to talk and reflect. A wide range of resources are available for sessions, including games, arts and crafts, colouring, worksheets, stories and puppets.
ELSA sessions run for a cycle of 6-12 weeks with each session lasting between 30-45 minutes.
Teachers/Tutors or the school SENCO can make a referral for ELSA.
Useful Numbers for Families
FIND, Family Information Network Directory
https://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/find/
Frome’s Family Information Network Directory, an easy to use, and up to date platform for you to find the information you need for your family all in one place.
Children’s Social Care
0300 123 2224
childrens@somerset.gov.uk
If you are worried about a child or young person who could be in danger call or email CSC or the police. Calls are dealt with in the strictest of confidence. In an emergency dial 999.
Somerset Emergency Duty Line
0300 123 2327 (evenings and weekends)
For any family in Somerset if you are worried about a child or if you feel in crisis and need urgent support and would like to speak to a social worker outside of office hours
Somerset Survivors
0800 69 49 999
https://somersetsurvivors.org.uk/
Domestic abuse can affect anyone. You are not alone, you are not to blame, and you do not have to suffer in silence. Help is available to report domestic abuse.
National Domestic Abuse Helpline
0808 2000247
www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk
24hr freephone National Domestic Violence Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The helpline is answered by fully trained female support workers and volunteers, who will answer your call-in confidence
Somerset Citizens advice
www.citizensadvicemendip.org.uk
03444 889 623
Free, confidential information and advice to assist people with money, legal, consumer and other problems.
Kooth
https://www.kooth.com
A digital mental health support service. It gives children and young people easy access to an online community of peers and a team of experienced counsellors.
Fair Frome
01373 488578
Local food bank providing food parcels and vouchers for local takeaways (in person or delivered).
Young Somerset
https://www.youngsomerset.org.uk/
Wellbeing is about how we feel and how we cope with everyday difficulties. We do not have to feel happy all of the time to have positive wellbeing. However, if you child or young person is finding it difficult to cope with everyday life, this is where it might be helpful to work with one of our wellbeing practitioners. Contact us for more information.
Mind Charity
0300 123 3392
Text: 86463
One of the UK’s Leading Mental Health Charities providing information, advice and campaigning to promote and protect good mental health for everyone.
Young Somerset – Wellbeing Team
Ben O’Shea - BenOShea@youngsomerset.org.uk
Young Somerset provide Low-Intensity Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for mild to moderate common mental health issues. Therapy is typically delivered 1:1 and in small groups for 6-8 sessions.
We offer our services to people aged 8-18 (must be under 18 at time of request) Typically we only work 1:1 with children over the age of 12 but this is decided on a case-by-case basis. We run our service in the following locations Frome Town Hall, Oakfield, Selwood, Avanti, Frome College, Frome Medical Practice, Cheese and Grain, St Louis, Trinity and Frome Library.
Mind in Somerset
Jacob Jones - jacob.jones@mindinsomerset.org.uk
Youth Matters – Peer Support sessions in Frome for 11-17 and 17-24 years Sessions are running on Monday's 4-6pm alternating weeks for age groups.
Purple Elephant
Sue Willis - info@fromechildrensfestival.org
Befriending service and small Steps. Most sessions are run in schools during school time as arranged with the family and school. Thursdays during term time from 12.30 – 2pm at Vallis School. 1:1 work is whatever suits the parent/carer. Age range includes 5-12 years and Pre-school: 0 – 4yrs.
YouthSpace
Bryony Cranstoun - youthspacelead@wessexcp.co.uk
We offer up to 12 weekly sessions of psychodynamic counselling for people aged between 15 -18 years on weekdays, after school hours (from 3.30pm) at Wessex Counselling, No 5 King Street, Frome BA11 1BH.
Focus Frome
Lucia Chadwick - fromeoffice@focusbath.com
Affordable person centred counselling for children, YP, adults, couples and families. You pay what you can and we find funding to fund the rest. We offer are service for people age 4 upwards at St John’s Cottage (on the forecourt of St John’s Church) Frome. Open Monday – Friday 8.30am – 7pm.
The Good Heart
Melanie Dalton - melaniegoodheart@gmail.com
Tibetan Memories runs a pay-it forward café from The Good Heart, 12-3pm, 5-7pm Mon-Sat.
The Good Heart is an independent, not-for-profit project at 7 Palmer Street dedicated to exploring kindness. We want to nurture and celebrate the natural kindness of people of Frome and support anything which enhances the common good. We aim do this by:
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encouraging kindness and other pro-social behaviours
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providing activities that explore and promote mental health and wellbeing
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working with local partners to support health and resilience
We ran the first Frome Kindness Festival in March 2022 and will deliver another in 2023. We are beginning a regular series of free events. Building on connections we made with local schools during the Frome Kindness Festival, we want to bring more kindness work into schools as a contribution to supporting the mental health of students and teachers.
Free food and drink are available to anyone in need during café opening times (12-3pm, 5-7pm Mon- Sat)
We are working on a regular series of free public events following on from the Frome Kindness Festival. We have so far covered the topics of Understanding Empathy and Dying Matters. We are open to suggestions of other events we could host and/or facilitate.
The Good Heart space (7 Palmer St) is available for use by groups at the following times:
Mon-Sat:
7am-12noon
3-5pm, after 7pm
Sunday: All day
Minimal charge for services to building. At other times it operates as a pay-it-forward café.
We have a team of volunteers (‘Kindness Crew’) recruited during the Frome Kindness Festival, who are keen to support positive local projects
We also have a ‘Schools Team’ of experienced facilitators and ex-teachers, keen to support work that looks to improve mental health and wellbeing in local schools. This group have the energy and skills to help with specific projects, and could possibly help with fundraising for kindness-related resources for schools eg. Kindness benches.
We Hear You
Lucy Kitchener - lucy.kitchener@wehearyou.org.uk
We offer emotional support to children, young people and adults affected by cancer and other life-threatening conditions.
Approx 25 – 30 Sessions a week in Frome on Mondays – Tuesdays – Wednesdays – Thursdays and Fridays for adults and young people (121, creative/art therapy, and drama-therapy)
Plus
Selwood School (Weds)
Frome College (Fri)
Oakfield (Thurs)
