Wellbeing support
General support
Samaritans
Call 116 123 - free
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
Call any time, day or night Whatever you're going through, you can call us any time, from any phone for FREE.
National Autistic Society - Resources for Autistic people and families
https://www.autism.org.uk/services/helplines/coronavirus/resources/helpful-resources.aspx
This is hard for everyone, but we know that for some autistic people of all ages these things could trigger intense stress and lead to a meltdown or a shut down.
We know many of our supporters are feeling anxious, so we’ve collected a series of resources, which includes, social stories, a new daily schedule template, how to keep children entertained, managing anxiety and much more! Take a look...
Mind UK - managing anxiety
UK Mental Health Charity with information and an online mutual support community
https://www.mind.org.uk/
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/support-community-elefriends/
General support – for young people
www.kooth.com -Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people
www.youngminds.org.uk - The UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health. For Coronavirus advice, mental health support and advice/support on anxiety, OCD or psychology techniques visit their dedicated young persons support page
YoungMinds also have a Facebook and Twitter pages you can follow for day to day support
(Parents helpline also available)
www.keep-your-head.com - reliable information on mental health and wellbeing for children, young people and adults reliable information on mental health and wellbeing for children, young people and adults
Samaritans - Find out more about emotional health and how we can support you.
What is Emotional Health? Emotional health is about the way we think and feel, and the ability to manage our feelings and deal with difficulties. Having good emotional health is not the same thing as being happy all the time. Everyone experiences difficult feelings from time to time, and often we don’t know what to do to help us get back on track.
How Can Samaritans help you? Anyone can contact Samaritans, no matter how old you are.
Call 116 123 - free
What Samaritans say..... What happens when you call us?
A volunteer will answer.
If you phone us, we will answer with something like "Samaritans, can I help you?"
You talk, we listen
We listen to you and help you talk through your concerns, worries and troubles.
We give you space to be yourself
We'll focus on your thoughts and feelings, and may ask questions to help you explore how you feel.
We won't tell you what you should do
We won't make decisions for you, our advice or opinions are not important for the call.
Support for Parents
Positivitree - The Positivitree works to improve the mental wellbeing of families with children who have additional health or care needs. They offer online support, social groups, workshops and classes. Based on the Wirral, they offer virtual coffee mornigs for parents and carers. Their Facebook page has more details of events.
YoungMinds - Worried about a child or young person's behaviour or mental health? You're not alone. Visit their website for Parents helpline, Parents survival guide, Parents Guide to Support A-Z
BBC - Video - 5 ways to manage your wellbeing in lockdown
Helpful resources for talking to children about Coronavirus
Covibook - A short book about Coronavirus for children under 7 - https://www.mindheart.co/descargables
Newsround video -Drs Chris and Xand explain what’s happening
Resources for children and young people with additional needs:
The Autism Educator - Visual story about what the coronavirus is
Carol Gray has created a social story about Pandemics and the Coronavirus
https://carolgraysocialstories.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pandemics-and-the-Coronavirus.pdf
Mencap website - Contains a link to the most up to date version of their “Easy Read” for young people and adults with learning difficulties
https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/health/coronavirus