Resources for Parents

It is not uncommon for children/young people to feel anxious and worried at times, especially those with autism. There are several types of anxiety which are normally seen in children/young people such as separation anxiety, general anxiety, social anxiety and phobias. The degree to which these anxieties may affect a young person will differ so as will the way in which they present.

More information on childhood anxiety can be found at:

NHS.uk	www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/anxiety-in-children
Young Minds	https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to-support-a-z/parents-guide-to-support-anxiety
The National Autistic Society	www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/anxiety

If you have concerns around a child/young person’s emotional wellbeing, please contact your GP for advice. In some cases, they may consider a referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for further assessment and support. More details can be found at www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/services/camhs-barnsley or calling 01226 644829.

If your feel your child/young person is at immediate risk of harm or they have physically harmed themselves, then you should always seek immediate support by attending the hospital’s emergency department (ED) or contact 999.

Autism

If you would like more information about autism including what autism is, how it may present and what strategies may help, please take a look at the following websites:

NHS.net	www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism
The National Autistic Society	www.autism.org.uk
Ambitious about Autism	www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk

Parents are also able to access workshops and courses to develop their own knowledge and understanding of autism such as:

The Cygnet Programme

A parenting support programme for parents and carers of children with autism. This is currently offered by:

Barnardo’s at Priory Campus, Lundwood (Under 11s) – Contact (01226) 770619 for more details.
The Social communication and Interaction Team (age 5-18) – Online programme. https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/children-families-and-education/schools-and-learning/education-inclusion-services/events/

First Steps

The First Steps workshops give parents of newly diagnosed children an introductory look at autism and some of the simple strategies which can be used to support them – this is accessible through the local Community & Interaction Team by contacting melaniebooth@barnsley.gov.uk.

Education

If you have any concerns around your child’s education, their ability to access education or looking for extra support from their setting, we recommend contacting your schools Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) first. All settings are required to have an appointed SENCO who is responsible for coordinating the people, processes and plans needed to support children’s needs in school.

If you need further support, you may wish to consider contacting The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS). They offer free, confidential and impartial information, guidance, advice and support. More information on SENDIASS can be for www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/children-families-and-education/children-with-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send/sendiass-advice-and-support-service or contact 01226 78734

Online Safety

Without a doubt we now live in a digital world where we rely more and more on our mobile devices. Due to the portability of these devices, it becomes hard to monitor what our children and young people are accessing, who they are making contact with and what they are being exposed to and this is a common worry for most parents. Children and young people can often be exposed to images of an adult nature, videos that contain violence or swearing and general things which they don’t truly understand.

Below, we have listed a few links that will help parents understand what apps/sites/games are currently trending amongst our your people, help to identify any risks that are associated with these and give you ways of protecting them online.

NetAware

NetAware brings together the NSPCC’s expertise in protecting children and with O2’s tech know-how they’ve got everything you need to help you keep your kids safe online. Packed full of information, advice and resources this is a recommended read for all parents. www.net-aware.org.uk

CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection command)

Lead by the National Crime Agency, CEOP is a law enforcement agency who help to keep children and young people safe from sexual abuse and grooming online. They help thousands of children and young people every year who have been in a similar situation. CEOP are unable to respond to reports about bullying, fake accounts or account hacking.

They can help and give you advice, and you can make a report directly to them if something has happened online which has made you feel unsafe, scared or worried. This might be from someone you know in real life, or someone you have only ever met online. www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre

UK Safer Internet Centre

UK Safer Internet Centre is a partnership of three leading charities with a mission to make the internet a better place for children and young people. The UK Safer Internet Centre, where you can find online safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe online. www.saferinternet.org.uk

Sleep

It is common for children to have difficulties around sleep. These could be difficulties falling to sleep (delayed sleep onset), difficulties staying asleep (sleep maintenance) or in some cases, both. These difficulties may have been present since early childhood or may have started suddenly.

We do know that some children/young people’s sleep difficulties are related to medical conditions but more often than not, they are behaviours (habits) that a child has got into often contributed to by environmental, domestic routines.

We do know that exposure to screen time such as TVs, phones and iPads can have a significant impacts on a child’s ability to fall to sleep, especially when used around bedtime. A good, clear and predictable routine is crucial to support sleep.

Prolonged sleep difficulties can have a negative impact on a child’s mood, emotions, behaviours and their ability to concentrate, therefore seeking support and putting strategies in place can benefit children/young people’s behaviours and learning.

More information is available via:

NHS.net	www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/sleep-problems-in-children
The Sleep Charity	www.thesleepcharity.org.uk/information-support/children
The Sleep Council	https://sleepcouncil.org.uk
The Teen Sleep Hub	https://teensleephub.org.uk

If you would like further support around sleep, we would suggest contacting:

0-19 Public Health Nursing Service https://fsd.barnsley.gov.uk/kb5/barnsley/fisd/advice.page?id=dCnhDDLcX88
Early Help & Family Centres – https://fsd.barnsley.gov.uk/kb5/barnsley/fisd/family.page?familychannel=1791
Cerebra – https://cerebra.org.uk/get-advice-support/sleep-advice-service

Toileting

Mastering the use of a toilet (or potty) is a developmental milestone that every child has to face during their early years. We know that all children develop differently meaning that some may be ahead of their peers and siblings whilst others may be slightly delayed – this is normal.

It is important that we don’t push children into this too early as this could have an impact on their emotions, confidence and in some cases could delay the securing of this mile stone. We should wait until a child starts showing a readiness, interest or awareness of needing to use the toilet.

More information on potty training is available on the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/potty-training-tips

Should you have any concerns or require further support around toileting, then contact your health visitor via the 0-19 team on 01226 774 411.

Useful websites

Bladder & Bowel UK	https://www.bbuk.org.uk/blog/childrens-bladder-and-bowel-issues-some-fables-and-facts
Eric – the children’s bowel & bladder charity	https://www.eric.org.uk/
National Autistic Society	https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/behaviour/toileting/parents

App Library

A range of apps are available on the NHS Apps Library which support child & adult’s health and wellbeing.

https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library

USEFUL CONTACTS

0-19 Team Formerly known as school nursing & Health Visiting Service	01226 774411
CAMHS	01226 644829
Disabled Children’s Team – Children Social Care	01226 774050
Children’s Therapy Team (Occupational & Physio)	01226 644396
Children’s Epilepsy Team	01226 644396
Children’s Speech & Language Therapy Team	01226 644331
Family Information Service	0800 0345 340

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Covid-19 (Coronavirus): Physical visiting is resuming with some restrictions in place

Key resources

Other resources

Anxiety