HEALTH & WELLBEING
USEFUL LINKS
Domestic Abuse Helpline
If you are in immediate danger call 999. If you cannot talk, dial 55 and the operator will respond.
For emotional support, you can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. Alternatively, for practical and emotional support, please contact Women’s Aid Live Chat 10am-6pm seven days a week.
You can also reach the National Centre for Domestic Violence on 0800 270 9070 or text NCDV to 60777.
For free and confidential advice and support for women in London affected by abuse, you can call Solace on 0808 802 5565, or email [email protected].
Male victims of domestic abuse can call 01823 334244 to speak to ManKind, an initiative available for male victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence across the UK, as well as their friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues and employers.
Alternatively, the Men’s Advice Line can be reached at 0808 8010327, or emailed at [email protected].
USEFUL INFORMATION
Back To School MMR Guidance
Measles cases are rising across the country, with over 102,000 children starting primary school in England being at risk of catching the disease.
Measles is highly infectious and if left unvaccinated nine out of ten children in a classroom can catch the disease if just one child is infectious. We encourage parents/carers to get their children vaccinated.
Click here to download a PDF document containing guidance and information.
Healthier Together
County Durham Care Partnership OT Guide
Click the image to download the Occupational Therapy offer for children and young people living in County Durham.
National Sleep Charity Helpline
The Sleep Charity are circulating information about the new National Sleep Helpline to school nurses and anyone responsible for child health and well being. One in four children in the UK are not getting enough sleep, this has an impact on their behaviour and ability to learn, as well as their physical health.
The free helpline is run by trained sleep advisors who can talk to young people directly, or their parents.
The helpline is open 5 nights a week, Sunday to Thursday, 7-9pm and the number is 03303 530 541.
You can read more here: https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/national-sleep-helpline/
Holiday Activities and Food Programme
The HAF programme provides free holiday club places to children on benefits-related free school meals, as well as other vulnerable children, giving them a chance to enjoy extracurricular activities and healthy meals during the school holidays.
The school holidays can be pressure points for some families, which for some children can lead to a holiday experience gap. Children from low-income households can be less likely to access organised out-of-school activities, more likely to experience ‘unhealthy holidays’ in terms of nutrition and physical health and more likely to experience social isolation.
The government is investing over £200m a year to offer these children free holiday club places with healthy meals and fun activities and during the Easter, summer, and Christmas holidays. Despite the many challenges of the pandemic, I am thrilled that in 2021, the programme was successfully rolled out to all local authorities in England.
A recent independent evaluation showed that our programme reached over 600,000 children and young people in England last summer, meaning hundreds of thousands of children from low income families are benefitting from healthy food and extracurricular activities, helping to level up children’s educational outcomes, providing better nutrition, improving wellbeing and social skills. Findings from this evaluation also showed that the provision of HAF clubs allowed many parents to stay in employment by offering free childcare for families.
#HAF2022
Kooth Mental Help Support Flyer
Click on the image to download a full size document
Family Carer Support Service
Hft’s Family Carer Support Service (FCSS) is a free information and support service for family carers with an autistic relative or a relative with a learning disability aged 16 or over and living in England.
We are sharing their support information as they are reaching out to services in areas where they traditionally have little contact from family carers to share the support they provide.
Click on the links to download their information leaflet and a copy of their resource: The Care Act: How to get the right support from your local authority. FCSS also have a number of helpful family carer video resources on their YouTube channel.
DCC Fun & Food Programme
Durham County Council Fun and Food programme is providing activities with healthy snacks and meals for children and young people.
All activities are offered through Voluntary and Community Sector partners and schools who will be operating in a Covid secure way. There is a range of activities planned across County Durham.
Find out what’s on in your area at www.durham.gov.uk/FunAndFood
Mental Health and Emotional Support
What's On...Live Well Centre
Durham County Carers Support
Support for Parents of children with additional needs
We are a local Charity providing support to Parents of Children with additional needs and we are commissioned by Durham County Council to carry out Parent Carer Needs Assessments which gives parents the opportunity to reflect on their caring role and the impact it has on their health and wellbeing. Through discussions with Parents we will develop an action plan together addressing issues raised during the assessment with a view to providing appropriate support and information and ensuring relevant services are involved. Parent Carers have a legal right to this assessment and can request it at any time.
As well as this we are able to provide Parent Carers with access to Carer Break funding and eligible Parents have been able to apply for things such as Spa Days, Massage Vouchers, Cinema tickets, tablets to help them get online and much more. We also have access to other grants and bursaries which can help Parent Carers in need. We have a closed Facebook support group where parents can support each other, access to specialist training and we are currently being funded to support Parents at TAFs and to help them claim additional benefits.
If you are in touch with Parents caring for children with additional needs who you feel may benefit from our support please share our information. It is easy to register and all we need to get started is a name, address and telephone number and our Contact Team will do the rest.
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you or to provide you with an advert to include in any newsletters or website pages.
We currently have 3 members of staff supporting Parent Carers and they have continued to work over the last few months so for more information please contact Joanne, Donna or Charlene on 0300 005 1213 or email [email protected]
Energy Drinks HYPER Study
The HYPER study conducted in County Durham highlighted a complex picture surrounding children and young people’s consumption of energy drinks. The parent leaflet was developed by County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service following research which was led by Shelina Visram from Durham University and was funded by Bishop Auckland and Shildon AAP.
Click on the image to download a full-size PDF.