HUMAN: Connect, Southwark's Schools Mental Health Newsletter - Spring 1 2025

HUMAN: Connect, Southwark's Schools Mental Health Newsletter - Spring 1 2024

Mental Health Newsletter for Southwark Education Staff

Updates and News

We're very pleased to announce that we're approaching Southwark education's next Wellbeing First: IMHARS Sharing Practice and Celebration Event. 

The Event will be taking place on Friday the 28^th March 2025 from 9:30 - 13:00 at Millwall Football Club, John Berylson Way, London SE16 3LN - REGISTER HERE. 

Image from last March's Wellbeing First: IMHARS Sharing Practice and Celebration Event 

Event Overview: The event will provide a mixture of presentations, workshops and group activities. Further details will be released over the next 2-3 weeks.

The aims of the event are to:

• Share the evaluation report findings of the Wellbeing First Improving Mental Health and Resilience in Schools programme

• Learn from schools sharing their practice on adopting a whole-school approach in promoting emotional, social and physical wellbeing, as well as supporting positive mental health

• Learn about local services that can provide support for schools

• Continue strengthening local collaborations and partnership working as well as engage with experts

• Identify further CPD, training and support that schools would find most helpful

New Southwark Pride Fund - The Southwark Pride fund supports our LGBTQI+ communities to create events that celebrate: lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer identity, the culture, histories and rights of these communities. Events must take place in Southwark from Pride Month in June to the end of August. Funding applications open from 3^rd February - 4^th March. Access here 

New M&S x YoungMinds Young Designer Competition - The competition involves designing a new hoodie or sweatshirt – for the chance to have their design sold in M&S stores and online across the UK to support YoungMinds’ work. The theme is ‘What would you say to a friend who needs you?’. Whether it’s words, drawings or doodles – they're looking for something that’s bold, bright and puts what you feel inside on the outside. Children aged 5-16 are invited to submit their designs by Monday 31st March.  Find out more here 

New Resources from the Anna Freud Centre  - How do you support school and college students’ mental health? The Schools and Colleges Early Support Service provides students with one-to-one sessions from specialist practitioners and on-demand webinars. Staff, parents and carers can access support and resources to sustain their own and students’ wellbeing. Register your interest now and get support in your whole setting for 2025–2026. Access here 

New SEAL Community Resources - Including Developing emotion vocabulary KS2/3 activity to help students develop a wide vocabulary for feelings, Access here., Case Study for sharing the Zones of Regulation with parents in early years, Access here 

Free SEAL Community Membership for Southwark Schools, create an account

New Good Thinking Resources for young people - Good Thinking work closely with young Londoners through organisations such as Partnership for Young London to develop our content and better understand the challenges facing young people to ensure that we're addressing the issues that really matter to you. Access here 

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Upcoming Training and CPD opportunities for Southwark Schools

Apply for Department for Education's Senior Mental Health Lead Training 

Apply for a £1,200 DfE senior mental health lead training grant and join the 7 in 10 schools and colleges, including over 8 in 10 secondaries that have already benefitted. The training will develop the knowledge, confidence and practical skills of your school or college mental health lead, with 89% undertaking the training, saying it enabled them to plan or improve their whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. 

If you previously claimed a grant and your trained lead has left your school or college, you can also now apply for a 2nd grant. 

Further information here

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) 2 Day Course, 13th - 14th March 2025 and 22nd - 23rd May 2025, The Park College

The free two day in-depth youth MHFA course is open to education staff in primary, secondary, special educational needs schools, sixth form, and further education colleges, as well as Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provision staff in state funded Southwark schools. Register here 

Place2Be - Free 5-week Mental Health Champions Course

Our CPD-certified Mental Health Champions - Foundation programme is an award-winning online free mental health training course developed from our work in schools. The programme aims to:

• Enhance understanding of children and young people’s mental health in school staff, trainee teachers and youth groups

• Introduce approaches that support positive wellbeing in schools, colleges and communities.

The course is suitable for people working with children and young people of any age. Further details here

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Upcoming Dates for the School Calendar 

Access full awareness days calendar here 

LGBT+ History Month, February 2025 - In 2025 Schools OUT is celebrating its 50th year and 20 years of UK LGBT+ History Month. The 2025 UK LGBT+ History Month theme is: Activism and Social Change If you are planning on celebrating UK LGBT+ History Month in February 2025 please register here  to get early access to resources to help you celebrate the month. For further resources for schools, please see Stonewall and Twinkl. 

Empathy Week, 10th - 14th March 2025 - an annual festival of films, storytelling and events that develop the skill of empathy in students aged 5-18 years old. Celebrate this years theme of ‘What is your spark?’.  Further details here, Bookings for some live in-person Empathy Week events via The SEAL Community are now open. Access here 

Neurodiversity Celebration Week, 17 - 23 March 2025 - Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organisations. Find details for how your school can get involved here. 

Stress Awareness Month, April 2025 -  Stress Awareness Month has been held every April, since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. For resources to support teachers and pupils in managing stress, please see Mentally Healthy Schools Stress Awareness Month Toolkit, The Samaritans Pack on managing stress, and Mentally Healthy Schools Resources for teachers.

Gypsy, Roma & Traveller History Month, May 2025 - Every June since 2008, people from across the UK have celebrated Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month. Through celebration, education and raising awareness, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month helps to tackle prejudice, challenge myths and to amplify the voices of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in wider society. For more information, see here. 

Pride Month, June 2025 - Pride Month takes place every year in June and is a celebration designed to recognise the influence of the LGBTQ+ community. Celebrating diversity and people's right to live how they choose without discrimination, Pride Month promotes positivity and equal rights for all. for resources for schools, please see resources from Stonewall and Twinkl. 

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Further Resources for Schools

Mentally Healthy Schools - Mental health lead resource hub for a whole-school or college approach - The resource hub has been created in partnership with and funded by the Department for Education, with new resources added regularly. Find out more about how the suitability of resources is assessed.

Whole school or college approach (WSCA) measurement toolkit - Improve identifying need and monitoring impact - Access Here 

Parents guide: how to navigate social media safely with your kids - Supporting parents and carers to safely discuss and navigate social media with children and young people. Access Here 

Kooth - As part of the Kooth offer in Southwark, your local engagement lead is able to deliver free assemblies to students, both virtually and in-person, which discuss the topic of mental health, and give insight into how the Kooth service can be accessed and utilised. Topic-specific sessions are also available upon request. In addition, Kooth is able to offer virtual staff training sessions to education professionals - which can also be topic-specific if preferred, and can be accompanied by both printed and digital resources to distribute. For further information regarding how Kooth can support your school, please contact Cleo Oji, coji@kooth.com

Access Kooth's digital resource hub here

Papyrus - Prevention of Young Suicide - PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is the UK charity dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people. For Education and Training Opportunities, please click here

For Help and Advice Resources, please click here

APPG for children meeting film - National Children's Bureau on behalf of the APPG for Children convened a meeting in Westminster with leading charities, youth sector organisations, the Children's Commissioner for England and young people. The aim was for you people to voice their priorities directly to major political parties and they have created a short film about the event.

Watch the film here

The Nest - Free & confidential mental wellbeing advice and support for young people aged 11 – 25 in Southwark. For information and opportunities for schools click here.

To find out more and to access resources for schools, parents/carers and young people, Click Here

Childhood trauma, migration & asylum: a free toolkit for providers of supported accommodation, Anna Freud Centre - The UK Trauma Council has published a toolkit for staff working in supported accommodation for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Drawing on the evidence-base and voices of separated young people, this resource has been developed to increase the confidence of supported accommodation staff in recognising and responding to trauma of the children in their care. Access for free here

Organisations providing Mental Health Resources and Support for Children and Young People