Children's Mental Health Week

Being a young carer can be incredibly rewarding but it can also be incredibly tiring and many young carers can find it difficult to juggle their caring responsibilities with school, social life and finding some leisure time.

This constant juggling can lead to increased stress, anxiety and low mood so it is very important they take some time to look after themselves.

Express Yourself

Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place 1-7 February and the theme this year is ‘Express Yourself”.

Expressing yourself is about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity. This could be through art, music, writing and poetry, dance and drama, photography and film, and doing activities that make you feel good.

Being able to express yourself is not about being the best at something or putting on a performance for others. It is about finding a way to show who you are, and how you see the world, that can help you feel good about yourself.

How can I get involved?

The Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership is asking children and young people to share how they express their feelings and thoughts.

There are a number of ways to get involved:

• Draw a picture
• Write a poem
• Produce a short piece of writing (200 – 400 words)
• Make music, write a song (audio only)
• Share a photo of an object that helped you cope with ups and downs (something you made; your goldfish; houseplant; favourite book/game)

Please send your contributions in digital format to Lucy.Pye@cumbria.gov.uk by the end of Thursday 4^th February. All entries received will be entered into a prize draw.

What else is happening?

MyTime will be hosting free Zoom information sessions for parents and carers. The “Supporting your child's mental health through the pandemic” sessions will provide informal practical advice and ideas that can help you to support the mental health of you and your child through the pandemic. Information on dates and how to book is here

Kooth will be hosting a parent and carer session on Tuesday 2 February 2021, 12-1pm. Further information available here

E-School Nurses are running twice weekly online health support and advice for parents, carers and professionals, supporting children and young people aged 5-19 years old. More information is available here

More about Children's Mental Health Week

Children's Mental Health Week was launched in 2015 by children's mental health charity Place2Be. Now in its seventh year the week aims to highlight the importance of looking after our emotional wellbeing from an early age.

For more information visit https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/