This resource is for parents and carers who are wanting to support a child or young person. It discusses what mental health is and things that can benefit children and young people’s mental health. It then goes on to discuss the difficulties that young people may face, lists signs which may indicate that a young person is struggling with their mental health and offers suggestions that people can use to help them support a young person. There is also a collection of helpful website links that you can refer to.
This course has been reviewed by Sandra Leinster, Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP).
This course will take approximately 1 to 2 hours to complete, but this timing will depend on how fast you read and how long you spend on the activities and reflective questions. You do not need to complete the whole course in one go. If you leave and come back to the course, it will remember where you got up to.
If you would like to get a certificate for this course, you must mark each page complete. You can do this by pressing the ‘mark complete’ button at the bottom of each page.
This course is for education and information only. It does not provide therapy, medical advice or professional support. If you need crisis support, please contact local mental health services, your GP or telephone 111 or the emergency services.
Course updated: February 2025
Resources
Young Minds is a children’s mental health charity and provides a free parents helpline for anyone worried about a child’s emotional wellbeing or mental health. They can provide information and advice about how best to support your child. Their helpline number is 08088025544. Visit the young minds website for information for parents - Find help for parents Young Minds (opens in a new tab)
Learning as much as you can about your child’s difficulties can help you understand how best to support them. The Royal College of Psychiatry provide a range of free leaflets and information pages on a range of issues for parents and carers regarding children’s emotional and mental health. Visit the Royal College of Psychiatrists website to find these - The Royal College of Psychiatrists (opens in a new tab)
Anna Freud have many resources for children and young people which you may want to read - Children and young people's wellbeing (Anna Freud charity) (opens in a new tab)
You may want to visit the Barnardo's website - Barnardo's (opens in a new tab)
You might want to visit Childline's website - Childline (opens in a new tab)
Family Lives may have useful information for you. They also offer a telephone helpline, email communication and a live chat. You could take a look at their website -Family Lives (opens in a new tab)
You can access information about bullying on the Kidscape website - Kidscape (opens in a new tab)
Mental Health Foundation also have lots of information on their website - Mental Health Foundation (opens in a new tab)