I need help now
Do you need to speak to someone about your emotional wellbeing?
No matter what their age, children and young people can need emotional support, for many reasons.
If you’re a professional, we have resources to help you support children and young people with their emotional wellbeing.
Professionals can also contact the Single Point of Access for specialist mental health advice – find out more here.
We also have a A-Z of resources for parents and young people.
This page remains under development. If you have any ideas or resources you want to share, we’d love to hear from you.
Parents, carers and emotional wellbeing
While we offer services for children and young people under 18 years old, we recognise that the adults in their lives may also be experiencing their own challenges with their emotional wellbeing and mental health.
If you think this might apply to an adult in the child / young person’s life, we recommend the following:
- encourage them to check out our resources for parents and carers
- encourage them to look at Dewis Cymru to find local resources that could help
- encourage them to contact their GP to talk about how they are feeling and how it is affecting their life
Apps and online resources
We have provided some resources below as a starting point. You can Contact us if you have additional resources to share or if there are topics you’d like to hear more about.
These resources, apps and helplines are not part of the services provided by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (unless otherwise stated).
- We are not responsible for the external content mentioned on this site.
- Always read an app’s Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy to see how your data may be used.
Education and schools
Most children and young people spend a lot of time at their school – so it’s important that these environments are safe, welcoming and support their emotional wellbeing and mental health.
We recommend that school staff read the following document to understand their responsibility in reviewing their own well-being landscape and to support the development of plans to address their weaknesses and build on their strengths.
Barnardo’s Education Community has been developed to connect professionals working in education settings across Early Years, Schools, Further Education and Universities.
You can access different resources on a number of topics, including podcasts, videos and events
Tips and advice for using a PACE-ful approach when communicating with children and young people during the return to school.
Appropriate for both primary and secondary school staff.
Family Links is a national charity dedicated to the promotion of emotional health at home, at school, and at work.
They offer training and resources for professionals working with families, school and university staff, and employees in the workplace.
Find out more on their website.
Top tips for school staff on the following topics:
- Anxiety
- Confidence and self-esteem
- Emotional regulation difficulties
- Low mood
- OCD
- Selective mutism
- Self-harm
- Sleep hygiene
Primary school strategies for children and young people who have difficulties with impulsivity, hyperactivity and attention.
Time to Change was a social movement to change the way people think and act about mental health problems.
It closed in 2021 but you can still read info online about mental health and the stigma that still surrounds this topic.
They also have plans for lessons and assemblies, as well as other resources for schools.
A checklist of practical activities for both primary and secondary staff to use, when considering enhanced support for a learner during transition.
Positive transitions are really important for learners – learn more here.
Poster for young people also available here.
An all-society Framework to support a coherent, consistent approach to developing and implementing trauma-informed practice across Wales, providing the best possible support to those who need it most.
Emotional regulation
Resource for education staff – designed to support children and young people to regulate.
Games and activities to help children, young people and adults to connect and build relationships.
Emotional wellbeing
There are lots of general resources out there where you can learn more about emotional wellbeing.
PHW have produced a conceptual framework which depicts the relationship between individual and community wellbeing and key elements that influence wellbeing at each level.
You can read more here
Time to Change was a social movement to change the way people think and act about mental health problems.
It closed in 2021 but you can still read info online about mental health and the stigma that still surrounds this topic.
Information, advice and resources about children and young people’s mental health.
They also provide a textline for young people having a mental health crisis and a helpline for parents and carers.
Family
Children and young people can be affected by issues or challenges facing their family. Here are some resources that may be able to help.
Parents and carers can read more about the support available to them here.
Early Help services in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan provide children, young people, families and professionals with information and support on a range of topics that could affect them and their family.
Examples include low self-esteem, family relationship and bereavements
- If you live in Cardiff, your early help service is Cardiff Family Advice and Support – call them during working hours on 03000 133 133.
- If you live in the Vale of Glamorgan, your early help service is the Families First Advice Line – call them during working hours on 0800 0327 322.
Wherever a family lives, the early help service will listen to them and assess their needs. They will either support their family directly or point them in the direction of a service that can help them with specific needs.
Our partner Platfform delivers our parent and carer support service. Their aim is to support parents and carers to look after their own wellbeing while looking after a child or young person who is accessing support through Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health.
They offer wellbeing programmes (2 hours/week for six weeks) to learn about different techniques and strategies to support parent / carer wellbeing as well as their family.
Parents and carers can chose to join an online group after completion of the programme for ongoing support and as a way to continue to meet others going through similar experiences. Meeting other people who are facing similar experiences helps us to realise that we are not alone.
Professionals and families can contact Platfform for Families in the following ways:
- Contact Lynne Jones on 07423 694 560 / 01656 647722
- Email families@platfform.org
Learning more about emotional wellbeing & mental health
We’ve found some online courses that you may find useful if you work with children, young people and families
Free course for parents, carers and professionals. Developed to give parents and carers information to keep their child safe in a crisis.
This course can be done in your own time through a series of videos.
Advice and information to help you understand how problems can occur, how parents / carers can best support their family and how to look after themselves, written by specialists and parents working together.
Looking after your own wellbeing
As a professional supporting children, young people and families, it’s also really important that you take time to look after your own wellbeing.
HOPELINK UK is not just for young people who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, or those concerned for them. It’s also here for any professional who has had an experience with suicide and would like to talk it through with a trained professional.
Certain professions will experience disclosures of suicidal thoughts more often than other professions, and it’s important that people within these professions can have the support that they need to look after themselves should somebody speak to them about suicidal thoughts.
Anybody can access our debrief service, and we would encourage everybody to get in touch with us to debrief, after they’ve had an encounter with suicide.
To debrief with one of our suicide prevention advisers, call HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141, text 07860 039967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org every day of the year from 9am to midnight.
Practical toolkit of information, resources and know-how to support teams and individuals to flourish.
Top tips for staff to perform self-care at home and school.
Safety & Safeguarding
Through Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together (DART), children and mothers can talk to each other about domestic abuse, learn to communicate and rebuild their relationship.
Over ten weeks, mothers and children aged 7-14 meet for a weekly two-hour group session. Children and mothers work together for an hour at the start of the group, and then take part in activities in separate groups. At the end of each session, they join together again.
Referrals can be made by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk
InCtrl is a group programme to increase children’s digital resilience, improve their emotional wellbeing and ensure they have effective social and family support networks to help keep them safe.
The groups are made up of 3 to 8 participants and last up to 9 weeks. We develop a clear group agreement to make sure children and young people are comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings about topics such as consent, online safety, healthy relationships and self-esteem.
Referrals can be made by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk
Letting the Future In (LTFI) is designed to help children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse rebuild their lives.
We support children and young people aged between 4-to 17-years-old so that they can recover from the impact abuse has had on their lives. Referrals can also be made for children or young people with learning disabilities up until the age of 19.
The programme begins with three or four weekly sessions for practitioners to assess the child’s needs and select appropriate therapeutic interventions.
Children and young people are invited into safe therapeutic spaces where they can meet with a trained practitioner and engage in activities like messy play, writing, storytelling and art. This aims to help them express feelings that they can’t put into words.
Email lettingthefuturein@nspcc.org.uk for more information
Self harm and suicide
Go to I need help now! if you are looking for immediate advice on supporting a child or young person.
Asking about suicide saves lives but it can be hard to know where to start or how to help.
This resource includes some example conversation starters if you are worried about someone.
Harmless specialises in self harm and suicide.
You can find resources such as a leaflets, brochures and academic papers on their Resource Hub.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned for a young person who might be you can contact HOPELINEUK for confidential support and practical advice.
Open 9 am – 10 pm weekdays, 2 pm – 10 pm weekends and bank holidays.
- Call 0800 068 4141
- Text 07860 039967
- Email pat@papyrus-uk.org for a response within 24 hours
HOPELINE UK also provide helpful resources.
This self-help workbook provides information and advice about self-harm.
Most importantly, it gives some techniques and tools for young people to keep themselves safe and help reduce self-harming behaviour, as well as how to get support and what help is available.
You can either complete this on your own, or alongside an adult you trust so that they are able to offer support.
Top tips and suggestions for schools regarding self-harm
Trauma informed organisations
An all-society Framework to support a coherent, consistent approach to developing and implementing trauma-informed practice across Wales, providing the best possible support to those who need it most.