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Worry and Low Mood: Targeted Support

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_What might this look like? _ 

A child or young person whose low mood or anxiety is starting to get in the way of their learning. They may be starting to withdraw from things they previously enjoyed or be expressing worry about things which is leading to them avoiding situations and changing their behaviour. Adults may be concerned about their resilience to manage stress. 

**Education services ** 

In school support  

  • Sessions with a trained member of staff such as an Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA), Educational Psychology Assistant, counsellor or member of the pastoral team to address worries and to develop coping strategies  

  • For information about ELSA training please visit the Cognus website by clicking this link[External Link]  

  • Consideration of a referral into the SEND Support Advisory Partnership (SSAP) for advice and resources for pupils at SEND Support.For more information please visit the Cognus website by clicking on this link.[External Link]  

Paving the Way  

  • Referral into the service for individual or group work with pupils designed to develop resilience and reduce anxiety, or advice and consultation for school staff. For primary aged children attending a school in the London Borough of Sutton, aged between 5-11 years, and those transitioning into year 7 

  • See more about referral criteria and paperwork by visiting the Cognus website  here[External Link] 

Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service  

  • Consultation for school staff with a member of the STARS team to problem solve and provide recommendations  

  • Re-Think It – an intervention for the child/young person and their parent/carer to attend together to understand more about anxiety and how to manage difficult feelings that they are having. This programme can be referred into but staff from STARS can also work with other schools to train up members of staff to run this programme in their school  

  • Please contact the team at STARS for either of these interventions . Please visit the STARS website for more information by clicking this link.[External Link] 

**Social care services ** 

Family Hubs  

  • Parent/carer Coffee Information Sessions. If you would like to find out more about the sessions, please contact Clare Kennedy Parenting Administrator via her email: clare.kennedy@sutton.gov.uk 

  • A range of parent/carer training programmes, support sessions and information which can be on the Sutton Information by clicking this link.   

Early Help  

  • Advice and signposting from an Early Help Coordinator  

  • Referral into the Early Help Prevention Panel which is a multi-agency partnership that aims to support children, young people, and families in Sutton by providing early intervention and prevention services. It focuses on identifying and addressing needs early on to prevent issues from escalating and to improve outcomes for children and families. Referral can only be completed by professionals (not schools)  

  • For professional support or guidance on referrals, you can contact the Early Help Coordinators at 020 8770 6001 and for more information  please visit the Sutton Information Hub by clicking this link.  

Early Help & Integrated Youth Justice Service (EHIYJS) | Schools Team 

This service is only available for secondary schools with an assigned worker 

  • Individual pupil work for young people who are becoming disengaged with education 

  • Workshops for groups of pupil 

  • For more information you can visit the Sutton Information by clicking this link or  please contact Paul Arthur, Team Manager paul.arthur@sutton.gov.uk, telephone 07395 283151 or Laura Noulton, Service Manager 07970955105. 

Sutton Therapeutic Hub  

_This service is only available to children/young people and families open to Sutton’s Children’s Services _ 

  • Hub practitioners work with children and young people to assess and understand their needs, and those of the parents/ carers. Where appropriate, they may then offer therapeutic interventions. 

  • Parent/carer coffee morning sessions jointly run by the Virtual School and Therapeutic Hub. Referral and signposting information to be obtained from the social worker linked to the family or a member of the Virtual School team.  

**Health services ** 

Education Wellbeing Service SWLSTG/Cognus 

  • Guided self-help for anxiety or low mood in secondary schools. 

  • 1:1 Parenting support for managing child's anxiety and behaviour. 

  • Therapeutic groups including creative therapies (limited to the cluster of schools operating within the St Philomena’s Cluster)  

  • Reflective consultation slots for school staff  

  • For more information about this service or to request training and support contact your schools Mental Health Lead. To find out who is your linked worker please email EWSinfo@swlstg.nhs.uk or visit the South West London and St Georges mental Health Website by clicking this link.[external Link] For schools who are part of the team linked to Cognus, please visit Cognus website for more information by clicking this Link.[External Link]  

Sutton Alliance services – Tier 2  

  • CAMHS cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety, phobias and low mood for children and young people up to the age of 18 registered with a Sutton GP. Referrals can be made by GP's, other healthcare professionals, schools, and others via the single point of reference. Referrals and for more information please visit the South West London and St Georges Mental Health website by clicking this link. [External Link]  

  • Off the Record for counselling for young people aged 11-25.For further information and referrals information please visit Off the Record website by clicking this link.[External Link]  

School nursing  

  • Sutton School nursing offers regular confidential drop in clinics in Sutton Secondary schools providing support and guidance on both physical health and emotional well-being. Visit them on Instagram.com/suttonschoolnursing/[External Link] 

  • If you would like to see a member of the team, they can be contacted: By phone on 020 8770 5409. By email at hcpadmin@sutton.gov.uk or through the school a pupil attends. You can also get further information by visiting the Sutton Information by clicking this link.   

**Voluntary/community services ** 

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Worry and low mood: Specialist support


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