This course will provide you with the most up to date guidance on what we know about OCD and how we can support young people who may be experiencing the symptoms of this disorder. You will gain an overview of the signs and symptoms as well as what can be done to support those experiencing it.  

During this course, you will work through a series of modules around the mental health needs of young people who are under the care of their local authority. We will cover both contextual knowledge and some strategies to think about when you are planning what you can do to support the mental health needs of looked after children. 

This course will enable you to explore the difference between substance misuse and addiction as well as what to look out for in young people. We will also gain a richer understanding about the risk and protective factors as well as how we can support those experiencing substance misuse or addiction both at school and at home.  

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Grief is inclusive - but is grief support inclusive? Are the emotional needs of all children being met? All humans experience grief, regardless of their age or abilities. Sadly, the needs of bereaved and grieving children with SEND are often overlooked and when children have limited verbal communication skills this tends to result in their grief being totally neglected. This course looks at: what grief is (it’s about much more than death), how to identify grief in children with PMLD, how these children express their grief and crucially how we can support bereaved and grieving children with PMLD.

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This course has been developed to give you an overview of the key signs to spot in those who may have Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). We will also consider some of the ways we can support those experiencing this spectrum of disorders - given its complexity and life long nature, when to seek further support and how you can work with parents and carers.

This is a playback of a past live webinar.  During this one-hour webinar, Gemma Fieldsend will help you recognise the early signs of eating disorders and take appropriate next steps including what to say, what not to say, how to know when professional help is needed and how to increase the likelihood of a successful referral.

Anxiety is very much part of growing up and is something that we will all face at some point in our lives. However, Autistic children can experience Anxiety more intensely and more frequently than other children. Throughout the following modules, we will consider how best to support children with Autism.  

This course is for parents supporting their child with an eating disorder. Gemma will guide you through, what an eating disorder is, warning signs to look out for and tips to support your child. Gemma will end the course with the importance of practicing self-care as a parent and some useful resources.

This course will provide you with information to help you to spot the signs and symptoms of poor mental health in your colleagues, give examples of helpful conversations about mental health, consider reasonable adjustments you can make to support colleagues in their recovery and learn about useful resources/support services you can signpost your colleagues to for further help.

In this course Pooky will walk you through eight practical ideas and approaches to enable you to better support students who are currently self-harming.  This will aid your understanding and your confidence. The course is suitable for anyone working with or supporting a young person who is self-harming in any way.  These videos could also make a useful focus for team INSET.

This is a playback of a past live webinar.  Many girls on the autistic spectrum fly by under the radar.  During this session we’ll explore how autism presents in girls, why we so often miss it and what tell-tale signs we could be looking out for as well as thinking about what to do next if we suspect a girl might be on the spectrum.

Eating disorders are really hard to understand and can leave us very worried about doing and saying the wrong thing, fearful that we’ll make things worse. Consequently, many people do not try to help at all. In this course I’ve tried to help you build your current strengths and understanding to give you some ideas about how to support a child or young person with an eating disorder even though you’re not an expert. You won’t get it right all the time, none of us do… but these simple ideas will build your confidence and enable you to make a difference to any child you are working with or caring for regardless of your role and experience.

Self-harm is a topic that many people feel puzzled or scared by so this course aims to demystify it for you and help you to gain an understanding of the motivations behind self-harm and how we can use this understanding to support a young person to a place of relative safety.  There is no quick fix nor a one size fits all answer here, but this course will boost your confidence and give you some clear ideas about how best to support children or young people who are currently self-harming. This course has been developed by Dr Pooky Knightsmith, an internationally recognised mental health expert and author of “Can I tell you about Self-harm – a guide for parents friends and professionals” and “Self-harm and eating disorders in schools” which was based on her PhD research into the topic.

Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities are many times more likely than their peers to have a diagnosable mental health issue, but these often go undetected and there is much uncertainty about how best to help.  This course tackles the issue head on; first exploring why prevalence is high and recognition is low and the implications for this on our practice.  We then go on to consider how a very simple, three question plan can form the basis of our recognition of and response to those children who are struggling.  We acknowledge throughout that children with SEND are highly diverse, and you are encouraged to consider how best to apply the ideas in the course to the particular children you have in mind. The course has been developed and delivered by Dr Pooky Knightsmith who has a PhD in child and adolescent mental health and has spent many years as a governor at a range of special schools and who has led many training events for staff and parents supporting children with SEND.  This course is based on training originally commissioned by the Department for Education in Gibraltar.

This course highlights a series of warning signs that might indicate that a child or young person is in need of support with their emotional wellbeing or mental health.  The list has been specifically devised to draw on the warning signs that are most easily picked up within a school setting and as well as exploring each individual warning sign, we also explore exactly when to worry – and when not to as well. The course has been developed by Dr Pooky Knightsmith, an internationally recognised child and adolescent mental health expert and author of The Mentally Healthy Schools Workbook.

Four practical strategies for promoting positive body image are explored in this course which aims to help school staff boost the self-esteem and body image of the children in their care.  The ideas translate to both primary and secondary school and are applicable to children or all genders. The course has been developed by Dr Pooky Knightsmith, former chair of the expert reference group on body image which reported into UK government and lead author of Department for Education funded guidance for PSHE teachers about promoting positive body image in learners.