Working with parents, families and carers
Families play a key role in influencing children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Evidence suggests that working collaboratively with families can impact positively on the impact of MHEW interventions and support. Parents and carers can help to reinforce the messages of the school, embed recommended approaches and reflect on what is working well.
Schools/colleges can also help parents and carers develop their own understanding of MHEW and related parenting skills and approaches.
This may be informal, through conversation with parents and carers, or more formally through:
- presentations at parents’ evenings
- printed information and signposting
- parenting workshops
- designated family link workers or parenting practitioners
The specific content of these sessions can be based on information obtained through parent/carer surveys on MHEW.
Within ESCC, all schools and colleges have an allocated parent/carer practitioner to support and develop engagement with families as part of the whole school approach to MHEW. Practitioners can support schools to consult with parents and carers about a range of MHEW related issues. They will then use this information to plan parent/carer workshops and coffee mornings which aim to support families to develop their skills and understanding around mental health and emotional wellbeing.
For more information on this offer, please contact MHEW@eastsussex.gov.uk
Resources to support engagement with parents, carers and families
For a guide to developing a whole school approach to parent and carer engagement: Parent/carer engagement : Mentally Healthy Schools
For information on auditing parent and carer engagement and creating an engagement strategy and action plan: theme-3-welcoming-families-to-engage-with-the-school-resources-1-9.pdf (gov.wales)
Local services:
Organisations that support parents | East Sussex County Council?
Support for families | Family hubs (eastsussex.gov.uk)
