Parents/Carers
Bereavement
Cruse Bereavement Support NI
Helpful resources for parents/guardians and professionals supporting bereaved children and young people
Bereaved NI website
Information and support if you are experiencing grief and bereavement or helping other people who are bereaved

Bullying

Bullying: How to spot it and what to do about it
Help for parents who’re looking to support their child through a bullying experience. What are the signs, how do you deal with bullying, how to work with school and what if your child is involved in bullying someone else?

Child Development

Building our Children's Developing Brain Webinars
A series of webinars to strengthen resilience, coping and relationships in our families. Helping our children deal with their big feelings...
Building Our Children's Developing Brain Full Guide
A full guide for parents/ carers of children of any age on strengthening the different parts of a child's brain to work together.
Building Our Children's Developing Brain Short Version
A summary version guide for parents/ carers of children of any age on strengthening the different parts of a child's brain to work together.
Skill Training Manual- Building Our Children's Developing Brain and Bend Don't Break
A Training Manual on Skills to Help Practice in Building Children's Developing Brains. Also includes tips for the 'Bend Don't Break' Booklet.
Self Compassion | ASCERT
Compassion is the ability to show empathy, love, and concern to people who are in difficulty. Many people are able to extend compassion toward others but find it difficult to extend the same compassion toward themselves. Self-compassion is about turning the kindness and care you show to others inwards.
Bend Don’t Break | ASCERT
RESOURCE HUB: Bend Don’t Break – Building Resilience
Bend Don’t Break is a self-help workbook to help build resilience. You can use the Bend Don’t Break workbook and the skills pack which are downloadable here to support your wellbeing.

Covid19 Support

COVID-19 vaccination for children and young people - Guidance for parents | HSC Public Health Agency
The schools element of this programme finished on 14 January 2022 but for those children who missed their vaccination in school or now need a second dose, see
What just happened - Coping with COVID-19
A guide to support parents & carers of children

Disability Support

A Guide to help you on YOUR journey through Disability/Additional Needs
This resource is by parents for parents and its development has been parent led from the onset and addresses the whole life journey for parents of children with disability and additional needs. Also within this document, is the ‘All About ME’ booklet/passport co-designed by Barnardo’s PosAbility Young Peoples’ Group
Contact - for families with disabled children | Contact
We are Contact, the charity for families with disabled children. We support families, bring families together and help families take action for others.

Drug and Alcohol Support

Are you worried about your child and substance misuse?
Treatment and support services | Northern Ireland Drug and Alcohol Services
Talking to your child about vaping
It’s good to talk and the more openly you can discuss vaping, the more likely your child will be able to come to you if, for example, their friends are pressuring them to try it or they’ve started vaping and want to give up.
What is Vaping?
Vapes work by heating a liquid (called an e-liquid/e-juice). The liquid typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine and flavourings, some of which may be potentially harmful to the body. Young people’s brains are still developing, so they can’t always think through the consequences of the things they do. This means they’re more likely to try things like vaping out of curiosity or ‘for fun’ without considering the harm they could be doing.
to themselves

Eating Disorders

Action Mental Health - A guide for carers supporting a loved one during a loved one during eating disorder recovery
The effects of an eating disorder are often felt not only by the person experiencing it, but also by their family and support network.

Education

Digital P7 Stepping Up Guide | EastSide Learning
Primary 7 Stepping Up Transitions Guide now available in Digital Format.Choosing schools and moving to post primary is an exciting time, but there are often lots of things to consider when making decisions about where to go to school, as well as preparing your child for the transition ahead. Our Stepping Up Guide for P7 Parents is an excellent resource to help.
Parents
Information for parents, guardians, carers, children and young people on admissions, types of schools, free school meals and much more...
Help available
This section contains useful information for families and young people seeking to avail of various EA services.
CEA Preparing for exams
This guide aims to help answer your questions and provide you with advice and tips on:
• how to revise;
• looking after your mental health and wellbeing; and
• knowing and understanding exam guidelines.
Navigating exam season resources - Place2Be
We’ve created three tipsheets to help young people, schools and families navigate exam season, with tips and practical advice on managing exam stress.
Reading Well for Children Collection
Reading Well for children recommends reading to help children understand their feelings and worries and cope with tough times. The books have been chosen by children, carers, health experts and librarians. They are endorsed by leading health organisations such as NHS England, Mind and the Royal Coll…

Gambling

Parents & professionals hub - BigDeal
Talk to your Young Person about Gambling.

Learn more about gambling, how it can impact a young persons life and where to get help.
Parents & professionals hub - BigDeal
What Parents can do to support their young person with Gambling. Learn more about gambling, how it can impact a young persons life and where to get help
Gambling Conversation Factsheet
How to Talk to a young person about gambling...
Social Gaming Factsheet
Get the facts: Social Gaming, eSports & Skins Betting
Parents Factsheet
‘Hidden harm’ is a term from the drug and alcohol field, and refers to the impact of the gambling of an adult on a young person who is dependent on them. Hidden harm is an emerging area of research in the field of gambling-related harm.
Harmful Gambling Factsheet
Harmful Gambling - Risk factors, signs and symptoms to watch out for...
Young People’s Support Service - GamCare
GamCare’s Young People’s Service can support anyone aged 18 and under across the UK (including Northern Ireland) who is either ‘at risk’ of or experiencing harms because of gambling. This can be if they are gambling themselves, or if they are affected by someone else’s gambling.

Internet/Online Safety

Online Safety Hub - Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland
Keeping Young People Safe Online - Choose from a range of topics you would like to know more about with lots of helpful advice and resources to keep you and young people safer online
Home | CEOP Education
The CEOP Education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Education Team aims to protect children and young people aged 4-18 from online child sexual abuse.
Digital Wellbeing | SWGfL
Information, guidance and resources to help support digital wellbeing in children and young people. In recent years, digital wellbeing has played an important part within the wider reach of mental and physical health. It relates to how the use of digital technology including personal devices, social media and other apps can impact on an individual’s life.
Useful Links for Safer Internet Use
Where to find Information on keeping children and young people safe online - just click on logos to visit the site and resources
Bedtime Stories Chapter Two | Papyrus UK | Suicide Prevention Charity
Bedtime Stories Chapter Two is PAPYRUS’s campaign helping protect children from the nightmare of cyberbullying and harmful online content.
Report Remove | Childline
Use Report Remove to remove a nude image shared online - Report Remove is here to help young people under 18 in the UK to confidentially report sexual images and videos of themselves and remove them from the internet.

LGBTQ+

Parent’s Resource: LGBTQ+ Children
A Parent and Carer’s Resource: Caring for your LGBTQ+ Child is a guide designed to empower parents and carers to support and guide children or young people in their care around the specific issues of LGBTQ+ identities. By raising their own awareness, parents and carers can effectively respond to the…
Action For Children- Everyone's Welcome
Gender Identity Guide. A guide to supporting children and young people with their gender identity.

Parenting Support

CYPSP Parent Support
This webpage is designed for Parents and it also provides a calendar of current Parenting Programmes available and you can register for in NI
Free Online Parent Training (Solihull)
Free online parenting courses available to residents of Northern Ireland - visit now to check out what is available and how to access the courses
Place2Be: Parenting Smart
Parenting Smart offers practical advice for parents and carers of children aged 5-11. All of our content is created by Place2Be’s parenting experts. It’s based on evidence and their experiences working with children, young people and their families.
Parentline NI
Parents, carers, family members...if you need us we're here. Call Parentline NI today for advice, support or guidance. Freephone 0808 8020 400
Parenting Focus
Parenting Focus is a leading organisation for parent support in Northern Ireland. Offering a freephone helpline service, counselling and parenting programmes.
Parent Talk - down-to-earth parenting advice you can trust
We’re on hand to support parents, when they need us. Browse parenting advice articles or speak to one of our parenting coaches for tailored support.

Podcasts/videos

Youth Wellness Web Podcasts – Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP)
We have some amazing Videos / Podcasts available which are great to share with young people that help explain issues simply
Youth Mental Health Podcasts with NHSCT
A selection of podcasts for parents, carers and young people on a range of youth mental health issues. Provided by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, generously supported by funding from NHS Charities Together (https://nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/).
Stress and trauma and our nervous system: How it affects us and ideas for healing.
In this video Ed Sipler, Health Development Specialist with SEHSCT talks about how stress and trauma affect us what we can do to manage it and be resilient.A…
Self-Care Now When We Need It Most
This video presents some ideas of looking after ourselves by Ed Sipler, Health Development Specialist in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in No…
Dealing with worry by Ed Sipler
Many people are dealing with worry in these difficult times. This video is an overview of a self-help booklet developed to help you manage your worry. The bo…
Keeping change going
Making changes in your life can take a lot of effort. Whether its improving your mental or physical wellbeing, reducing your alcohol intake, exercise, diet,…

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

AMH MensSana
Tailored activities to support positive mental health and emotional wellbeing.
HOPELINE247 | Papyrus UK | Suicide Prevention Charity
Are you having thoughts of suicide or are concerned for someone who feels suicidal? Then contact HOPELINE247 for free confidential support on 0800 068 4141.
HOPEBOX-resource
A HOPEBOX goes by a lot of names: crisis box, emergency box, self-soothe box, happy box. You can call it anything that makes you feel comfortable. The idea behind this box is that it is filled with things that can help you to feel better. When you're feeling upset, anxious, or experiencing thoughts of suicide then you can use the box as a way to feel better.
Communicating with Young People about Suicide
Is a child or young person you know having thoughts of suicide? Talking about suicide with a young person can feel really daunting. Whether you suspect that a young person you know is having thoughts of suicide or if you’re already supporting a young person who has told you that they are having thoughts of suicide – knowing what to say and what not to say can feel like a minefield.
Parents Guide to Supporting your Child Self Harm and Suicide
This guide has been created following discussions with parents who have experience of supporting a young person struggling with their mental health. The aim of this guide is to provide information and guidance and to help parents cope with a young person who is struggling with thoughts of suicide. To reassure them that they are not alone.
Comkit - To Protect Life
An empathic communication toolkit to support families, communities, agencies and representatives in what to do and say at a time of heightened suicide concern.
Family Wellness Project | MindWise
The Family Wellness Project is an early intervention mental health project for children aged 5 - 12 and their families. It has been awarded five years fundin...
Our Generation Project
PEACE IV funded project that provides a unique opportunity for communities, north and south of the Border, to work together to halt the intergenerational impact of trauma and to build emotional resilience and peace for generations to come. This three-year project will run to December 2022 and be delivered in education, youth and community settings and in the Urban Village Areas of Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Northern Ireland and Ireland.
How to support a child or young person who is self-harming - Place2Be
Place2Be’s Regional Clinical Lead for Scotland and Wales, Rebecca Wilkinson-Quinn, offers some practical ways in which parents and carers can support a child who may be self-harming.

Service Directories

FamilySupportNI - Family support and childcare services across Northern Ireland
The most comprehensive public directory of registered childcare and family support services in Northern Ireland.
Directory of services to help improve mental health and emotional wellbeing
These five directories list the names, numbers and web addresses (where applicable) of organisations that offer services to help improve mental health and emotional wellbeing. Where possible, additional information has also been provided, such as email addresses and contact details within each Healt…
Emotional Health & Wellbeing Services
A range of Emotional Health & Wellbeing Services available across the Southern Health & Social Care Trust Area for Children & Young People.

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