Dorset HealthCare School Nursing Team

has your child finished school this year, or is your child finishing school this year?

Encouraging young people to explore the different educational setting's and apprenticeship options available to them is important.

Whether your child has already had some thoughts about what they want to do next, or they no have any ideas, its helpful to find out all of the choices available.

If your child is at school or college, they can speak to their careers leader about working with a careers advisor to discuss their next steps.

For more information visit: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice

Kooth is a welcoming online space for children and young people aged 11.18 who want to talk about their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
It includes a range of services such as unlimited free counselling with trained professionals, moderated forums and self-help materials.

Visit: https://www.kooth.com/

If you are struggling or know anyone struggling, you can self refer to steps to wellbeing, either online, by phone or by using the digital assistant.
https://www.steps2wellbeing.co.uk/easy_ways_to_refer/
Dorset Mind is also available for self referral.
https://www.mind.org.uk/need-urgent-help/using-this-tool/

Information about School Nursing.

School Nursing provides:
• health screening and assessments
• healthy eating, weight management and physical activity advice
• Support with behaviour and sleep concerns
• parenting advice
• emotional health & well-being support
• bed-wetting (enuresis) clinics
• 1:1 appointments with young people
• referrals and/or signposting to other services
• ChatHealth text messaging service for Young people aged 11-19
• Parentline 5-19 text messaging service for Parents and Carers
• NCMP growth measurements in Reception and Year 6
• support around safeguarding/child protection issues

https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/school-nursing

🛏🛌 Tips to help children to stay in bed at Nightime 🛌🛏

Quality sleep is essential for children’s growth and development. A decent night’s sleep will help them to do better at school, allow them to react more quickly to situations, have a more developed memory, learn more effectively and solve problems, plus it will make them less susceptible to colds and other minor ailments, less irritable and better behaved!

There can be many reason's why children wake up in the middle of the night, and will not go back to sleep or even stay in bed. look at these tips to help :
- Being consistent with a good bedtime routine
- If your child wakes in the night, keep conversation to a minimuim,
- Keep a sleep Diary to see if there any trigger's, especially if anything has happened in the daytime.
- The bedroom is at the right temperature not too hot or too cold
- Some children take comfort from having a parent’s T-shirt over their pillowcase so that they have their familiar scent close by.
- Reward chart, but keep these short ie over a 24 hour period / 2 day

For more top tips please take a look at the website below and they also have a helpline number to help with any of your children's sleep concern's.

www.thesleepcharity.org.uk

When someone close to your child or a loved family pet has died it can be difficult to know how to comfort and support them.

Find out more from Child Bereavement UK on how you can support a grieving child here: https://bit.ly/49bsJta

Mosaic offers bereavement support to all children and young people in Dorset.
Find out more here: https://bit.ly/48b32aJ

🚫Warning to all Parents / Carer's about Slushy drinks :🚫

Did you know that if your child is due to start school next September you can start looking for a school place now? (The closing date for applications is 15th January)
Follow the links below to find out how to apply for a school place in your area.

BCP - https://shorturl.at/6TihC
Dorset - https://shorturl.at/GZm6A

We hope you and your child have had a lovely break over the Summer. ParentLine 5-19 is now open again to answer any queries or concerns you might have about your child’s health or development, so if you require any advice, please do text us on 07312263131 and we will be happy to help. (Available Monday - Friday 9am-4pm - excluding bank holidays and school holidays).

We have now extended our Service user survey until 30th September so you have more time to be able to share your feedback with us to help us shape the service we can offer you in the future.
👍 Your voice counts 👍

The Children and Young People’s Public Health service (Health Visiting and School Nursing) are currently seeking feedback about our service from Parents, Carers and Young people.
We would greatly value your feedback which should take just a few moments of your time to complete.
Your voice is extremely important to us and will help us to shape the service we can offer you in the future.

You can access the short questionnaire by either scanning the relevant QR code or via the following links:
• Parents of children aged 0-5 https://gthr.uk/025d
• Parents of Primary/Middle school Children https://gthr.uk/38237
• Parents of Senior School/College aged children https://gthr.uk/55bb
• Young people https://gthr.co.uk/5613

(Your responses to the survey will remain anonymous and are very much appreciated)

💕 It's Feedback Friday 💕
Here is some of the lovely feedback we have received this month.

🚽🧻HOW CAN YOU TELL IF A CHILD IS CONSTIPATED?🚽🧻

- Children should pass soft poo every day, or at least every other day.
- Passing types 1 - 3 means poo is sitting in a traffic jam. ( Check out the stool chart)
- Pooing fewer than 4 times a week also means poo is in a traffic jam.
- Pooing more than 3 times a day can be a sign that the bowel is full, and is
leaking out a bit at a time.
-Soiling - it might be hard bits, soft stuff or even liquid bypassing the traffic
jam, called overflow. The child won’t have any control over this
- Big poos, or lots of poo all at once.
- Tummy ache or pain when they poo.
- Distended/swollen tummy.
- Really smelly poo/wind, or bad breath.
-They might not feel like eating, or even feel sick.
-The full bowel might press on the bladder and cause
frequent small wees/urgency/day or night time wetting/
Urinary tract infections.

🚽🧻How to treat Constipation :🚽🧻
-Keep a Poo Diary for 2 weeks: what it looks like, how much, where it goes.
- See your GP:
• Take the poo diary and tell them all your child’s symptoms
• The GP should examine your child and ask questions to find out if the
constipation could be caused by an underlying condition
• The GP should prescribe a macrogol laxative like Movicol,
Laxido or CosmoCol which softens poo and helps move it along

-A good tip is sitting your child on the toilet 20 - 30 minutes after snack and meal times, with their feet on a foot stool, and blow bubbles, to help relax those muscles

-To drink 6 - 8 cups of water based drinks, spread evenly throughout the day.

For more top tips check out : www.eric.org.uk

If you are aged 13-24 and have a query around sexual health and need advice, our colleagues in the Sexual Health Team can support you via their text messaging service - 07312263101

Panic attacks can be frightening. When you start to feel panicked and things feel as though they are escalating quickly, try using a grounding technique. Grounding aims to comfort you by reminding you exactly where you are and that you are in control of the situation.

A good grounding technique is to identify the following:
• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can feel
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

Find out more at: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/panic-attacks/

Shout is the UK's first and only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime. anywhere. Its a place to go if you're struggling to cope and you need immediate help. TEXT 85258

If you are aged 11-19 and have a question about something that is worrying you such as anxiety, low mood, relationships, drugs and alcohol, smoking , bullying or anything else you can get advice from a member of the School Nursing team by texting us at ChatHealth.

ChatHealth is available Weekdays 08:30-4:30 including School holidays (excluding weekends and Bank Holidays).
If you message us outside of these hours we will pick your message up o the next working day.
For more information go to:
bit.ly/ChatHealth Privacy.

Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. It is so important we look after ourselves so we are able to manage stress, lower risk of illness, and increase energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.

Knowing what steps to take to support our mental wellbeing can help us feel better, sleep better and have better relationships with the people around us – and that goes not just for today but for the future too.

Check out some of the videos in the links below for tips on exercise, sleep and how to take care of yourself on social media.

You will also find links to more support for specific groups of people who may be finding things tough, have additional needs, or are facing a specific issue.

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/youth-mental-health/

Results day:

It is that time of year when many young people are anxiously waiting for their GCSE and A level exam results.
👍 Firstly, well done on getting to this point. You have worked hard to get here, and you should be proud of everything you have achieved.
❤ Secondly remember to continue to take care of yourself. It can be an anxious time, but it is still important that you get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet and try to exercise as this will all help to reduce your anxiety.
🌟 If when you receive your results, they are not the results you were hoping for - don’t give up as there will be other options available to you.
The exam results helpline provides careers advice and can help you decide on your options. Call 0800100900 – Opening hours vary each year so please check the opening hours on their webpage here: www.ucas.com/advisers/guides-and-resources/adviser-news/news/exam-results-helpline

Concentration and attention
Some of the key skills your child will need when they start school is to be able to concentrate, listen and to follow instructions.

Helping your child to develop good attention and concentration skills at home will help them get ready for school.
👍 Try playing games with your child that encourage them to listen for certain sounds or words, where they need to take turns or remember information. This will help them to become good listeners. (Try I spy, Simon says or matching games)
👍When reading a book together try stopping every so often and asking them questions about what you have read so far or asking what they think is going to happen next. This will help keep them interested whilst helping them to build on their concentration skills.
👍 Tiredness will affect your child’s concentration and behaviour in school so ensure your child is getting enough sleep. Up to the age of 6 children roughly need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep a night.

There is some great advice here on supporting Children’s concentration skills:
www.uhd.nhs.uk/uploads/about/docs/our_publications/patient_information_leaflets/Childrens_therapy/Concentration.pdf

Health for under 5s also has some more great tips for helping your child to become a good listener www.healthforunder5s.co.uk/sections/preschool/im-listening/

From brushing their first tooth to their first trip to the dentist, here's how to take care of your children's teeth.
A regular teeth-cleaning routine is essential for good dental health. Follow these tips and you can help keep your kids' teeth decay-free.
Brush at least twice daily for about 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste.
Brush last thing at night before bed and at least on 1 other occasion.
Parents or carers should brush the teeth.
Use children's fluoride toothpaste containing no less than 1,000ppm of fluoride (check label) unless a dentist advises family toothpaste containing between 1,350ppm and 1,500ppm fluoride.
Use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
Spit out after brushing and don't rinse – if you rinse, the fluoride won't work as well.

For more information visit: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-teeth-and-gums/taking-care-of-childrens-teeth/

Family Hubs provide help and support from Pregnancy onwards - Supporting families with babies, children and Young people aged 0-19 - including activities and groups for you and your child to support child development, education, health and wellbeing and more.
You can find more information about Family Hubs here:
BCP: https://www.fid.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/online-family-hub/information/family-hubs-early-help-and-outreach-centres/family-hubs-timetables
Dorset: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/family-hub-services

This week is Child Safety week with the theme being “Safety Made Simple". Every day this week we will be posting on a different safety topic.

🌻💐🌸🌼
Todays post is around garden safety. There are many potential hazards in the garden that parents should be aware of to prevent an accident from occurring, such as, poisonous plants, w**d killer, trampolines and BBQs.

When using a trampoline; allow only one person on at any time. Most accidents occur when two or more people are on a trampoline.

To find out more visit: https://capt.org.uk/

Results are due over the next 2 week!!!

It is that time of year when many young people are anxiously waiting for their GCSE and A level exam results.
👍 Firstly, well done on getting to this point. You have worked hard to get here, and you should be proud of everything you have achieved.
❤ Secondly remember to continue to take care of yourself. It can be an anxious time, but it is still important that you get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet and try to exercise as this will all help to reduce your anxiety.
🌟 If when you receive your results, they are not the results you were hoping for - don’t give up as there will be other options available to you.
The exam results helpline provides careers advice and can help you decide on your options. Call 0800100900 – Opening hours vary each year so please check the opening hours on their webpage here: www.ucas.com/advisers/guides-and-resources/adviser-news/news/exam-results-helpline

Your child being able to communicate what they are thinking, and feeling is so important and will really help them to manage when at school.
By the time they start school, many children will still struggle with certain sounds that are more difficult to pronounce and may make some mistakes with tenses, but are usually able to ask questions and are beginning to describe things.
To help your child expand their speech:
• Provide simple choices to allow your child the chance to say what they like and why they like it.
• Ask your child what they enjoyed about their day.
• Reduce distractions by turning off the TV and radio

Being able to understand and express our feelings is also important for positive emotional wellbeing. Challenging behaviour is often a result of the frustrations experienced by children that are unable to understand, communicate and express their feelings.
Tiny /happy people provides some great tips for helping your child to understand and tune into their own feelings. www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/helping-children-understand-their-emotions/zc4fsk7?collection=tiny-happy-people

Find more information here on how to provide a communicative supportive environment to help your child to communicate:
www.speechandlanguage.org.uk/media/3282/communication-supportive-environment-for-parents.pdf

Downright Perfect is a Charity that supports children with Down's Syndrome and their families. They provide resources to support development, access to professional services, Parent workshops, day trips and family events and more.
Find out more here: www.downrightperfect.org


Down Right Perfect

If your child is wetting during the day it can usually be resolved by working through "4 steps to a healthier bladder".
1- First check if your child is constipated. Constipation is common in childhood. If your child is constipated the full bowel will take up the space that the bladder needs to be able to expand and fill so will cause your child to wet themselves. This is a common cause of day time wetting so is the first thing to check out.
2- Check if your child has a Urinary tract infection (UTI). UTIs can irritate the bladder and make it misbehave and are not always obvious, so if you have ruled out constipation then it is a good idea to see a GP check for a UTI next to rule this out.
3- Get the drinking right - what your child drinks will have an impact on how their bladder behaves. Encourage your child to have at least 6 – 8 cups of drink a day. (Try to avoid blackcurrant, coffee and fizzy drinks as they can irritate the bladder). Concentrated wee will irritate the bladder and make the muscles contract and squeeze when they shouldn’t be, so drinking plenty is really important.
4- Encourage your child to try and relax to have a wee. This will help get the message from your child's brain that they need a wee through to their bladder muscles.

Find out more about how to resolve day time bladder problems on the ERIC Web page:
www.eric.org.uk/advice-for-children-with-daytime-bladder-problems/

An Eating disorder is a serious mental illness that involves someone experiencing difficulties with their eating behaviours, their thoughts, and their emotions.

Signs to look out for are:
📌Are you/they obsessive about food?
📌 Is your/their behaviour changing?
📌 Do you/they have distorted beliefs about your/their body size?
📌Are you/they often tired or struggling to concentrate?
📌 Do they disappear to the toilet after a meal>
📌Have you/they stared exercising excessively?

Whether you are a young person struggling with an eating disorder or a parent/carer concerned that your child may have an eating disorder there is support available.

Beat is the UK's eating disorder charity. They are a champion, guide and friend for anyone affected by an eating disorder and you can access their support in the following ways:

✔Help for young people
Youthline: 0808 801 0711
Email: [email protected]
✔Online support
Visit www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk for information about eating disorders, online support groups and one to one chat.
or use https://helpfinder.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/ to find services in your area.

How can we help our children to lead a healthy lifestyle?

For children and young people between the age of 5 to 18 it is recommended to:
✔ Aim for an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity a day across the week.
✔Take part in a variety of different types and intensities of physical activity across the week. This will help to develop movement skills, strong muscles and bones.
✔ Aim to break up long periods of not moving/time spent sitting or lying down with activity spread out throughout the day.

Activities could include:
📍 Walking the dog, or walking to the park
📍 Sports, like football or tennis
📍 Swimming
📍 Skateboarding or rollerblading
📍 Cycling, or using a scooter
📍 Skipping
📍 Dancing
📍 Make a fun obstacle course in the garden for the family
(It doesn't need to cost lots of money)

Find out more here about why physical activity is important for children:
https://shorturl.at/rmvEB
Have a look at Healthier families for some more fun ideas for physical activities to do with your child:
https://shorturl.at/cJAhd

Using cutlery and development of pencil skills 🍴✏️

When your child starts school, they will need to feel confident eating independently, sitting at the table using a knife and fork and drinking from an open cup.
Encourage your child to get used to this at home by eating at the table together, practicing cutting up food and clearing their own plate away. They may be expected to do this at school.
Cutlery skills - https://shorturl.at/JeBK6

Your child will also need to be able to use a pencil when they start school. You can help them develop and strengthen their fine motor skills to make it easier for them to hold and use a pencil by doing a variety of activities with them such as:
• Playdough
• Finger Rhymes
• Practicing drawing and painting
• Using a stick to draw in the dirt or sand
• Practicing using a pencil
• Practice using scissors

Here are some useful factsheets to help your child develop their skills in using a pencil and scissors.
Pencil skills - https://shorturl.at/8r4Xr
Scissor skills - https://shorturl.at/4EIpt

❗Self-harm can affect anyone.
❗People of all ages and backgrounds self-harm.
❗We know that self-harm can often be a way of coping with difficult and traumatic experiences.

Some signs to look out for that indicate you or someone else may be self-harming:
📍 cutting yourself
📍 using drugs or alcohol to cope with your problems
📍 not eating, over-eating, or forcing yourself to throw up
📍 spending all your time on addictive behaviours like gaming, social media or gambling
📍 over-exercising and/or exercising when you are injured
📍 biting, hitting or burning yourself
📍 hitting walls
📍 getting into situations on purpose where you risk getting hurt, including fights or risky sexual behaviour

If you are a young person struggling with self-harm this video from The SHARP (Self-Harm Awareness and Resource Project) team explains how to use the TIPP technique to help you feel calmer and stop your urge to self-harm:
https://youtu.be/cqPcOCpJOXw

There is more information on the Young Minds Website about self-harm, what it is, why it happens, how to cope and how you can support a friend or family member that is self-harming:
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/my-feelings/self-harm/

If you need advice you can text ChatHealth to seek confidential advice from a School Nurse on 07480635511 (Available Monday - Friday 08:30-4:30 including School Holidays)