0-5 mental health and wellbeing
The impact of Covid-19 is still being felt, with vulnerable children and families the most at risk.
We can support early years settings in reaching those children and families, providing advice, help and resources to share with families for effective parenting and home learning that can make all the difference.
Useful resources
Family Corner | Features and tips about your child’s development
Expert articles, activity ideas and online learning sessions on key areas of child development. Family Corner is available to explore, sign up to online sessions or subscribe to monthly e-newsletter, and share with your parents and families as a resource.
Family Corner is the family arm of the Early Years Alliance.
Mental health for early years children – Help for early years providers – GOV.UK (education.gov.uk)
The government have recently launched a new addition to their website of support resources for Early years providers. This is guidance on how to support babies and young children with their mental health. There are over 15 different sections of support and strategies within this guidance including a list of other useful resources for educators to access.
Growing Minds Wellington https://bookwhen.com/growingminds#focus=ev-s2ss-20221031130000
Hungry Little Minds – Family Toolbox
A government initiative launched in 2019. The project came to an end in 2021, however resources are still hosted on the Hungry Little Minds family toolbox site. The main content has now also been incorporated into the “Better Health Start for Life “website, which is part of the NHS overarching umbrella.
Hungry Little Minds is another resource aimed at parents and educators to promote speech and language skills for children using fun interactive games and ideas. Contact 0370 000 2288
https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/baby/learning-to-talk/3-to-5-years/
A useful guide to help you promote social and emotional wellbeing in young children: this free guide created for early years educators.
Bringing together five chapters from the first five books in the Little Minds Matter series, it is full of practical ideas and suggestions which can be used immediately, both for your own CPD and for the development of your team.
My First Emotions. Learn to understand and manage feelings together. – Skylarkonline
My First Emotions books and toys continuously evolve in line with the latest research, guidance and feedback from thousands of practitioners and families.
Originally created in Cambridge in 2016, the line was fully updated in 2021-2022 in partnership with Somerset Council, EHCAP, and Anglia Ruskin University.
If you haven’t had your My First Emotion story box please contact your local Early Years Community Lead.
There is also a very useful section on SEND on the website.
Somerset Parent Carer Forum is an independent not for profit Community Interest Company formed by parent carers. The forum is open to any parent, grandparent or foster parent of a child or young person (0 to 25) with additional needs, these may range from complex medical needs to challenging behaviour, learning or physical difficulties. The forum does not require a diagnosis as we believe help and support should be available at all stages of your journey. They offer a listening ear as well as practical advice as well as a lending library and some access to activities for parents and carers.
admin@somersetparentcarerforum.org.uk 07543 680365
The Kite Project, Minehead https://www.kitewestsomerset.co.uk/
Kite is helping families and young people to make connections and discover the great things that are happening in West Somerset. From Minehead to Dulverton and Porlock to Stogursey, West Somerset has so much to offer. At Kite we believe in helping make grassroots change by facilitating ideas and encouraging creative ways to make our area fly.
The Gateway, Yeovil https://familyhubsnetwork.org.uk/hub/the-gateway/
Family Hubs ensure families with children and young people aged 0-19 can access integrated early help to overcome difficulties and build stronger relationships.
The Nurture Shed, Middlezoy https://www.facebook.com/nurtureshed
A community-based enterprise providing a unique Wellness Hub in rural Somerset. They host a wide range of fun and holistic services and groups.
The Space project is local, independent, tailored for the local situation. We support local young people 4-17 years living or being educated in the Cheddar Valley area experiencing low mental health and emotional resilience and often in crisis e.g. depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, etc. potentially caused by several issues, including abuse, neglect, loss and trauma.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people
Tiny Happy People is here to help you develop your child’s language skills. Explore our simple activities and play ideas and find out about babies and toddlers amazing early development. An online BBC resource to support parents and educators with promoting children’s language, communication and literacy skills. Contains many useful ideas and short video clips.
Young Somerset
Young Somerset has been making Somerset a better place for young people for over two decades. It began as a small charity in 1997, known as Somerset Rural Youth Project, On 1st October 2018 Somerset Rural Youth project changed its name to Young Somerset, to reflect the broader spectrum of its work. As Young Somerset we are continuing to provide outstanding youth work to young people under 25 across Somerset.
https://www.youngsomerset.org.uk/pages/category/early-years
The Shaping Us Framework: Understanding the social and emotional skills that matter most
The Shaping Us Framework – CFEC
The Shaping Us Framework describes social and emotional skills in a clear way which can inform and inspire action across society. The framework has been designed to help give social and emotional skills the greater priority they deserve and to encourage organisations across the UK to use it in their work, to support The Princess of Wales’ mission of creating a happier, healthier society. The framework aims to provide an accessible approach to talking about social and emotional skills that cuts across disciplines and engages a broad audience. The framework was created through a global listening exercise involving academic, clinical and practitioner experts. The aim was to develop consensus on the universally relevant skills and capabilities that matter most throughout our lives and across diverse socioeconomic and cultural contexts. The final framework comprises thirty social and emotional skills grouped into six clusters.
Our services
Training
The Early Years Alliance is delighted to offer a new training package to support early years settings including childminders, to deliver early help to children and families in Somerset.
If you would like to discuss in-person training, please email earlyhelpsomerset@eyalliance.org.uk or call 01392 304 484 or 01393 304 573
Online training and networking
We know that Continuous Professional Development (CPD) plays a vital role in motivating and inspiring reflective early years practice, enhancing learning opportunities for children and helping to deliver positive Ofsted inspection outcomes.
That’s why we are so passionate about delivering online training and networking opportunities that are affordable, flexible and fun through our popular Virtual Classrooms, Spotlights and Connect sessions:
Alliance Virtual Classrooms are online training sessions for early years professionals, with prices starting at just £23 per person for members and £33 for non-members for a two-hour session.
Alliance Spotlights are bite-size CPD sessions that offer a unique deep-dive into key aspects of early years topics. Each one-hour session is just £12 for members and £24 for non-members.
Partner agencies
Somerset children & young people: Health & Wellbeing : Wellbeing Framework (cypsomersethealth.org)
The Somerset Wellbeing Framework is a local model for helping to build wellbeing into the ethos, culture, routine life and core business of a school/setting.
From the website, the framework describes itself as “a process that moves beyond learning and teaching to pervade all aspects of school life, and has been found to be effective in bringing about and sustaining emotional resilience and mental health benefits for the whole of a school population”
Watch this space for an Early Years Wellbeing Audit and other additional resources.