We really value our parents at St. James' and we want to do all that we can to support you on the parenting journey.

Everyone needs a little guidance sometimes and it is not always the easiest job in the world so below you will find some resources to help with parenting advice.

We run Care for the Family parenting courses at various points in the year and our family support worker, Kelly Leslie is always happy to talk to anyone who may be struggling.  Reaching out for help is a sign of strength so please get in touch if we can support you.

Parenting Courses

Family Lives has produced a series of online parenting courses: 

https://www.familylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/online-parenting-courses

Family Lives offers a confidential and free* helpline service for families in England and Wales (previously known as Parentline). They can be contacted on 0808 800 2222 for emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life. Their website is also a rich source of useful support and advice.

(* Free from landlines and most mobiles) 

Practical help

We know that life can be expensive and sometimes we all need a little help. The link below is to the Bournemouth Foodbank who have many resources to help when money is tight in a crisis.

These are just some of the services they offer as well as food parcels:

 

At Bournemouth Foodbank, we understand that the need for emergency food assistance often stems from complex and multifaceted issues, and we are committed to helping people address these underlying issues.

 

Income Maximisation

Maggie (Citizens Advice) Want to know if you’re accessing all the financial support you are eligible for? Maggie can help assess your financial situation, see if you are accessing the correct financial support, grants and benefits, and help with budgeting advice. Maggie works across all our hubs, at St George’s in Boscombe, Citygate in Lansdowne, Life Centre in Moordown, and St Mike’s in Westcliff. Email maggieroj1@citizensadvicebcp.org.uk to arrange an appointment.

 

Debt Advice

Steven (Community Money Advice [CMA]) Providing free, unconditional, fully confidential advice and practical support, specific to each individual’s needs. You will receive as much time and support as required, in order to become debt free and work towards financial stability. Steven can also provide advice on the budgeting and money management skills needed to remain debt free in the future. Email steven.conn@faith-works.org.uk to arrange an appointment.

 

Energy Support

Julie (Dorset Community Action) Personalised energy advice, support to access benefits eligibility checks and debt advice, fuel vouchers, CO safety advice and alarms, support to sign up to the Priority Service Register, support to access energy schemes and/or energy efficiency improvements, and support to access other crisis support. Email julie.johns@dorsetcommunityaction.org to arrange an appointment.

Follow this link for more information

Bournemouth Foodbank

Young Carers

All of our young carers need a little extra time and support, including those who have a parent who needs care or a sibling who may have additional needs. We work together with MyTime to promote experiences and opportunities for children who may be young carers.

Further details can be found on the attached document below

Supporting children with anxiety

 

What makes young people anxious?

A child or young person may be anxious for different reasons. Feeling a bit more worried sometimes is normal and there is not always a clear reason for this. But if your child is feeling unmanageable amounts of anxiety, this is often a sign that something in their life isn’t quite right. They may need support to work out what the problem is.

The following kinds of things can make some children and young people feel anxious:

• finding school difficult or experiencing school anxiety
• being around someone else who is very anxious, such as a parent
• going through a significant change, such as moving house, parents separating or changing school
• the death or illness of a close family member or friend
• having lots of responsibility, for example caring for other people in their family
• experiencing family stress around things like housing, money and debt
• going through experiences in which they do not feel safe, such as being bullied, witnessing or experiencing abuse, or experiencing discrimination such as racism, homophobia or transphobia
• not getting the right support or having their needs recognised if they have a neurodiverse condition such as autism or ADHD 

Talk to us if your child is feeling anxious. We can try and help to ease any anxiety in school and point you towards some help and strategies.

Some of the best help you can give them to manage anxiety is to keep going with the basics like:

• Eating well
• Good sleep patterns
• Exercise

Or you could try some of these strategies

Grounding techniques

A grounding technique is a coping strategy for managing intense feelings and emotions. These techniques help to ‘ground’ us, which means they help us to notice the present moment we are in. 

When we focus on our present moment this can reduce the intensity of the emotions and feelings we might be having. We focus less intensely on the future or on the past. 

You could encourage your child to: 

• use their five senses – concentrating on what they can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste. For example, you could think together about five things they can see, four things they can touch, three things they can hear, two things they can smell and one thing they can taste 

• take deep “belly breaths” – taking slow, deep breaths can help ease the feelings of anxiety and worry. To help your child do this, have them take a deep breathe through their nose, placing their hand on their stomach, and breathing in until their belly expands. Have them hold this for a few seconds, release slowly, and repeat 

• try the “roots” technique – focusing on a specific image can help to ground someone. Talk with your child and help them imagine that they are trees with roots extending from their feet into the ground. Get them to push their feet into the floor, imagining their “roots” reach deep into the earth, creating the image they are stable and firm, instead of feeling unsteady and unsure 

Talking about, and naming, feelings  

 

 

1. Name the feeling and some of the possible affects your child may have experienced.  

 “Anxiety - when we feel anxious we can sometimes experience; difficulty remembering we are present in our current location, time and space, breathing can get faster, racing thoughts, heart rate increases”, for example. 

2. Ask them how they feel when they are anxious or worried. You could use the blank bubbles to add other feelings they have experienced or are experiencing.

 

Mind based strategies

A strategy to help deal with feeling worried or anxious is to focus the mind on other things. These could include: 

a

• physically describing your environment - for example, “I am in a classroom”, “I can see a tree through the window”, “I am sitting on a hard chair” 

• tracking the environment for distractions - for example, “Can you find 5 circles in the room?”, “Can you find 10 blue things?”, “Can you see something that starts with each letter of the alphabet?”, “How many straight lines can you see?” 

 

Physical sensation strategies

Below are some physical sensation strategies you could try with your child: 

a

• run their hands under cool water 

• focus on their breath – you could use online tools, animations, or videos on YouTube for pace if slowing breath down is tricky 

• touch different objects - you could get your child to squeeze a pen, grip the edge of the chair, or feel their clothing 

• carry a grounding object - for example, this could be a stone, a piece of ribbon, a bracelet, a fidget toy, or something your child finds comforting 

• stretch or move – encourage your child to move their body, this could be wiggling their arms or clenching their toes, for example 

You can find some more helpful information on the following websites:

Barnardos - supporting children with anxiety

Young Minds - Anxiety