Student Wellbeing for Parents
Moving from a school to a sixth form college is an exciting time for your child, a lot is changing, which is a positive thing, but we know aspects of this transition can be challenging. We take great care to guarantee that all students who join OSFC have the individual support they need and we want to empower parents where we can.
We prioritise the well-being of all of our students, ensuring that their progress tutor is a constant figure of support, that additional support needs are met, whatever these may be, but also that all members of staff are pointing your child towards the right provision and opportunities.
We listen to our students and what they need. Sometimes support is better accessed from outside college and we want to make sure that resources are available to you. On this page, you will find a list of resources that are carefully selected and curated by our Wellbeing Team.
Active Listening
Active listening is a skill that you can use to improve your communication with your child. It’s more than just hearing your child – it’s tuning in to your child’s thoughts and feelings.
By using active listening, you can strengthen your communication and improve your relationship with your child. This is because active listening shows your child that you care and are interested. It can also help you learn about and understand what’s going on in your child’s life.
With active listening, you don’t have to talk too much. In fact, the less you talk, the more opportunities you give yourself to understand what your child is saying. This can take the pressure off you to come up with answers and solve problems, and it also makes it more likely that your child will ask you what you think.
Talking with you is good for your child’s thinking processes too. It can help your child to think more clearly because it gives them the chance to express their thoughts and feelings without judgment or correction.
Kooth Parent Guide
Your online mental wellbeing community.
It can be difficult for parents and carers to recognise when a child or young adult is struggling with a mental illness. Kooth can help you better understand and be aware of the warning signs of mental illness in young people as well as signposting you to organisations that can provide support. You will also find practical tips on how best to support your child’s mental and emotional health and advice for starting a conversation with a young person about their mental health.
Just some of the things you'll find on Kooth:
- Articles: Helpful articles, personal experiences and tips from young people and our Kooth team.
- Discussion Boards: Start or join a conversation with our friendly Kooth community. Lots of topics to choose from!
- Chat with the Team: Chat to our helpful team about anything that's on your mind. Message us or have a live chat.
- Daily Journal: Write in your own daily journal to track your feelings or emotions and reflect on how you're doing.
Whilst Kooth is directed at students, parents can find useful guides and help also.
NHS (Talking to your child)
Getting teenagers to talk openly about what's bothering them can be hard. Follow these tips to help get them talking to you about their worries.
Silver Cloud (Mental Health Support)
A digital mental health platform offering online mental health and wellbeing support for young people and their families.
Supporting an anxious teen (12 – 18 years), this self-guided programme is for parents and carers of young people experiencing anxiety.
Parents and carers can expect the course to:
- Empower you to recognise and focus on the help sides of anxiety.
- Learn how to respond more positively when your child is experiencing anxiety.
- Learn how to use key CBT skills to help your child make changes which reduce their anxiety.
- Learn how to facilitate positive communication channels between parent and child.
- Learn how the use of externalisation unites you and your child against the common enemy of anxiety.
- Facilitate recognition of the importance of teenagers facing their fears rather than avoiding them.
- Enhance understanding of the importance of self-esteem and resilience in staying healthy
- Support you in ongoing anxiety management planning
Parents and Carers who wish to access the self-guided Supporting an Anxious Teen (aged 12-18 years) programme can do so by clicking on the link below and clicking on the ‘select a programme’ button then choosing the ‘Supporting an anxious teen’ option. You will then be guided through the programme. Please get in touch if you have any questions.
Young Minds - Talking to your Child
Giving our children and young people opportunities to open up is one of the biggest things we can do as parents and carers to support their wellbeing. It can be easy to forget the simple power of sharing what we’re going through and feeling heard. But even though you can’t fix everything when your child is struggling, you can make them feel seen and understood – and this in itself can make them feel more able to cope.
Talking about how they are, how their day has been and what’s on their mind as part of everyday family life shows your child that you're interested in them and want to listen. It also supports them to practise thinking and talking about their feelings, helping them to get to know themselves and what they need.
But talking isn't always easy. You might feel like you don’t know where to start, when a ‘good time’ is, or how your young person will react. Or, you might be worried about making things worse or saying the wrong thing. If this is the case, try to remember that your child doesn't need you to always get it right - they just need to know you're there.
Here, you can find lots of ideas, conversation starters and advice for making talking easier.
