The Leader of Nottingham City Council said he is pleased that a campaign to support pupils with Covid-19 worries was extended up until Christmas.
Many children and young people reported anxieties and concerns about returning to school in September after a long period of lockdown.
In response, Nottingham City Council – together with local partners – set up a campaign and dedicated hotline in July to support those children and their parents.
The Nottingham You’ve Been Missed (NYBM) campaign was then extended to run throughout the autumn term until Christmas.
NYBM is a partnership between Targeted CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service), newly-created Mental Health Support Team (MHST) and the Educational Psychology Service in Nottingham City.
Given the ongoing change and challenges of restrictions related to the pandemic, the hotline will continue to be active until the end of December for parents who want to discuss any concerns they have about their children and supporting them going forwards.
The Mental Health Support Team will remain partnered alongside CAMHS and the Educational Psychology team to provide support for all young people in Nottingham.
At the outset of the campaign, YouTube podcasts were published weekly to address concerns young people within Nottingham City have about returning to school, alongside the dedicated hotline. The CAMHS YouTube channel’s collection of podcasts continues to grow for the community.
A survey taken by the Educational Psychology Service at the beginning of the campaign helped them understand specific worries young people had about returning to school, enabling them to help plan out the supportive podcasts on YouTube for the campaign and support children in their roles at school going forward.
A large number of calls were received by concerned parents using the hotline number 0115 876 4700 since the line opened in July.
Posts have been published on the My Nottingham Facebook and Twitter accounts since July updating parents on events organised by Children’s Integrated Services, encouraging young people to get involved in activities recreate those relationships with friends that had been affected due to the lockdown.
Podcasts created by the CAMHS team as part of the campaign are still available to watch on their YouTube page.
Councillor David Mellen, Leader of Nottingham City Council and Portfolio Holder for Schools, said: “It’s great to see different partners coming together to help protect and support our children of Nottingham. We understand that we are living in difficult times due to the pandemic and we want to unsure everyone feels supported and at ease with their school life.
“I am pleased that this service was extended to through the entire autumn term. It is helping to ensure young people are getting the help that they need to strive within their education, while parents have a support system in place not just for their children but also for themselves during what is still an uncertain time.”
MHST is part of a national project that is NHS England-funded and it offers a collaborative, system-wide approach to support the mental wellbeing of children in both primary and secondary schools and colleges. More information about MHST in Nottingham City can be found on AskLion.
For further information pleasecontact Cassie Haywood on 0115 87 63051 or by email at Cassandra.Haywood@nottinghamcity.gov.uk.