Healthy Lifestyles
It’s well known that a healthy and active lifestyle not only has great effects on you physically but also on your mental and emotional health too. This is important for both you and your child, and is particularly important for young people with SEND who have additional needs to consider. Life can be busy and thinking about keeping healthy and looking after yourself can be difficult at times so this information is designed to help you think about ways of ensuring healthy habits within your family.
Sleep
Good quality sleep is important for everyone but especially for children as it directly impacts on their mental and physical development. A child who does not sleep well can affect the whole family. Parents can be left exhausted, unable to think clearly and struggling to cope with their daily activities. The child can be left feeling either tired or over-active, both signs of lack of sleep. It is very common for children and young people with additional needs to have difficulties with sleep.
Some general advice for sleep management can be termed as ‘sleep hygiene’ this advice involves looking at the child’s routine, bedtime foods and drinks, exercise, bedtimes and wake times, bedroom environment, sleep associations, screen time. The NHS Partners have developed a site which offers parents and carers, useful tips and advice on how to manage sleep for children up to the age of 11: https://www.what0-18.nhs.uk/parentscarers/sleep
You can find out more about sleep hygiene for children with additional needs as well as advice on specific sleep problems at www.cerebra.org.uk, Cerebra offer virtual sleep seminars where you can find further information.
It is useful to keep a sleep diary (the sleep charity) and see if there is a pattern or there is something in the environment that’s affecting your child’s sleep. This record will also help any professionals working with you and your child.
If you have concerns that there is an underlying issue affecting your child’s sleep or you would like further advice and support on managing sleep then contact your child’s Health Visitor (if your child is under the age of 5 years) or School Nurse (if your child is over the age of 5 years).
If you feel that there is specific physical problem which needs to be addressed such as that your child is in pain, impacted by their medication or has a specific condition which effects their sleep, please discuss this with your child’s GP or Paediatrician.
Useful national charities and websites:
Behaviour
Most children and young people will behave in challenging ways at some point. But sometimes, challenging behaviour can become more frequent and difficult to deal with. It may start to have an impact on someone’s day-to-day quality of life, on relationships and learning at school, and on other family members.
Where can I go for support?
The Gloucestershire Family Information Service Glosfamilies Directory | Family Support, Advice and Early Help Services can direct you to services and training courses that you might find useful.
For young children (under 5 years old) you can talk to your Health Visitor CAMHS Parent Support Team > CYPS Glos Health & Care NHS (ghc.nhs.uk) – they will be happy to support you and suggest some new strategies to try
For older children (over 5 years old) the School Nurse can offer advice and also support the young person directly School Nursing > Glos Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust (ghc.nhs.uk)
There is mental health support available for young people, the online support finder can direct you to the most appropriate service On Your Mind Gloucestershire - children & young people's mental health - NHS (onyourmindglos.nhs.uk)
You may benefit from joining the local Parent Carer Forum, where local parents and carers of children with additional needs support each other.
If your child has a moderate to severe learning disability and attends a special school the Children’s Learning Disability Team can offer support with behaviour Children’s Learning Disabilities Team > CYPS Glos Health & Care NHS (ghc.nhs.uk). The team also offers a programme for parents of children with special educational needs/disability (SEND) aged 3-16 years “Working to Encourage Behaviour Strategies (WEBS)”.
Useful national charities and websites:
Challenging Behaviour | Parents' Guide To Support | YoungMinds
Healthy Growth
BeeZee Bodies are a dedicated team of nutritionists and behaviour change experts who can help you make real, long-lasting changes towards a healthier lifestyle. The organisation runs FREE weight management and healthy lifestyle programmes for children and families across the UK.
If your family includes at least one child or young person between the ages of 4-17 who is above their ideal healthy weight, you will be eligible to access one of the following BeeZee Bodies programmes:
- BeeZee Academy: a series of self-directed online courses that are designed to help you raise a happier and healthier family, and they’re all free! Suitable for families with children and young people between the ages of 4-17.
- BeeZee Families: a completely free, award-winning healthy lifestyles programme for 5–15-year-olds and their families. These fun-filled, family-focussed sessions are filled with exciting activities and practical healthy eating advice to help you feel great and live your best life!
- BeeZee Families Live: all the benefits of BeeZee Families but from the comfort of your own home! A completely free, award-winning 10-week programme for 5–12-year-olds and their families designed to help you make small, simple changes that can transform your lives.
Please contact a member of the friendly BeeZee Team on 01452 717262 to find the best option for your family.
Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) (4-16 years)
The HAF Programme is funded by the Department for Education, with a purpose of making sure children and young people are entertained, active, educated, safe and fed during school holidays.
Between six district lead organisations, the HAF programme champions local communities by bringing together 55 providers across the county to support children, young people and families to:
- eat healthily over the school holidays,
- be active during the school holidays,
- take part in engaging and enriching activities which support the development of resilience, character, and wellbeing along with wider educational attainment,
- be safe and not to be socially isolated,
- have a greater knowledge of health and nutrition,
- be more engaged with school and other local services,
- develop understanding of nutrition and food budgeting,
- support signposting towards other information and support, for example, health, employment, and education.
Whilst the HAF Programme works in partnership with providers across Gloucestershire, many of these organisations also offer support outside of the school holidays to enable your child to thrive. We therefore encourage you to have a look at the services these providers offer and how they could also support your family during term-time!
Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning (GHLL)
The aim of Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning (GHLL) is to help children and young people achieve their full potential and lead long, healthy, happy lives. GHLL work in partnership with schools and colleges to make this happen. To see a full list of who GHLL work in partnership with and how these organisations can support your family, please follow their Partnerships page.
The aim of Feeding Gloucestershire is to work with organisations across the county to drive systemic change and build food security across all communities in Gloucestershire.
Feeding Gloucestershire have established and trusted relationships with community food spaces across the County and have developed a variety of helpful maps to help your family find support with food near to you:
- Community Food Support Map - Feeding Gloucestershire
- Community Growing Projects Map - Feeding Gloucestershire
- Food Bank Support Map - Feeding Gloucestershire
With food access becoming more challenging at a time where household costs are rising, Feeding Gloucestershire have also developed a directory to support with the Cost of Living.
Your Health Visitor can offer advice on infant feeding and starting your child on solid foods. When your child is 9-12 months and again at 2 years you will be invited to a one-to-one developmental review with a member of the Health Visiting Team where they will be able to offer information and advice on healthy lifestyle behaviours to support the healthy growth of your child.
The School Nursing service provides support and advice on a range of health-related topics, including healthy lifestyles, body worries, smoking, alcohol and stress.
Children and young people aged between 11-19 can text their School Nurse directly for support and advice using ChatHealth on 07507333351. As well as giving advice, the School Nursing Team can signpost to appropriate services and other support.
Paediatric Dietetics (0-18 Years)
Gloucestershire’s friendly team of Paediatric Dietitians work with people to promote healthy eating and manage disease.
If you are waiting for an appointment, the Paediatric Dietetic team has put together a helpful list of links and resources. The resources are divided into specialist areas for you to choose the one that is most appropriate for you or your child. Some of the specialist areas include healthy eating, Coeliac disease, lactose intolerance and food fortification.
If you have a child with specific dietary needs, the team have also developed a range of videos offering dietary advice on topics such as cow’s milk allergy, selective eaters and eating well and exercising with diabetes.
Gloucestershire is home to a range of sports and leisure providers that offer specialist activities specific to your child’s requirements. An inclusive range of activities can be found on You’re Welcome or Gloucestershire Families Directory.
Living a healthy lifestyle means more than just looking after your physical health. A person’s physical and mental health share a close relationship and often, it can be challenging to improve one without considering the other. For this reason, please also see the Mental Health tab on Glosfamilies Directory.