We know that it can be difficult to know what to do when you are worried about your child's emotional wellbeing or mental health. You know your child best, and changes in their behaviour, emotions, sleep, friendships or willingness to attend school may sometimes be a sign that they need additional support.

If you are concerned about your child, please talk to us. You do not need to wait until a difficulty becomes serious or have a clear idea of what support your child needs. Your child's class teacher is usually a good first point of contact, and we can involve our Inclusion Team, Safeguarding Team or therapeutic support where appropriate.

We will listen to your concerns, consider what we are seeing in school and work with you to decide what may help. Where a child needs support beyond what we can provide in school, we can also help families consider whether advice or involvement from other services may be appropriate.

There are also trusted organisations that provide information and support for parents and carers:

• YoungMinds – advice for parents and carers who are concerned about a child's mental health.
• NHS – information about children's and young people's mental health and where to seek support.
• Place2Be – practical advice and resources to help families support children's emotional wellbeing.
• Anna Freud – information and resources about children's and young people's mental health and wellbeing.

If you believe your child or another child is at immediate risk of harm, seek urgent help by calling 999. Safeguarding concerns can also be shared with our school Safeguarding Team; further information and contact details can be found on our Safeguarding page.

Please remember: asking for help early can make a real difference. We would always rather you speak to us about a concern than manage it alone.