The MagazineHealth and Education Working Together

Issue Two (2) 2020Special Edition

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A delightfully illustrated and beautifully worded book for children and parents/carers with information &v activi-ties to support the whole family during COVID

Click on any picture to go site with online book

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During this time of change and uncertainty, research evidence is critical for informing and adapting policy and practice responses. Dur-ing the COVID pandemic ANROWS will provide a weekly update on Women’s Safety and COVID-19. This email alert will go to all Notepad subscrib-ers, and will focus on resources to assist policy and practice responses to the impacts of coronavirus.

www.anrows.org.au/notepad/anrows-notepad-09-april-2020/

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety Limited (ANROWS) is a not-for-profit independent national research organisation.

ANROWS supports practitioners working with women and children who experience violence and men who use violence.

Goal 1: Deliver high quality, innovative and relevant research.

Goal 2: Ensure the effective dissemination and application of research findings.

Goal 3: Build, maintain and promote collaborative relation-ships with and between stakeholders.

Goal 4: Be an efficient, effective and accountable organisation.

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Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo) has illustrated a digital book for primary school age children, free for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the mea-sures taken to control it. Published by Nosy Crow, and written by staff within the company, the book has had expert input: Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine acted as a con-sultant, and the company also had advice from two head teachers and a child psychologist.

The book answers key questions in simple language ap-propriate for 5 to 9 year olds:

• What is the coronavirus?• How do you catch the coronavirus?• What happens if you catch the coronavirus?• Why are people worried about catching the coronavi-rus?• Is there a cure for the coronavirus?• Why are some places we normally go to closed?• What can I do to help?• What’s going to happen next?

Click above or link below:vv

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Parenting in the time of COVID-19To help parents interact constructively with their children during this time of confinement, these six one-page tips for parents cover planning one-on-one time, staying positive, creat-ing a daily routine, avoiding bad behaviour, managing stress, and talking about COVID-19. Use them to your and your kids’ advantage, and have fun in doing so.

More posters available including mutiple languages - click here to access

COVID-19 and violence against womenThis document brings attention to the different ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic and measures to address it, such as staying at home, may exacerbate the risk of domes-tic violence against women. It highlights the importance of ensuring that support and medical care services for women and children affected by such violence are maintained and what health providers/services can do, including through identifying and offering referral options. It provides recommendations on what measures governments, health providers, community members and others can take to mitigate such violence and its impacts. It also provides tips for coping with stress at home and actions women who are experiencing violence or their family members can take.

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Toxic Stress: What You Need to KnowThings are stressful right now. Whether you’re concerned about your health or the health of loved ones, dealing with loss of income or trying to balance working from home while your kids’ schools are closed, these are unprecedented times. You may be wondering if your kids are stressed or how this will affect them. We asked Megan Gunnar, a Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Child Development at the University of Minnesota a few questions about stress and children.

What is “toxic stress?”Stressors are things we experience. Stress is the response of the body and brain to those stressors. Everybody responds to a different extent to the same stressor depending on how we evaluate it, our prior experiences and our genetics.When we are exposed to stressors that are frequent and overwhelming to us, particularly if we feel we have no control and no one who can support and help us, our stress responses can be so large and chronic that they produce significant wear and tear on our bodies and minds. The stress response itself becomes toxic to us.

Are young children susceptible to effects of stress during a crisis like this? What are signs of stress parents might see in their kids? The times we are living through can be stressful to children. Young children, however, take their cues from their parents. If parents are calm, then children will be reassured. Signs that the child is stressed, though, are problems sleeping, anxiety about being separated from parents, being clingy, being withdrawn, lack of appetite.

During these school closures, more children are probably going to suffer from boredom because their routines are disrupted and “there is nothing to do” without friends and child care or school. And the very young ones will be confused over why their parents are home but ignoring them because they are working remotely. Although extremely difficult, if parents can stay calm, be firm but not upset, and find ways to help their children know when the parent can take breaks to be with them (and have those breaks be fairly often if short with young children), then children will be less stressed.

What are some practical ways parents and other caregivers can avoid or lessen effects of stressful times like this?If there are two adults working from home, scheduling work time so as to minimize when both parents need to be ignoring the children can help. Setting timers to signal to children when parents can take a break and when they need to go back to work may help children know that their need to leave parents alone won’t go on forever. For some children, having the parent in the same room even if they must leave them alone can be reassuring. For others, it will make it very hard for them to let their parent work. For these children, if the parent can be in a room with the door closed it might help. Beyond everything, routine helps. So developing a plan, with the children’s input if they are old enough, and posting it may help everyone.

How specifically does play mitigate any negative effect of stress and anxiety?Play is the best medicine in stressful times like this. Play gives children a sense of control because, by definition, play is what we engage in because we want to, not because we have to. Fantasy play allows children to create a world where they decide what happens and they can predict what goes on. Control and predictability are two pillars of stress reduction. Play of any kind occupies the mind and can be a worry-free place for children (and adults). Playing with parents is especially helpful to children during stressful times because it brings happy togetherness which is precisely what children need to feel safe and secure. And make sure to take breaks and be gentle on yourself, too. Modeling that good behavior and taking time to lower your stress levels as much as possible can help protect your kids from the effects of toxic stress.

www.mcm.org/reducing-the-effects-of-stress-on-your-child/

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www.paediatrics.online/COVID-19/

Welcome to Paediatrics COVID-19 As with all resources on Paediatrics.Online, we only share a small selection of high-quality, reliable and useful links.

While this situation is changing rapidly, we all have a role in providing age-appropriate information and reassurance to the children in our lives.

Children are resilient and brave and they are also vulnerable to the impacts of adult stress and worry. Take time to speak with your children and use our age-appropriate resources.vv

Read more @Paediatric Online

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www.songroom.org.au/arts-live/

ARTS:LIVE is a major initiative aimed at achieving sustainable music and arts learning in school communities, bringing hundreds of hours of learning through the Arts to teachers, parents and early learning professionals – and it is free to register!

COVID Safe @ School

Students and parents/carersYou can help stop the spread of COVID-19 @ school and in the larger community

Even if you or child have only mild symptoms, like fatigue, come forward and get tested

Symptoms of COVID-19 includefevercoughsore/scratchy throat andshortness of breath

Other reported symptoms includeloss of smellloss of tasterunny nosemuscle painjoint paindiarrhoeanausea/vomiting andloss of appetitefatigue

www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/symptoms-and-testing#symptoms-of-covid-19

RememberTo help prevent the spread of COVID-19:wash your hands frequently with soap and watercough into your elbow or into a tissue and immediately put the tissue in the bin

www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/how-to-protect-yourself-and-others/clinics

Find a testing centre near you

Need more information

National Coronavirus Health Information1800 020 080

Children, as well as adults, should be tested even with mild symptoms

Testing for children and young people

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Mental Health Supports

More information @ School Linkwww.icamhs.com.au 0484 334 227

Services to support children, young people and their families during COVID 19

Beyond Blue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live.

ReachOut is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people and their parents. The website contains information on coping during coronavirus.

www.reachout.com

www.beyondblue.org.au

www.mindheart.co/descargablesShort (online) book to support and reassure our children, regarding the COVID-19.

Educator self-care is important for supporting children and young people during the coronavirus outbreak. This website provides practical strategies for educators and schools.

www.beyou.edu.au

Resources for supporting children during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak including video on how to talk with children about the virus.

Twenty10 is committed to continuing our services supporting LGBTIQA+ young people in New South Wales, their families and our communities at this most challenging time.

www.twenty10.org.au

Headspace online includes information for young people affected by stress related to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) including tips to maintain mental health and wellbeing.

www.headspace.org.au

www.emergingminds.com.au

www.parentline.org.auWhether you are worried about limits on screen time, keeping track of your child’s learning from home or keeping siblings from fighting, Parentline counsellors are available every day.

www.kidshelpline.com.auKids Helpline is Australia’s only free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.

Introducing Time 2 Talk a free telephone support service helping people navigate COVID19 challenges with a focus on social connection including couples, family, friends and household members. It’s Time 2 Talk.

Relationships Australia NSW

The ‘Time 2 Talk’ service is sta�ed by a team of qualified relationship counsellors and social workers, established to assist members of the NSW community who have been impacted by the restrictions imposed by state and federal Governments on travel, contact with significant others and management of social distancing.

Our ‘no wrong door’ approach means that we will o�er support and information to any person or family member who seeks assistance. Each call will provide support, engagement, exploration of the issues,

and an option generating approach which may also include triage and referral where appropriate.

This will be o�ered as a FREE service of RANSW at a time when the community need extra support and understanding, and many are facing unemployment, lack of physical connection with loved ones, and potential health crises.

For more information please visit:

www.relationshipsnsw.org.au/support-services/time-2-talk/

Call: 1300 022 9661010

Read full article @

BeYou have outlined a number of tips for self care. For further information including wellbeing tools go to: www.beyou.edu.au/resources/tools-and-guides/wellbeing-tools-for-you

Make time to look after yourself so you’re in a better position to support those around you. Children and young people’s emo-tions can be affected by how adults are feeling.

Try to maintain your routines, know your limits, debrief with trusted colleagues, family or friends and try to do things you enjoy to manage your stress levels.

The Be You website provides information on wellbeing tools and how to practise mindfulness, which can help with stress man-agement.The Beyond Blue website provides more information on how to look after your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak.

Maintain routines where possible

Maintain as many aspects of your routine as possible. Break tasks down into manageable chunks and give as much notice as possible about transitions and changes to routines and environ-ments. Have realistic expectations of children and young people during this time, especially if they are transitioning in and out of school. More information on transitions is on the Be You website.

Introducing Time 2 Talk a free telephone support service helping people navigate COVID19 challenges with a focus on social connection including couples, family, friends and household members. It’s Time 2 Talk.

Relationships Australia NSW

The ‘Time 2 Talk’ service is sta�ed by a team of qualified relationship counsellors and social workers, established to assist members of the NSW community who have been impacted by the restrictions imposed by state and federal Governments on travel, contact with significant others and management of social distancing.

Our ‘no wrong door’ approach means that we will o�er support and information to any person or family member who seeks assistance. Each call will provide support, engagement, exploration of the issues,

and an option generating approach which may also include triage and referral where appropriate.

This will be o�ered as a FREE service of RANSW at a time when the community need extra support and understanding, and many are facing unemployment, lack of physical connection with loved ones, and potential health crises.

For more information please visit:

www.relationshipsnsw.org.au/support-services/time-2-talk/

Call: 1300 022 966www.beyou.edu.au/resources/news/covid-19-supporting-schools

www.boredteachers.com/trending/admin-teachers-are-working-around-the-clock

We’re making a hundred (or more!) calls a week.

There are more staff meetings now.

The emails are overwhelming.

Observations are still happening – even unannounced.

There’s pressure to “use this time to learn.”

Trying to figure out technology takes up much of our time.

We’re worried about our students.

Our own kids are at home.

Our mental health isn’t the best right now.

I appreciate having a job – I really do. Many of my friends, family and neighbours haven’t received a pay cheque in weeks and have no idea when they’ll be able to work again. More than half the parents of my students are without work. I know I’m fortunate…and I’m also exhausted. We’re living in a highly traumatic crisis and teachers are expected to cheerfully handle an even heavier workload. I’m going to be honest: I’m drowning over here and I know many of my teacher col-leagues feel the same.

A Letter from the teacher - We are working around the clock

Educators & Wellbeing

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Dear School staffTHANK YOU for all the work you are doing.

About us Our service is free and available to education staff, health workers, all government organisa-tions and non government organisations.

School Link is funded by NSW Health working in partnership with the Department of Education and Communities and many other government and non government organisations. School Link aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people through making positive links between health, education and other services.

School Link Administrationp 9616 4251

BELINDA KATE MARINA

School Link ManagerOccupational Therapistp 9616 4255

kate.piromalli@health.nsw.gov.au

SCHOOL LINK TEAM

Find the right service for children, young people and their families

Consultation including complex cases- open to all government and non government organisations

Information - evidenced based preven-tion & early intervention programs

Accessing education, training and professional development

School Link ManagerSocial Workerp 9616 4265

belinda.cooley1@health.nsw.gov.au

School Link ManagerPyschologistp 9616 4257

marina.zuzic@health.nsw.gov.au

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www.icamhs.com.au

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