Mental health is important for the healthy development and well-being of your child. Supporting good mental health helps our child: 

• Manage challenges 

• Learn to adapt to change and build resilience 

• Build confidence 

• Build healthy relationships 

• Enjoy life. 

What impacts a child’s mental health? 

There is no one single cause for mental health concerns but, there are some risk factors:  

• Biological factors such as, family history of mental health concerns  

• Early life experiences such as, abuse, neglect, death or significant loss or trauma  

• Psychological factors such as, self-esteem, perfectionism, or coping skills  

• Bullying or relationship issues with family or peers  

5 Ways to Wellbeing 

The 5 ways to wellbeing are simple ways to promote positive mental health and wellbeing: 

• Connect: encourage relationships with people your child trusts . Connecting with others helps develop a sense of belonging to the world around them. 

• Be Active: Find an activity or hobby that your child enjoys and makes it a part of their life. Physical activity helps to relieve stress and regulate moods. Choose an activity that is in line with your child’s interest 

• Keep Learning: Trying new things can help increase your child’s confidence and give them a sense of achievement. 

• Take Notice: Being aware and noticing how they are feeling and what is going well helps to boost their sense of wellbeing by focusing their thoughts and by learning about what really matters to them. 

• Give: Giving and helping others can be very simple, but it allows them to feel they have added value to another person and or their community. Small acts can help improve an individual’s own well-being. 

Active Kids: 

Physical activity has been proven to help reduce stress and support healthy mental wellbeing. Any movement is good, but if your child isn’t enrolled in a sport, the Active Kids vouchers can help reduce the cost to make any sport more affordable. 

Sports are also good for connecting with others, learning new things, and taking notice — supporting the Five Ways to Wellbeing. 

Supporting your child’s mental health and wellbeing 

As a parent, it is helpful to learn more about mental health and encourage open discussion at home about how your child is going. Children may find it difficult to express how they are feeling or worry about being judged, so be patient and encouraging to support them. As a parent or caregiver, you can play an important role in identifying mental health concerns early on. Things to look out for when your child may need extra support: 

• Not acting like themselves  

• Avoiding people or social situations they once enjoyed  

• School performance has dropped  

• Changes in their sleeping or eating  

• Expressing more emotions than before – anger, worry, crying or sadness 

• Expressing feelings of hopelessness 

• Lower levels of energy or motivation  

• Self-harm  

If you think your child may not be coping, seek help. Your GP is best placed to provide advice and refer you to other health professionals if needed. If your children share thoughts of self-harm or suicide, seek immediate professional help. 

As a parent, you are not expected to be an expert or a counsellor. However, knowing what to look out for and when to reach out for  support is  important for your child’s wellbeing and your own. 

Some counselling or support options can include: 

● Seeing your GP  ●  Headspace  ● Parentline  ●  Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people up to the age of 25) 

● Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 (for people over the age of 15)   ● Lifeline 13 11 14  ​​​​​​​ ● Head to Health  

Services for children: 

• STAR4kids - psychological therapies for children - South Western Sydney PHN (swsphn.com.au) 3-12 years 

STAR4kids provides free psychological therapies to children aged 3-12 years with, or at risk of, developing a mild to moderate mental illness, including depression, anxiety or stress disorders. 

• ReFrame - Free psychological therapies for 12-25 year olds - South Western Sydney PHN (swsphn.com.au) 12-25 years 

If you are 12-25 years old living, studying or working in Wollondilly and Wingecarribee and are concerned about your mental health, you may access up to 12 hours of free psychological therapies per year through ReFrame. 

• You In Mind – Psychological therapies for select populations - South Western Sydney PHN (swsphn.com.au) 12 years+ 

You In Mind provides free psychological therapies and non-clinical peer support for people with, or at risk of, a diagnosed mental illness and are part of an eligible population group within South Western Sydney.