Family Life

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week [w/c 18 May] is kindness. At this time of upheaval where our worlds have been turned upside down, acts of kindness now are more important than ever. Here, former primary school teacher Catherine Lynch of leading education resources and lesson planning experts PlanBee has ten tips for parents to improve the mental health of their children

1. Create a nurturing environment where everyone feels valued and safe

Even during lockdown, we need connection with others so that we feel valued and safe. While the need...

YoungMinds, the UK’s leading children and young people’s mental health charity, has published a guide sharing advice from parents to other parents on how to support themselves and the young people in their care during the coronavirus pandemic.

During this difficult time for parents and carers, particularly those looking after children and young people with mental health needs, YoungMinds has experienced an increase in traffic to the coronavirus advice on their website and many calls from parents to their Helpline about the impact of the pandemic on the young people in their care...

Families in Devon are being urged to check if their children are eligible for free school meals as the coronavirus crisis creates more hardship across the county.

Nationally applications for Universal Credit have gone up dramatically with initial estimates of an extra 10,000 claims in Devon in the last two weeks of March.

Now Devon County Council is appealing to hard-pressed families to make sure they do not miss out on free food for their children - even if they are not currently in school.

Schools will provide meals for vulnerable children and children of key...

An award-winning Exeter children’s author has become a virtual bedtime storyteller to help families cope with the coronavirus lockdown.

Dr Wendy O’Shea-Meddour has replaced her work in schools and libraries with story sessions filmed at her home for toddlers to nine-year-olds. Her books have already garnered recognition for helping adults support children through difficult experiences and have become even more relevant now.

The sessions, available online, will include readings from new books not yet published. Dr O’Shea-Meddour, who records with a camera balanced on a...