Coronavirus advice and support for families

The City of Wolverhampton Council Educational Psychology Service is committed to supporting children, families and schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. Below we provide an overview of support that you can access from us and resources available online.

The Coronavirus is presenting many challenges for us all, with restrictions to normal life, impacts on social relationships, a new way of school and work life and uncertainty about the future. For families these include balancing work and caring for and educating your children, financial pressures and a loss of support networks as households must isolate.

We want to support families in the City of Wolverhampton with this and are offering support through the following ways:

If your child has been referred to the Educational Psychology Service
Please feel free to contact their Educational Psychologist by email or telephone. If you do not have their contact details to hand please contact our team of administrators via email inclusionsupportadmin@wolverhampton.gov.uk or telephone 01902 550609 and they will pass your message onto your child’s Educational Psychologist.

Links to online resources: The amount of information available online at the moment can be very helpful but it can also feel quite overwhelming. We have put together a selection of links useful and trustworthy resources below.

Useful resources for families

Up-to-date local information from the City of Wolverhampton Council:

City of Wolverhampton coronavirus advice and information

Wolverhampton Information Network

Talking to children about Coronavirus:

A guidance document from the British Psychological Society

A book for children about coronavirus illustrated by Axel Scheffler (illustrator of the Gruffalo) aimed at children aged 5-9 years-old.

Coronavirus and UK School Closures:

Support and advice for schools and parents/carers from the British Psychological Society

Supporting children’s mental health and well-being:

Young Mind’s resource

A useful guidance page from Childline which includes ’10 tips to cope during lockdown’

A list of organisations focused on children and young people’s mental health and well-being complied by Mental Health First Aid England

Online Counselling Service available for children who attend schools in Wolverhampton delivered by Kooth

Looking after your own Mental Health and Well-being:

An NHS resource about mental well-being whilst staying at home

Information from the Mind Mental Health Charity

‘Healthy Parenting in the time of COVID-19’ guidance from the World Health Organisation covering things such as one-on-one time, creating routines and managing stress

Supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities:

Supporting children who have an Autism Spectrum Condition

Free Resources from Makaton

Easy Read information about Covid-19 developed by Mencap

Wolverhampton Information Advice and Support Service for special educational needs and disability

Creating a daily routine can be helpful for you and your child and some resources to help can be found here:

The Wolverhampton Outreach Service supports mainstream schools to more confidently meet the needs of children with SEND and has put together information for parents who are supporting children with SEND at home.

The Council for Disabled Children have gathered a list of resources and guidance for parents and education practitioners.

A podcast for parents focusing on helping children who have autism during the Coronavirus pandemic from the Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH)

Supporting your child’s learning at home:

The Times Educational Supplement (TES) have complied a list of free resources that you can access to support your child’s learning at home

There is useful guidance about having realistic expectations within guidance published by the British Psychological Society

A guide about home learning from Education Otherwise – the 10 key messages on page 1 are really helpful.

A list of online resources from the Department for Education to support home education

Guidance from the Inclusion Support Specialist Learning Support Service about supporting your child’s learning at home:

Support for those who experience loss and bereavement:

A resource for supporting children who have been bereaved from Child Bereavement UK

Dealing with bereavement and grief during coronavirus (a resource from Cruse Bereavement Care)

Telling a child someone died from coronavirus – a resource from Winston’s Wish

Coronavirus: how to say goodbye when a funeral isn’t possible – a resource from Winston’s Wish

Keeping children safe online:

Resources from the NSPCC

A parents’ guide to technology from the UK Safer Internet Centre

Guidance to follow if you are concerned about abuse online

Parent/Carer Consultation Service