Click here to watch a short video on physical abuse.
Click here to watch a short video on emotional abuse.
Click here to watch a short video on sexual abuse.
Click here to watch a short video on neglect.
Children can experience more than one type of abuse which can have serious and long-lasting impacts on their lives. Find out about the different types of child abuse, how to recognise the signs in children and young people and how people who work with children, parents and carers can prevent and respond to it.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)
Childline
Click here to watch a short video on anger.
Everybody gets angry sometimes. It can be because something’s happened, or you might feel angry without knowing why.
Anger can help to motivate us to change things, but it can also get out of control. There’s a big difference between feeling angry and being abusive or aggressive.
You might need help with your anger if you’re:
No matter what’s making you angry, there are ways to cope without hurting other people or yourself.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on anxiety.
Anxiety feels different for everyone. You might experience some of the physical and mental effects listed below, as well as effects in other areas of your life.
You might also have experiences or difficulties with anxiety that aren’t recognised here.
The effects of anxiety can include:
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on ADHD.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people’s behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse .
Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child’s circumstances change, such as when they start school.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC).
Autism is a complex, lifelong developmental disability that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on depression.
People sometimes say they’re feeling depressed when they’re having a bad day. But depression is a mental health issue that can have a big effect on your life. It’s a bit like a physical illness, because people don’t choose to have depression.
Depression or feeling low happens to lots of people. Anyone can suffer from depression and it affects people in different ways. A doctor can help you to find out more about depression and how to start feeling better.
When you’re depressed it can seem like people around you don’t understand how you’re feeling and you might feel alone, but talking to someone can really help you to feel better.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on substance misuse.
There are lots of reasons why people take drugs, smoke or drink alcohol. Some people try these substances because friends are doing it or to look popular in front of people. Some people think drugs and alcohol can help them forget about feeling sad or hopeless, problems at home or problems at school. And some people may like the thought of doing something dangerous or illegal.
Sometimes people are forced to take drugs, smoke or drink alcohol, or are put under pressure to do so, as a dare.
Helplines:
Support services Stoke on Trent Community Drug & Alcohol Service (CDAS) 01782 221090 referrals@sotcdas.org.uk
T3 stars Covering all areas of Staffordshire; Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stafford & Stone, Rugeley, Cannock & Burntwood, East Staffordshire & South Staffordshire but excluding Stoke-on-Trent. Suite 1, 7-8 Mill Street, Stafford ST162AJ 01785 241393 t3stars.stafford@humankindcharity.org.uk
Talk to FRANK https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/cannabis 0300 1236600. For referrals: Staffordshire County Council’s First Response Service 0800 1313 126 (Mon – Thurs 8:30am to 5:00pm and Fri 8:30am – 4:30pm) 0845 6042 886 (emergency duty service out of hours)
Children’s Advice and Duty Service (ChAD) (Stoke-on-Trent) 01782 235100 (Mon – Fri 8:30am – 6pm) 01782 234234 (emergency out of hours team) ChAD.referral@stoke.gov.uk
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on eating disorders.
Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses. Anyone, no matter what their age, gender, ethnicity or background, can develop one. Some examples of eating disorders include avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), bulimia, binge eating disorder, and anorexia.
There’s no single cause and people might not have all symptoms for any one eating disorder. Many people are diagnosed with “other specified feeding or eating disorder” (OSFED), which means that their symptoms don’t exactly match what doctors check for to diagnose binge eating disorder, anorexia, or bulimia, but doesn’t mean that it’s not still very serious.
It’s also possible for someone’s symptoms, and therefore their diagnosis, to change over time. For example, someone could have anorexia, but their symptoms could later change to fit with a diagnosis of bulimia.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on managing exam stress.
Worrying about exams and assessments is a very normal, but stressful, part of school life.
Bottling up stress and trying to deal with it on your own can often make the stress worse. It can really help to talk.
It can also really help to plan your time and BBC Bitesize have a planner that can help with that – click here to access it, or ask the school office for help downloading it.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on growing up in the care system.
If a child can’t be looked after by his or her birth parents, they will be fostered or adopted. The UK government and UK charities can provide support and advice if you’re in the care system.
Living in care can be a big change. And things don’t always go smoothly. But lots of young people find living in care gives them the safety and security they need.
There are lots of reasons why someone might go into care, for example:
At school, we really care about your wellbeing and understand that finding yourself in the care system can be stressful, scary and upsetting. You can always talk to any member of staff at school, or use the useful links below for information.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on how to be a good friend.
As you grow up you’ll make friends and lose friends. There’ll be times when friends need your help. And there’ll be times when you don’t get along.
Friends can be there to enjoy the best times, and they can help us when we’re feeling down. But sometimes friendships have problems. It can be hard to know what to do, but we’ve got some advice to help.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on the importance of sleep.
Did you know, that a minimum of 8 to 10 hours’ good sleep on school nights is recommended for teens?
Quality sleep is essential for a teenager’s growth and development. There’s an increasing body of evidence showing the damaging effect on children and young adults who get less sleep than they need – from weight gain to depression, from poor performance and concentration to reduced creative ability and lower immunity to diseases – at a time when the pressures of the modern world are definitely leading to decreased sleep times.
Poor sleep habits from an early age can lead to long term sleep problems. Insomnia is a mental illness, defined by persistent difficulty with sleep initiation, duration, consolidation or quality.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on the importance of healthy lifestyle.
Good health is not just the absence of disease or illness, it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.
This means eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, avoiding tobacco and drugs and getting plenty of rest. Our bodies are like machines that require a balance of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water to stay in good working order.
Get the balance wrong and your health will suffer. A balanced diet means eating only as many calories as you use during the day. Any excess will be stored as fat if you eat more than you burn off.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video about healthy relationships.
Relationships can be confusing. Especially if you really like someone but they do things you’re not comfortable with. So think about what feels right for you.
It is okay to say no to people, and distance yourself from them. If you’re scared to do this, then talk to an adult you trust or someone at school.
Healthy relationships should feel good for both people.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on Identity and Gender.
There’s a lot more to being male, female, or any gender than the sex assigned at birth. Your biological or assigned sex does not always tell your complete story.
It’s common for people to confuse sex, gender, and gender identity. But they’re actually all different things.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on the LGBTQ+ definitions.
Sexual orientation is the emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction that a person feels toward another person. There are several types of sexual orientation; for example:
During the teen years, people often find themselves having sexual thoughts and attractions. For some, these feelings and thoughts can be intense and seem confusing. That can be especially true for people who have romantic or sexual thoughts about someone who is the same sex they are. “What does that mean,” they might think. “Am I gay?”
Being interested in someone of the same sex does not necessarily mean that a person is gay — just as being interested in someone of the opposite sex doesn’t mean a person is straight. It’s common for teens to be attracted to or have sexual thoughts about people of the same sex and the opposite sex. It’s one way of sorting through emerging sexual feelings.
Some people might go beyond just thinking about it and experiment with sexual experiences with people of their own sex or of the opposite sex. These experiences, by themselves, do not necessarily mean that a person is gay or straight.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on dealing with grief.
Bereavement, grief and loss can cause many different symptoms and they affect people in different ways. There’s no right or wrong way to feel.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
These feelings may not be there all the time and powerful feelings may appear unexpectedly.
It’s not always easy to recognise when bereavement, grief or loss are the reason you’re acting or feeling differently.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on PTSD.
Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks, and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt.
They may also have problems sleeping, such as insomnia, and find concentrating difficult.
These symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have a significant impact on the person’s day-to-day life.
Any situation that a person finds traumatic can cause PTSD.
These can include:
PTSD can develop immediately after someone experiences a disturbing event, or it can occur weeks, months or even years later.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on contraception options to practice safe sex.
Safer sex is a way of reducing the chance of getting or passing on a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
There are a number of different STIs including:
The risks of getting one of these STIs will be different depending on who you have sex with and the type of sex you have.
In the same way that there are different types of sex you can have and different risks of STIs there are also different ways in which you can have safer sex. You may find you need different safer sex options at different times of your life and many people find that a combination of different safer sex methods may be useful to protect your sexual health.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on self harm.
Self-harm can affect anyone. Some young people use self-harm to cope with difficult thoughts or feelings, but there are lots of reasons people start.
Some young people start self-harming after something’s happened, like being bullied or abused. Others have said they self-harmed because of things like pressure at school. Sometimes you might not even know why you started.
Self-harm is sometimes seen as the only way to cope or take control, but that’s not true.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
Click here to watch a short video on suicidal ideation.
Strictly speaking, suicidal ideation means wanting to take your own life or thinking about suicide. However, there are two kinds of suicidal ideation: passive and active. Passive suicidal ideation occurs when you wish you were dead or that you could die, but you don’t actually have any plans to commit suicide.
Active suicidal ideation, on the other hand, is not only thinking about it but having the intent to commit suicide, including planning how to do it.
It’s really important to speak to someone if you feel suicidal or you’re worried you’ll harm yourself.
You can call 0800 1111 to talk to a Childline counsellor at any time. They’re there to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If it’s an emergency or you need help straight away, call 999.
Click the links below for more information and professional advice.
