Wellbeing resources and useful organisations to support

To promote and support mental health and wellbeing

Help for Early Years Providers has added new information and guidance on supporting babies and young children with their mental health.

We all have mental health, just as we have physical health. In the same way that we can be more or less physically healthy from time to time, we can also be more or less mentally healthy from time to time too.

The guidance:

  • Explains how practitioners can support positive mental health in early years children
  • Includes emotional and behavioural support strategies to use in early years settings
  • Links to further reading and resources

Early years children sometimes experience a range of difficulties including anxiety, difficulties sharing and tantrums. The Anna Freud centre provides some useful resources on how to support young children.

Common difficulties in the early years | Anna Freud

The DfE has published an Early Years Practitioner Wellbeing Support resource on the Help for Early Years Providers platform: Early years practitioner wellbeing support - Help for early years providers - GOV.UK (education.gov.uk)

The resources bring together:

  • Information on the benefits of investing in staff wellbeing in early years settings

Case studies from four early years settings who have shared their insights on best practice to support staff wellbeing

If you are struggling with your mental health or wellbeing, you may wish to discuss your concerns with your line manager or another colleague within your setting in the first instance. If you want support from someone outside of your workplace, the following links may be helpful.

The Hub of Hope is a mental health support directory provided by Chasing the Stigma which signposts to local, regional and national services offering support on a wide range of topics including bereavement, anxiety and loneliness.

Education Support offers a free emotional support helpline for everyone working in education, including early years. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and you will speak to a qualified counsellor. You can contact Education Support by phone, text, online live chat or email.

Education Support’s guide to the building blocks of good mental wellbeing includes advice on exercise, eating well and developing good sleep habits.

Every Mind Matters provides a source of expert advice to help you and your staff look after your mental health. This includes practical tips that you can build into your daily routine.

The Every Mind Matters self-care tool creates a personalised mental health action plan, with tips and advice to help you be kind to your mind.

If you are an early years leader or manager, these resources may offer ideas to help you implement wellbeing support and practice in your setting.  

The Anna Freud Centre’s early years staff wellbeing resource for managers and teams includes advice on how to support your staff through management, planning meetings on wellbeing, and facilitating support from outside your setting.    

The Anna Freud Centre and Child Outcomes Research Consortium have created a wellbeing measurement for early years settings. This is a survey that you can use to better understand your staff’s wellbeing and how to offer support. 

Foundation Years have published a vodcast on mental health and wellbeing. They also offer presentations that focus on putting wellbeing at the heart of early years practice.

National Day Nurseries Association has developed an adaptable wellbeing policy template for nurseries. This is free of charge to all nursery settings.