School nursing

Five ways you can help your child maintain a healthy weight:

1. Be a good role model
2. Encourage 60 minutes and up to several hours of physical activity a day
3. Keep to child-sized portions
4. Eat healthy meals, drinks and snacks
5. Support teens and young people to sleep well

Other useful information:

• Family Lives – Family support charity providing help and support on all aspects of family life including school readiness, behaviour and divorce/separation.
• Talking Point – Gives parents/carers the information they need to help children develop their speech, language and communication skills.
• Children’s Sleep Charity – Information to support a better nights sleep.
• Talk to Frank – Drugs support and advice for children and young people.
• Bug Busting – Helpful advice when your child has headlice.
• Infectious Diseases – Advice on how to manage specific infection diseases such as chickenpox, athletes foot and diarrhoea.
• Brook – Sexual health and wellbeing support for under 25s.
• Check Me Out – Free confidential sexual health service in North East Lincolnshire.
• Kidshealth – Information about puberty and growing up.
• Child Bereavement – Supports families either when a baby/child of any age dies or is dying, and when a child is facing bereavement.
• Winston’s Wish – Bereavement Support for Children – Supports families when a child is facing bereavement.
• Health for Teens – Advice about a range of issues from exam stress to gambling.

• Child Bereavement – Supports families either when a baby/child of any age dies or is dying, and when a child is facing bereavement.
• NSPCC – Resources for parents to help make difficult conversations with children easier.
• Safer Internet – The latest tips, advice and resources to help children and young people have a safe and positive time online.
• Child Accident Prevention Trust – Safety advice for inside and outside the home to help prevent accidents.
• Child Exploitation and Online Protection – How to report online abuse.
• Women’s Aid – Understand domestic abuse and where to get help if it’s happening to you.
• Horizon Youth Zone – Charity set up to provide a safe place for young people.
• Not in Our Community – Resources produced with young people to help keep young people safe.

• Kooth – A confidential online counselling and emotional well-being platform for young people aged 11 – 18 years.
• Young Minds – Looking after your mental health, getting support and advice.
• The Mix – Support service for young people.
• Parenting Smart – Practical tips to support children’s wellbeing and manage behaviours from mental health experts.
• Childline – Information, advice and guidance as well as one to one support.
• Compass GO – Local mental health support team.

It is important that children and young people continue to have good oral hygiene. This includes brushing teeth twice a day with a fluoride-based tooth paste. Children up to the age of 8 will need guidance to ensure that they are brushing all of their teeth effectively. It is important to continue to offer support as children grow as good dental hygiene ensures that they have good teeth for life.

NHS dental care for children is free. If you are having trouble finding a dentist click on the link for dentists taking on in your area.

The School Nursing service is able to directly refer to some dental surgeries if families meet the criteria of the flexible dental commissioning offer. Please contact the School Nursing service if you feel your family fit this criteria and we can refer on your behalf.

Other useful information:

• Children’s teeth
• Find a dentist – NHS

Constipation:

• Not being able to poo at least three times a week.
• Poo is often very large and hard and they have difficulty pushing this out.
• Poo looks like rabbit droppings or little pellets in the toilet.

Bladder and Bowel:

If your child has soiled pants this could also be a sign of constipation as runny poo may leak past the hard, constipated poo. This is called overflow soiling. If your child or young person is constipated they may find it too painful to poo. This can lead to a vicious cycle of the more it hurts to poo they hold back having a poo and so on.

There are some things you can do to help your child who you think may be constipated such as:
• A diet high in fibre like fruit and vegetables.
• Drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day.
• Encourage a minimum of 60 minutes per day of physical activity.
• Try to ease any worries they may have and to be supportive if they do have constipation.

Bedwetting:

• Offer plenty of drinks during the day.
• Not giving your child a drink in the hour prior to bedtime.
• Encourage regular toilet breaks throughout the day.
• Making sure they have a wee before going to sleep.
• Try a reward scheme for remembering to have drinks during the day or going for a wee before bed.
• Make sure your child has easy access to the toilet at night • Use waterproof covers on your child’s mattress.
• Avoid waking your child in the night or carrying them to the toilet as this will not help them long term.

Other useful information:

• ERIC/a>
• The Poo Nurses
• Constipation and Soiling Support

If your child has a complex or chronic health need they may require additional support in School. The School Nursing team can offer support to Schools to enable your child to reach their potential.

Other useful information:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Eczema
• Epilespy
• Diabetes
• SEND Local Offer

It can be difficult to tell when a child is seriously ill, but the main thing is to trust your instincts. You know better than anyone else what your child is usually like, so you’ll know when something is seriously wrong.

Other useful information:

• Signs and symptoms of serious illness
• Health A – Z
• The British Red Cross Baby and Child First Aidapp provides simple, easy-to-learn skills to help a baby or child in a first aid emergency.

The Minor Ailment Scheme means everyone can go to their pharmacist for free advice or to buy medicine for minor illnesses, however this scheme is a NHS service for anyone who does not pay for their prescriptions. The pharmacist will be able to give advice and medicines free of charge without the need to see a doctor.

These pages cover many of the medicines that are prescribed or recommended for children by health professionals. They answer frequent questions, such as how and when to give the medicine, what to do if you forget to give the medicine, and any possible side-effects.

You can also read information or watch our short videos about giving different types of medicines, including tablets, capsules, liquid medicine, inhalers, eye drops/ointment and ear drops.

Other useful information:

• Medicines for children