Mental health resources for schools, caregivers and young people

Explore all our resources designed to support schools, education staff, caregivers and young people to look after their mental health and wellbeing. 

Contents:

School packs

Our school packs include everything you need to discuss mental health topics in your school.

Each pack includes lesson and assembly plans, and guides for staff, pupils, and caregivers. 

Body image: How we think and feel about our bodies

This pack explores what body image is, why it is essential for wellbeing, what factors can affect body image, and how we can develop a good body image.

Healthy relationships: With ourselves and our peers

This pack explores how pupils can build healthy relationships with themselves and their peers, and how having healthy relationships can support their mental health and wellbeing.

Loneliness: Finding our connections to feel less lonely

This pack explores what loneliness is, how it can affect our mental health, and the different ways we can connect with ourselves, others and the world around us to feel less lonely.

Sleep: Finding our confidence with sleep

This pack explores what sleep is and how important it is for our mental health and well-being, what good sleep is, the factors that affect it, and how we can promote good sleep for ourselves.

Kindness: Why kindness matters

This pack explores what kindness is and the emotions connected to it, how kindness can benefit our own and others’ mental health and well-being and the different ways we can show kindness to ourselves and others.

Nature: Connecting with the world around us

The pack explores how connecting with nature can be good for our mental health and well-being, how we all have different levels of access to nature and the different ways we can all connect with nature in our own way.

The Peer Education Project (PEP)

PEP is a secondary school-based educational programme that aims to give young people the skills and knowledge they need to safeguard their mental health and that of their peers.

All the resources needed to deliver the project in your school are freely available.

Find out more

School girl writing

PEP mental health curriculum resources

The lessons

Explore the 13 pre-prepared lesson plans and PowerPoint slides, supporting your pupils to increase their mental health literacy.
Explore the lessons

The assemblies

Explore the 6 pre-prepared assembly plans and PowerPoints, supporting your school to shine the spotlight on key mental health topics.
Explore the assemblies

School fundraising packs

Healthy relationships fundraising school pack

This fundraising pack has been designed to support our schools' 'Healthy Relationships' campaign. It features events aimed to help build connections with ourselves and others, including some events created and designed by young people.

Wellbeing and fundraising school pack

Our wellbeing and fundraising pack is designed to give young people 8 top tips for managing their wellbeing and mental health.

Wear it Green Day fundraising pack

Wear it Green Day is our flagship school fundraising event for Mental Health Awareness Week, but you can hold one at any time of the year.

Resources for education staff

Healthy Relationships booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for schools on healthy relationships with ourselves and others.

It focuses on how to support yourself as staff, and help your pupils and your colleagues build healthy relationships.

Loneliness booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for schools on loneliness.

It focuses on how to support yourself as staff, your pupils, and your colleagues with feelings of loneliness.

Loneliness guide

This guide, developed in partnership with Education Support, explores the concept of loneliness, what it is, the different types of loneliness, and some ways to support ourselves and our peers.

Sleep booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for schools on sleep.

It focuses on how to support yourself as staff, your pupils, and your colleagues with developing good sleep health.

Kindness Matters booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for schools on kindness.

It focuses on how to support yourself as staff, your pupils, and your colleagues with self-kindness and gratitude.

Connecting with Nature booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for schools on connecting with nature.

It focuses on how to support yourself as staff, your pupils, and your colleagues with finding a connection to nature.

Body Image booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for schools on body image.

It focuses on how to support yourself as staff, your pupils, and your colleagues with body image.

Anxiety booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for schools on anxiety.

It focuses on how to support yourself as staff, your pupils, and your colleagues with anxiety.

Rethinking Rest guide

This resource has been designed to be used by staff within education supporting children and young people. However, the content is relevant to anyone wanting to find out more about the different types and ways to rest.

Online learning and professional development courses

We offer a series of online learning courses accessible to anyone who wants to learn more about their mental health and how to support the wellbeing of others.

Mental health and wellbeing in a modern workplace

Resources for caregivers

Healthy Relationships booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for caregivers on how to support children and young people with developing healthy relationships.

Loneliness booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for caregivers on how to support children and young people with feelings of loneliness.

A young parent guide to loneliness

The Mental Health Foundation and The Lullaby Trust have developed this top tip guide to support young parents who may feel lonely.

Body Image booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for caregivers on how to support children and young people with body image.

Sleep booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for caregivers on how to support children and young people with developing good sleep health.

Kindness Matters booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for caregivers on how to support children and young people with expressing self-kindness and gratitude.

Connecting with Nature booklet

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for caregivers on how to support children and young people with connecting with nature.

Time for Us

A resource developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, designed for anyone with caring responsibilities for children and young people, provides some practical activities to help start conversations about our feelings and mental health.

Resources for young people

Top tips for young people: Healthy relationships with ourselves

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for young people on developing healthy relationships with themselves.

Top tips for young people: Healthy relationships with our peers

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for young people on developing healthy relationships with their peers.

Top tips for young people: Loneliness

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for young people on how to look after themselves and others when experiencing loneliness. 

Top tips: Poster series

Here are some top tips posters for how to support your mental health and well-being. These posters were written and designed by a young person involved in the Peer Education Project.

Top tips for young people: Exams

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for young people on how to take care during exams. 

Top tips for young people: Sleep

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for young people on how to develop good sleep health. 

Top tips for young people: Kindness

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for young people on how to express self-kindness and gratitude.

Top tips for young people: Connecting with nature

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for young people on how to connect with nature. 

A student guide to loneliness

It explores loneliness and how it links to mental health. It provides tips for students with ideas on how to get involved and raise awareness in communities, at school, college or university.

Top tips for young people: Body image

This booklet provides helpful tips, advice, and signposting for young people on healthy body image. 

Philip's story: finding balance in life and in my friendships

Bella's story: there is incredible value in making connections with new people

Tyra's story: facing my mirror

Lucy's story: how I feel about my body as a teenager

Bethan's story: kindness and the difference it makes to my mental health

Georgia's story: living alone for the first time

Holly's story: drinking culture at university

Jude's story: how to protect your self-esteem when in new situations

Fox's story: being disabled and the feeling of isolation, together with being queer and trans

H's story: how healthy relationships are important for my mental health

Izzy's story: lack of representation at university

Healthy Relationships

This campaign talks to young people about healthy relationships; what's important, how they recognise, build and maintain healthy relationships, and how relationships can affect our mental health and wellbeing.

#BehindtheBooks

The #BehindtheBooks university campaign aims to help uni students talk about their mental health, realise when they’re struggling, and provide tips on coping and normalising uni life's ups and downs.

What’s up with everyone?

A hub of advice on how to cope with perfectionism, loneliness and isolation, independence, social media, competitiveness and how to seek help.

Getting support

Support for education staff

Education Support – Education Support provides mental health and wellbeing support to teachers and education staff in schools, colleges and universities. Call free on 08000 562 561 to speak to a qualified counsellor. They will offer you immediate, confidential emotional support.

Support for caregivers

In England and Wales, contact Family Lives.

In Scotland, contact Children 1st Parentline.

In Northern Ireland, contact Parentline NI.

Across the UK, you can contact Family Action’s Family Line – they specialise in supporting parents facing complex issue.

Young Mind’s Parent Helpline and Webchat provides advice and support for parents and caregivers who are worried about a child or young person.

Little Lullaby – a service of The Lullaby Trust, provides a space where young parents and parents-to-be can chat, tell their story and support each other through pregnancy, birth and beyond. Find out more about Little Lullaby and how you can get involved (PDF).

Support for children, young people and young adults

The Mix – a UK-based charity that provides free, confidential support for young people under 25. Young people can get support from the trained team, either by phone, webchat, or email.

Shout 85258 – a free, confidential, 24/7 text-messaging support service.

Samaritans – a UK-based charity that provides support at any time, from any phone for free. Call free on 116 123 or email [email protected] .

Young Minds is a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need. They offer advice and resources on their website.

Childline is here to help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they’re going through. Call ChildLine on 0800 1111 to speak to a counsellor, they’re there to listen and support you with anything you’d like to talk about. Or you can have a 1-2-1 counsellor chat online. They also offer advice and resources on their website.