Wellbeing

Here at Goresbrook School we value the emotional wellbeing of our whole school community so we are pleased to have Place2Be in both our primary and secondary phases.

Place2Be is a national charity which helps children to develop resilience by supporting them when they are experiencing challenging life issues and helping them to develop self-confidence and lifelong coping skills. When they are supported in this way, children are able to learn more easily and that means less worry for parents.

There is a special Place2Be room inside the school where children can go to express and think about their worries, through talking, creative work and play. Our School Project Manager, Lynne Ali-Northcott, supports this process, helping children to find new ways of coping with difficulties so they don’t get in the way of friendships or learning.

Place2Talk: A lunchtime drop-in service for all students from Yr1 to Yr11. Children fill in a slip to alert the School Project Manager and post it in their special Place2Be post box. They can come either alone or with a friend or two. During the 15 minute session they have the opportunity to talk about how they are feeling with a trained counsellor or perhaps use the art materials or toys to role play instead.

Place2Be one-to-one counselling: Children can be referred for a variety of reasons and with parental consent. They attend weekly play therapy sessions for up to a year.

MPACT programme: Moving Parents and Children Together is an 8 week programme specifically for families affected by alcohol or substance misuse. The programme is totally confidential and takes place at a separate venue.

If you would like to find out more about any aspect of  Place2Be, or discuss how it could benefit your child, please contact Marianne De Giorgio on 0208 470 2339.

How we help families

We routinely meet with parents to discuss any concerns they may have about their children. A number of Place2Be schools also have A Place for Parents, offering adults counselling support for any issues they may have.

How we help schools

Place2Be also supports teachers and school staff members to think through the emotional needs of children. We advise and support the school leadership to help the whole school thrive.

Times when we’re especially useful

There are times when children feel particularly sad, confused, fearful or angry, due to, for example, family challenges such as separation or illness, or even the death of a much-loved pet. Some children may become withdrawn; others may become demanding or challenging in their behaviour: that’s when Place2Be is especially helpful.

Who is eligible for Place2Be?

Any child requiring emotional support for any reason.

Book an Appointment

"He is more confident now and he talks to me more about what he's doing and how he feels." Parent of  Year 3 boy who had attended Place2Be

"Place2Talk is helpful if you have a worry like someone is not being friends with you and you are feeling upset. Then you can talk about it at Place2Talk and use puppets and draw and then the bad feelings go away" - Year 4 girl about Place2Talk

Useful Links for Parents and Carers

Family Lives - 24hr Parentline service. Call about any family issues big or small. You can email or speak with parent support workers. They also do face-to-face groups run nationally. 

Counselling Directory - Website listing UK counsellors and psychotherapists with information on their training, experience, expertise and fees.

Care for the Family - Charity offering courses to support parents and help build a strong relationship with your child, whatever their age. Courses are run in community venues and are usually made up of six 2-hour sessions, each led by trained and experienced facilitators.

Triple P Parenting Program - Online parenting courses giving you the strategies and tools to build stronger relationships, guide child behaviour, and become more confident dealing with teenagers. Triple P Online and Teen Triple P Online are available free to all parents and carers of children up to 16 years in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

Stop Hate UK - National organisations working to challenge all forms of hate crime and discrimination, based on any aspect of an individual’s identity.

Parent Zone - Support and information to parents, children and schools, working globally to help families navigate the internet safely and confidently.

ThinkuKnow - Education programme from CEOP, a UK organisation which protects children both online and offline. Explore one of the six Thinkuknow websites for advice about staying safe when you're on a phone, tablet or computer. This website helps parents to understand the challenges they might face and how they can be overcome them, including how to set up parental controls to safeguard their children.

National Centre for Domestic Violence - Providing free, fast emergency injunction services to survivors of domestic violence regardless of their financial circumstances, race, gender or sexual orientation.This award-winning service allows anyone who has recently suffered or been threatened with domestic violence to apply for an emergency court injunction. This can sometimes be issued within 24 hours of making contact with the service. NCDV work in close partnership with the police, solicitors and other support agencies (Refuge, Women’s Aid etc.,) to help victims obtain speedy protection.