Social stories

What are social stories?

Social stories ^TM were created by Carol Gray in 1991. They are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and why.

Social stories present information in a literal, 'concrete' way, which may improve a person's understanding of a tricky or new situation or activity. By providing information about what might happen in a situation, and some guidelines for how to respond, you can increase structure and understanding for a child and reduce anxiety.

Please find below some social stories about Coronavirus/ Covid-19 which you may find useful in explaining the virus to your child or explaining the current changes to school life and learning from home.

• enhanced education provision from the BBC to include daily lessons starting from 20 April 2020

For parents with children under 5 years old, who have not yet started school, the Department for Education (DfE)’s Hungry Little Minds campaign features tips and practical activities that you can do at home with children to support their early learning.

There are many simple ways to help your children learn and it does not have to feel like ‘learning’. Having everyday conversations, make-believe play, and reading together, all make a big difference to your child’s development.

You can find more ideas and content from the BBC’s Tiny Happy People campaign and the National Literacy Trust Family Zone.

The Department for Education has guidance for parents of children aged 2 to 4 years and primary school age to support learning at home.

On-line safety is extremely important at any time but during the Covid 19 our children are spending much more time accessing online material.

There is support available to keep your child safe online. Below are some useful links to help parents and carers:

• Internet matters (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
• Parent info (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
• LGfL (support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online)
• Net-aware (support for parents and carers from the NSPCC)
• Let’s Talk About It (support for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation)
• UK Safer Internet Centre (tips, advice, guides)

BE SAFE!

What support is available to parents and carers to help them maintain their family’s wellbeing while their children are at home?

Social connections, alongside exercise, sleep, diet and routine, are important protective factors for mental health. Materials to promote and support mental wellbeing are included in the list of online resources we have published to help children to learn at home. Public Health England’s Rise Above platform supports young people. The Department of Health and Social Care is providing £5 million of additional funding to support mental health charities to increase their provision for adults and children at this time.

Social isolation, reduced exercise, and bereavement, may affect children’s wellbeing in this period.

Resources to promote and support children and young people’s mental wellbeing include:

• MindEd educational resources for adults about children and young people’s mental health, which is relevant for parents and carers as well as volunteers, teachers, and other professionals working with children
• the Every Mind Matters platform which supports looking after your own and other’s mental health
• guidance on looking after wellbeing and mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
• guidance on supporting children’s wellbeing and mental health

All NHS mental health trusts are setting up 24/7 helplines, and seeking to use digital and virtual channels, to continue delivering support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.