Children in care (CiC) nurse team

How the CiC team provide a specialist service to children and young people who are in the care of Suffolk County Council.

The team offer a specialist health assessment, known as a review health assessment, to all children in the care of the council.

Alongside the assessment the CiC nurse team offers:

physical, emotional and mental health advice
information about the effects of a child’s health history on their development
referrals for treatment
monitoring of identified health needs
preventative measures (e.g. immunisation)
advice and guidance on promoting health and personal care (e.g. sexual health advice, adolescence, e-safety)
Health Passport for care leavers which provides a summary of a young person’s health history

The service is delivered by appointment in a child friendly setting appropriate

to the child's needs.

The review health assessment takes a child centred approach and is part of a continuous process focused on the actions of a child’s health plan. It works alongside other assessments and plans (e.g. statement of special educational needs).

The team work closely with partner agencies, taking into account a child/young person's:

feelings
fears
disability
race
culture
gender

The service is delivered by appointment in a child friendly setting appropriate to the child's needs.

When do the assessments take place?

Children under 5 are offered an assessment every 6 months.
Children over 5 are offered an assessment once a year.
Care leavers receive an enhanced health assessment focused on preparation for independence.

For more information please click on this link:

The Source.

ChatHealth is an easy way for young people (aged 11-19 years) to confidentially ask for help about a range of issues, or make an appointment with a school nurse, by sending a text message.

This service is provided by Suffolk County Council's School Nursing Service covering all of Suffolk including Lowestoft and Waveney and aims to provide timely and convenient access to confidential health advice for students, including issues about

Sexual health
Emotional health and wellbeing
Bullying
Healthy eating
Smoking, drugs and alcohol
Self harm
General health concerns

School Nursing Chathealth text service

Carers

If you are a carer of a young person, you can use ChatHealth to seek help, advice or support about a range of issues which maybe affecting you or your child.

Text a School Nurse on 07507 333356

Texts are free of charge. The service is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm, excluding bank holidays.

Young people

If you are aged between 11 and 19, you can confidentially text ChatHealth to ask for help about a range of issues or make an appointment with a school nurse. You can also find out how to access other local services including emotional support or sexual health services.

Text a School Nurse on 07507 333356

Texts are free of charge. The service is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 4:30pm, excluding bank holidays.

Out of hours

Anyone who texts the service out-of-hours receives an automatic reply message that explains where to get help, and when they can expect a response. Texts are normally replied to within one working day.

Solihull Understanding your Brain

Understanding your Brain is an online course for teenagers only: support and advice to help you understand how your brain is changing as you get older.

This free online course will help you to answer some questions you may have, including the following:

Have you noticed changes in your behaviour?
Do you sleep more than you used to?
Do you want to know why teenagers are more open minded?

Visit www.inourplace.co.uk and follow instructions to set up an account. Once you have created an account enter the access code: WOLSEY. Your account will remember your access to that course and resumes where you left off.

Acne is a common skin condition that affects most people at some point. It causes spots, oily skin and sometimes skin that is hot or painful to touch. Acne is very common in teenagers and younger adults. About 80% of people aged 11 to 30 are affected by acne.

Acne is most common in girls from the ages of 14 to 17, and in boys from the ages of 16 to 19.

Find acne support, including treatments and self-help techniques:

A new asthma inhaler app has been launched called MySpira. It is the world's first reality asthma training game, developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals.

Suitable for children aged 6 to 13, the MySpira app aims to improve the training of correct inhaler technique, using a combination of augmented reality and game play.

For more information, please visit Healthy Suffolk.

You can find more asthma support at:

Bedwetting (also known as 'nocturnal enuresis') affects around half a million children and teenagers in the UK. It's an issue families can find very isolating and difficult to talk about openly. Growing up with bedwetting can take a huge toll on family life and can affect your child's self-esteem and emotional well-being.

The good news is you don't need to wait until children grow out of bedwetting - support is now available and recommended from the age of 5 years.

The Nocturnal Enuresis (bedwetting) Service provide specialist advice, care, treatment and support for children and young people aged 5 to 19 years.

The service offers:

advice on treatment methods available to help gain bladder control
support for children and their families during the time in our care
a range of treatments including alarms and/or medication
access to a specialist Community Paediatrician to enable children to regain control of their bladders
training for school staff and other professionals

Children and young people aged 5 to 19 can be referred to the service by their:

GP
School Nurse
Paediatrician

Find out more information about the Enuresis Service.

Other useful websites include:

ERIC: the children's bowel and bladder charity offers a range of support and information for parents and carers, including a helpline
Bladder and Bowel UK
Stop Bedwetting
Poo Nurses UK

If you are being bullied, don't keep it to yourself. Tell an adult you trust today.

If you need help or advice about bullying, here are helplines and websites that can provide you with information and support:

Confidence and self-esteem can play an important part in your happiness and how you feel about yourself. We all have times when we lack confidence and don’t feel good about ourselves. But when low self-esteem becomes a long-term problem, it can have a harmful effect on our lives.

The good news is there are loads of ways you can start to improve your confidence.

Find out more by visiting:

The Source - Information and Advice for Young People in Suffolk: Confidence and self-esteem
Chat online with a Childline counsellor who will be happy to offer any advice
NHS: Raising low self-esteem
Moodzone Podcast: Low confidence and assertiveness
4YP: Suffolk Young People’s Health Project
Kooth: online support for young people
The Mix: support for the under 25s
School Nursing Texting service ChatHealth – see ChatHealth for more information

Alcohol misuse

Alcoholic drinks, when consumed sensibly and in moderation, can be enjoyable, but if you drink excessively you can put your health at risk. Unfortunately, there are too many young people who make this mistake every year. Being clear on the law around alcohol is important - for both parents and children. The law isn’t simply about knowing right from wrong. It’s a reminder of the potential consequence of drinking alcohol underage.

To find out more information about the law and alcohol misuse, please visit:

Drug and substance misuse

Taking drugs is dangerous and could affect your mental health. There are many myths and stereotypes surrounding drugs, so it is important that you get the right information.

If you or a family member or friend need advice about substance misuse (including drugs and alcohol), or would like to find out how to access support and treatment, get in touch with Turning Point in Suffolk.

Other helpful sites include:

As a carer, you may not like seeing your baby or child being given an injection. However, vaccination will help protect them against a range of serious and potentially fatal diseases.

Vaccines do

get safety tested for years before being introduced – they're also monitored for any side effects
protect you and your child from many serious and potentially deadly diseases
reduce or even get rid of some diseases – if enough people are vaccinated

You can find information on the childhood immunisation schedule, including the ages at which they should ideally be given, reasons for vaccinating, and managing side effects on the NHS page about vaccinations.

If you're not sure whether you or your child has had all your routine vaccinations, ask your GP surgery to find out for you.

Useful websites with information about vaccinations:

Immunisations during COVID-19

Watch a video about the about the importance of getting immunisations even during the covid-19 pandemic.

Many people struggle to cope at one point or another of their lives. Experiencing a range of emotions during these times is common. We all experience not being OK differently. Take the first step and talk to someone you trust.

These helplines, websites and apps can provide you with information and support:

Relationships can be confusing and it’s important we that can recognise when relationships are not healthy.

Find out more about relationships and how to stay safe:

People can self-harm for many different reasons, including bullying, difficulties at school, problems at home, being a victim of abuse, low self-esteem or other emotional difficulties.

Self-harm is a way of coping with emotional distress. However, it is only a temporary relief, and it won't stop the negative emotions from coming back. If you're using self-harm as a way to deal with your feelings, it's important that you talk to someone and seek help.

Take the first step and talk to someone you trust. You can go to your GP for help at any age. Anything you talk about is confidential and will be kept between you and your doctor.

If you're 16 or over, you can also refer yourself for free support from the Suffolk Wellbeing Service. This could be in the form of short-term counselling or a telephone call from a professional, or wellbeing workshops or classes. For more information, visit the Suffolk Wellbeing Service website.

Find helplines and websites that can provide you with information and support:

See also sections - Emotional Wellbeing Hub and Feeling overwhelmed and suicidal

Good sexual health is important. Find out about safer sex, sexually transmitted infections and how to manage risks:

Condoms are available free to young people between the ages of 13 to 24 through the C-Card scheme in Suffolk.

Had unprotected sex? Find out more about emergency contraception.

Is it worth stopping smoking? Yes. Apart from saving a lot of money you will feel better and healthier, enjoy food and have more energy for exercise.

After stopping smoking you'll quickly notice you're breathing easier, have more energy, and your stress levels will be lower. Among other things, quitting also helps save the planet. Deforestation because of tobacco production accounts for nearly 5% of overall deforestation in the developing world!

You can get help to quit from your school nurse, as well as:

Everyone has experienced stress at some point in their lives, whether in the run up to exams, before a driving test, or around a big change in your life. Stress can either be caused by our thoughts and anxieties, or by events and experiences.

People are affected by stress in different ways. A little bit of stress can be a good thing as it triggers the 'fight or flight' response which can help you to deal with certain pressures. But when the stress builds up and hangs around, we need to learn how to relax and de-stress.

Find out how to recognise and manage stress:

See also Feeling overwhelmed and suicidal.

Feeling like something's not right?

Things have been very different this year. And it’s been difficult for everyone.

You might be worried about:

things that have happened to you or someone else
not knowing where to go when you’re scared
being at school, your exams or the future
coping with your mental health.

Whatever’s happening, you don’t have to cope alone.

For help and advice visit Childline Somethings not right

The Emotional Wellbeing Hub provides information, advice, and guidance if you are worried about the emotional wellbeing and mental health of a child or young person aged 0-25 years or if you are a young person who needs emotional wellbeing support.

The Emotional Wellbeing Hub is a multi-agency team offering a central point of contact for families, professionals, and young people to access mental health services or to discuss concerns about the emotional wellbeing of a child or young person in East or West Suffolk. Find out more information by visiting the Suffolk Emotional Wellbeing Hub page on InfoLink.

When someone dies, some of the words you will hear to describe what happened are bereavement, grief and mourning.

Grief describes the feelings you may be having after the death of someone close to you, whether it is a member of your family, a friend or a pet.

Losing someone or something you care deeply for is one of the hardest things we have to face in our lives. It can be a confusing time and you may feel overwhelmed with all sorts of difficult emotions. It is important to know that everyone experiences and expresses their feelings to grief in different ways and there is no right or wrong way to do this. You could feel great sadness, relief, disbelief or you could feel frightened or numb.

You are not alone. Here are some websites that offer advice and guidance:

You can find more information about the CiC team and health assessments on The Source.

Service rated as 'good' by Care Quality Commission

On 6 July 2021 the Care Quality Commission rated our service as 'good'. Click here for the report and overview of the inspection.

Children in care (CiC) nurse team

Review Health Assessment

How to get in touch

ChatHealth - School Nursing texting service

Understanding your brain (for teenagers only)

Acne

Asthma

Nocturnal Enuresis (also known as bedwetting)

Bullying

Confidence and Self Esteem

Drugs and alcohol

Immunisations and vaccinations

Keeping safe online

Feeling overwhelmed or suicidal

Relationships

Self harm

Sexual health and contraception

Smoking

Stress

Something's not right

Suffolk Emotional Wellbeing Hub

Teeth and oral hygiene

When someone dies

Service rated as 'good' by Care Quality Commission