Parenting a Teenager
Being a teenager is rarely easy! Hormones are racing, there’s pressure from friends and the media to ‘keep up’ and school work is increasingly important. No wonder they can be tricky to parent and there is no ‘perfect’ way to, but top tips include:
- Offer support and guidance
- Give age appropriate choices and responsibilities
- Give space and privacy but also family time
- Listen to their ideas & opinions
- Set out and stick to ground rules
- Encourage balance – work and exercise as well as rest and relaxation
This page covers some issues that may (or may not) arise and provides suggestions to support that may be available to you.
Parent/Carers' Helpline
Young Minds, a national charity, have a helpline available to main carers who are concerned about their child or young person's mental health (the main resident parent/carer). The helpline can be accessed both via phone and online chat; they are open Monday-Friday, 9.30am-4pm. Click here to access their webpage with their contact details.
Adults' Counselling
“New Hope” is a South Warwickshire-based Christian charity offering confidential and low-cost counselling to any who are in need, regardless of their gender, ethnic background, sexual orientation, faith or ability to pay. Click here for more information.
Parent Workshops
Warwickshire's Family and Relationship Support Team offer free workshops covering several areas of relationships and parenting. Please visit their website where you will find more information, including links to their Eventbrite where you can book workshops to help support you with parenting after separation, sleep, teenage behaviour and more.
Friendship Issues
Peer Pressure
Falling out and peer pressure are normal parts of growing up. The impact of this can be reduced by listening and helping your teenager to develop a range of coping strategies. Encourage them to speak to their tutor or college leader.
Relate have some great tips to help you support your teenager if you feel they may be struggling with peer pressure - I'm worried my teenager's friends are a bad influence | Relate
Bullying
Bullying can take many forms, from physical and verbal abuse to text and online bullying (cyber-bullying). Any form of bullying is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
In order to help, we need to know about it – please encourage your child to speak to their tutor, college leader or another member of staff.
The school Anti-Bullying Policy can be found in the Policies section of our website.
Mental Health
Mental health is just as important as physical health, it is important that we look after it.
Teenagers will feel stress and anxiety about different things and many of these worries are a normal part of growing up. Parents can help by being available to talk and by helping to plan ways to develop the skills and strategies needed to cope.
Anxiety becomes a problem if it gets in the way of day-to-day life in the long term.
Rise - Wellbeing and Mental Health Support
Rise is a family of NHS-led services providing emotional wellbeing and mental health services for children and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Rise aims to build resilience and empower children and young people (as well as the adults in their lives) to know where to go for help and advice.
It’s made up of a number of different services, each led by mental health specialists.
No matter why or how you access Rise we want you to receive the right support at the right time.
A journey with Rise is as unique as the person seeking support. So the support each person receives may be different.
For urgent calls, for those under-17 who are experiencing a mental health crisis contact the Rise Crisis team on: Freephone 08081 966798 (select Option 2)
During the COVID-19 response, this is service is available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, with an advice-only service outside the core hours of 8am-8pm.
Self-Harm
Self-harm covers a range of things that people do to themselves in a deliberate and harmful way. It is seen as a form of self-control and a way of coping and of channelling frustration and other strong emotions. It can become addictive and can be very dangerous.
Exam Stress
There is no way to escape exams; they are a fact of school life. School staff will help prepare your children by practising questions, teaching exam techniques and running revision sessions in advance of external exams. Please encourage your child to speak with their form tutor or subject teacher for further support.
Advice for parents can be found at www.nhs.uk/livewell/childhealth6-15/pages/examstress.aspx
Support Following a Trauma
Victim Support
Victim Support provide support to young people affected by any crime except sexual abuse (we have access to other specialist agencies to support with this). As a school we are able to refer individuals and groups to Victim Support, they also accept referrals from parents. Further information can be found on the Victim Support website.
Safeline
Safeline provide a comprehensive range of specialist, best practice services to anyone affected by or at risk of sexual abuse. Safeline work closely with school working with the whole of Year 9 and Sixth Form to reduce sexual harassment and abuse. They also work 1-2-1 with students to support and educate about healthy relationships. If you would like your child to be referred for 1-2-1 support in school, please contact your child's College Leader.
In addition to the in-school support, Safeline provide free counselling to victims of sexual abuse; both children and adults. For more information please speak to your child's College Leader or visit the Safeline website where you will be able to sel-refer for counselling.