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Here you’ll find all the latest news and reflections from Togetherness.
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Ballymena Integrated Nursery School, NI are the first nursery school awarded ‘gold standard’ Togetherness school accreditation
Ballymena Integrated Nursery School receives official recognition from NHS emotional health experts, Togetherness. Togetherness whole school training provides staff training, educational resources and parent groups as part of a whole school approach to nurturing emotional wellbeing and prioritising mental health. The school accreditation scheme recognises schools committed to embedding the Solihull Approach model and delivering positive change for the whole community. Three tiers of awards recognise a school’s work, with the gold award
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Togetherness launches new learning resource for hearing parents of deaf children
Togetherness, the NHS emotional health team, has teamed up with education platform Learning by Questions (LbQ) to support families during SATs season through the hugely popular national resource, Spill the Beans on SATs.
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Togetherness helps families prepare to take on SATs with nationally available guide ‘Spill the Beans on SATs’
Togetherness, the NHS emotional health team, has teamed up with education platform Learning by Questions (LbQ) to support families during SATs season through the hugely popular national resource, Spill the Beans on SATs.
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Managing parent anxiety
You’re a parent and you feel anxious? Anxiety is a normal response to many situations. Over thousands of years it has given us as human beings an edge in surviving. It can be helpful, especially if we are an actor or a sports person and we have to perform. Anxiety gets us ready to act.
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How can I support my child with anxiety?
Some anxiety every now and then is a normal part of life. However, there are times when anxiety is getting in the way of your child living their life and experiencing the world.
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Brand new online CPD on emotional health for teachers created by NHS clinical psychologists
Teachers now have access to tailored, evidence-based CPD on understanding their own emotional health.
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Navigating parental decisions: vaccinations and other health choices
It’s normal to feel a sense of anxiety when facing such pivotal choices. In a world flooded with information,
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Togetherness: the new face of the NHS Solihull Approach model
The Solihull Approach, a widely regarded and highly reputed model for universal emotional health improvement developed in Child and Adolescent Mental Health services in Solihull almost 30 years ago, moves forward as Togetherness this month following a rebranding exercise. On 14 October, the NHS team behind the model launched a brand new website to bring
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Five things to protect your mental health
World Mental Health Day 2025 – Five things to protect your mental health whatever you’re going through We all have mental health to look after in the same way as caring for our physical health. Here are our five ways of protecting your mental health. 1. Talking about it Talking about feelings can help make
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New sponsor partnership SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity
SSAFA the Armed Forces charity confirms new licence to fund Togetherness.co.uk for British Forces families and children living overseas. The NHS team behind Togetherness, trusted provider of online learning focused on children’s emotional health and wellbeing is delighted to partner with SSAFA to increase access and emotional health support to the Armed Forces overseas community.
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Positive co-parenting: Handling conflict when you’re no longer with your children’s other parent
Even if you’re no longer together, positive co-parenting is important for children and their longer-term wellbeing. Clinical Psychologist and Child Psychotherapist, Dr Hazel Douglas MBE, shares her thoughts on resolving conflict when you live separately. Separation is never easy—especially when children are involved. Co-parenting after a breakup can stir up deep emotions for everyone involved.
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Healthier ways to argue: When you need to rock the boat
When two people live together, they must navigate their individual needs on the back of different histories, expectations and family cultures. It may go smoothly most of the time, but it is normal to hit bumps in the road, unless you are both so accommodating of each other that you never put your own needs
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Togetherness online learning for parents launches on WeChat
Togetherness has launched two online learning pathways for parents on the Chinese social media app, WeChat. Thanks to our partnership with Yingshu Zhang, Psychotherapist and Psychoanalysis Practitioner, this new online channel is an important step forward in expanding the Togetherness learning platform and sharing evidence-based practices internationally, reaching Chinese speaking practitioners, parents and families across
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Health Visitors’ skills significantly enhanced after completing Solihull Approach training, Swedish study reveals
Togetherness is pleased to announce the findings of a new Swedish study demonstrating the impact of the Solihull Approach model in infant and toddler care, revealing how the approach significantly reshaped nurses’ attitudes, values, and working methods. Published in the Open Journal of Nursing*, the study, Specialist Nurses’ Experiences of Working with Parental Support in
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How parents can raise emotional skills development for young boys
Adolescence – it’s the second most rapid period of brain development after those early months as a baby. Rewiring in the brain and all those new hormones surging means chaos for young boys trying to navigate school pressures, friendships, sexuality and their identity or role in society. Emotions are felt much more strongly than at
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Mother’s Day: celebrating all mums trying their best
Amongst the busy preparations, expectations and gestures of ‘Mothering Sunday’ it’s time to recognise the parents showing up every day, being present and being ‘good enough’ for their children, to whom for much of their lives they are the whole world. “There is no such thing as a ‘perfect parent’, even though we may wish
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Understanding anxiety
Feelings of anxiety, worry or stress are common. At some point, everyone will experience these feelings to some degree – although the stressors may be different. Dr Hazel Douglas MBE, Clinical Psychologist and Child Psychotherapist, shares her insights on anxiety. She suggests how adults and parents can support themselves, as well as equipping their children
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Togetherness expands to India with new Licensed Centre in Mumbai
Togetherness has confirmed a new licensed centre in India, marking a significant milestone in expanding its evidence-based training. Thanks to a new partnership with Stepping Stones Paediatric Therapy Services, led by Mahek Uttamchandani, Consultant Occupational Therapist, practitioners across India can now access the renowned Togetherness 2 Day Foundation training. The establishment of this licensed centre
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Parenthood: the lifelong learning journey
We can easily assume parenting becomes easier as our children grow – after all, they learn to communicate in more sophisticated ways through talking and gestures. But it can often feel harder as problems get more complicated or complex. The classic phrase “We’re expecting…!” is often used to announce the soon arrival of a new
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What do parents of autistic children need to know about emotional health?
The foundations of emotional health Emotional health for an autistic child or young person – just like any child – is nurtured through relationships, feeling heard, understood, accepted. These are the foundations for emotional health for all of us in fact. And in turn, emotional health is the foundation for learning, education, functioning and progressing
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Why staff wellbeing in schools underpins the whole school community’s emotional health
As the education sector grapples with preparing children for an uncertain future, coping with pressure to meet attainment targets, enhance SEND provision and retain good staff, making space for emotional health may seem like an extra complicated challenge it’s too difficult to carve out time for. I would argue that this environment only elevates the
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Emotional intelligence and understanding masking
With teachers reporting that the impact of poor behaviour regularly reduces teaching time and negatively impacts their own wellbeing and ability to teach, it’s no wonder that the interventions most commonly used by schools to manage behaviour are referrals to specialist services (more than 90%) with removal commonplace (77%)* as a so-called restorative measure. “Behaviour
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St Nicholas School, Canterbury, awarded first ‘gold standard’ Togetherness school accreditation
The Solihull Approach for schools provides staff training, educational resources and parent groups as part of a whole school approach to nurturing emotional wellbeing and prioritising mental health. This week sees the launch of the new school accreditation scheme which recognises schools committed to embedding the approach and delivering positive change for the whole community.
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Free access to emotional health and childhood development learning in Iceland
The Icelandic Mental Health Association, Geðverndarfélag Íslands, have built on their long-standing partnership with Togetherness to fund free access to the online learning platform Togetherness.co.uk
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Smartphones for school-age children
Research by Ofcom suggests that nine in 10 children own a mobile phone by the time they reach the age of 11, and there is increasingly a blurred boundary between life online and the ‘real world’ for children*. When is the right time to give your child a phone, and how can you ensure that
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How to talk to your child about news events without anxiety
Thinking about how to talk to your child about events in the news? There are times when the events in the news can cause children to have lots of questions about what’s going on in the outside world, beyond their front door. As parents, we instinctively want to protect our children from harm or upset
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Six things you didn’t know about babies’ mental health
The mental health of babies is an often overlooked but incredibly important aspect of their overall development. Research has shown us that the foundations for emotional wellbeing and resilience are laid down in the first six months of life. Here are six fascinating insights into babies’ mental health that you might not know! 1. Babies
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Free online resource for parents of NICU babies making a difference one year on
As Infant Mental Health Awareness week returns, Togetherness have published new research on the impact of their free online learning resource for parents of babies receiving neonatal care. Presented this week at the 2024 World Association of Infant Mental Health Congress in Finland and published in the congress journal, the study of online learning outcomes
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Exam season: Understanding your teenager’s changing brain and how to help
The biggest period of growth in our brains is in the first three years of our lives. After this, the next time of big brain development is when we are teenagers. Perhaps you’ve noticed changes in how your teenager behaves already? Particularly around exam season, they may be reacting to the stress of so many
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Parenting a sensitive child and how to ensure a smooth transition to secondary school
Home > News Parenting a sensitive child and how to ensure a smooth transition to secondary school Parenting: How to 17 May 2024 Dr Rebecca Johnson Things to look out for and why it’s OK to seek additional needs support Has your child been ‘just about coping’ with the last few terms, or even years,
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Talking to your children about starting school
Home > News Talking to your children about starting school Parenting: How to 10 April 2024 Togetherness Team How to support your child’s emotional wellbeing Starting a new school can be a daunting experience for any child. They must navigate the complexities of separation, independence, and building new relationships. As parents, it’s natural to want
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Navigating the transition: supporting children with additional needs moving to secondary school
Home > News Navigating the transition: supporting children with additional needs moving to secondary school Online courses 02 April 2024 Dr Hazel Douglas MBE Recent studies have illuminated a concerning rise in referrals for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) within our school systems. As every child is different, this means it’s really important children
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Eating disorder awareness for parents
Eating disorders can affect anyone and cannot be identified by the way someone looks on the outside.
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Navigating parental decisions: vaccinations and other health choices
It’s normal to feel a sense of anxiety when facing such pivotal choices. In a world flooded with information,
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Experiencing Baby Sleep Challenges? Advice For The 21st Century Parent
What kinds of connections with people, nature or animals made you most contented as a child? When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to live in a house with a garden. I used to spend a lot of time in an overgrown strip along the side of it, in a made-up world involving…
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How to talk to your child about the climate crisis
What kinds of connections with people, nature or animals made you most contented as a child? When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to live in a house with a garden. I used to spend a lot of time in an overgrown strip along the side of it, in a made-up world involving…
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Self-belief in parenting ability increases during the postnatal period after completing the Togetherness learning pathway ‘Understanding your baby’
What kinds of connections with people, nature or animals made you most contented as a child? When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to live in a house with a garden. I used to spend a lot of time in an overgrown strip along the side of it, in a made-up world involving…
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Understanding your child’s behaviour leads to improvements in children’s conduct, kindness and reduction in parental anxiety
What kinds of connections with people, nature or animals made you most contented as a child? When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to live in a house with a garden. I used to spend a lot of time in an overgrown strip along the side of it, in a made-up world involving…
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Understanding your own trauma: new online course for Mental Health Awareness day
Psychological trauma is an emotional response to a distressing event or series of events that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope.
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Early intervention programme for minority Jewish families delivers significant improvements in mental health
What kinds of connections with people, nature or animals made you most contented as a child? When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to live in a house with a garden. I used to spend a lot of time in an overgrown strip along the side of it, in a made-up world involving…