Dear Parents,

Next week on the 9 September is R U Ok? Day. Below are some snippets that the R U Ok? Tool box provides to help begin a discussion with your child.

Asking, ‘Are you OK?’ R U OK? seeks to create a world where we’re all connected. We’re never too young to look out for one another and meaningfully connect. R U Ok? emphasises the value of close connections and strong relationships. Being able to meaningfully support someone and strengthening peer-to-peer support skills should begin in the early years of a child’s life through teaching them to look after themselves and their peers

Circumstances

A range of circumstances can lead to a child feeling low, including:

Big life changes like moving house or school

Experiencing grief or loss Being around people going through tough times

Being bullied Arguing with someone

Problems with school work

Being bored

Having a medical condition or chronic illness

Not sleeping well

Not exercising enough

Hormonal changes

Special needs

Behaviours

Be aware of certain behaviours and signs that can indicate a child might be struggling. The first thing to look out for is changes in behaviour. When people feel low, they often: Withdraw from their friends or their family

Lash out at people and get angry or upset really easily, including towards the people they care about

Cry or become emotional

Lose interest in activities and things they usually love

Have changed sleeping patterns.

They might be sleeping all the time, not sleeping much at all, or sleeping at strange hours (such as in the middle of the day)

Have a changed appetite.

Conversation Steps

R U OK? has 4 Conversation Steps to help navigate a conversation when someone says, “No, I’m not OK”. These steps are:

1. Ask

2. Listen

3. Encourage action

4. Check in Newsletter

Contacts

Useful contacts when a child is not OK:

-School counsellor, GP or psychologist

-Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800

-Lifeline on 13 11 14 ‘000’ if life is in imminent danger

Take care,

Larissa

Reflection