Children's workers and families resources during Coronavirus

The Development Team: Mission & Ministry are working to support churches with their engagement with children, young people and families during this time.

Debbie Hill, Development Officer for Children & Families has collated a number of resources, particularly focussed at those working with Children & Families.

The following sections link to resources you might find helpful. Debbie can also be contacted for more information on [email protected].

Follow Debbie Hill on Social Media (Pinterest and Twitter)

• Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/debbieh1605/
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/debsjhill

Safer Working Online (materials appropriate for those working with children and families)

Working online is a valuable way of supporting and engaging with young people. However, it is paramount that this is done in a safe and appropriate way. You can access documentation to support your engagement online by clicking the links below.

• Video Conferencing with Children and their families - 7 April 2020
• Code of Conduct for using Zoom - 7 April 2020
• Guidance for dioceses and churches for the safe use of video-calling with young people (a Church of England Safeguarding document)
• Social Media Guidelines
• Risk Assessment Example
• REGISTER TEMPLATE
• Template Online Communication Consent Form

Bereavement Resources

• Clergy funeral and bereavement resources - Resources from the Church of England
• Best Practice Principles - A guidance document for Supporting Children, Young People and Families through bereavement in the community during social distancing. 
• Resources for Bereavement - A Diocese of Ely guidance resource
• Support for families and children during bereavement. - Pinterest
• Death, Grief and Hope - a Church Army resource to help youth workers help young people who have been bereaved during the Covid 19 crisis.
• Supporting Children With Bereavement - a Child Bereavement UK video resource
• The Bridge of Bereavement Story and Workbook - A Phoenix Education Consultancy resource
• Supporting a Young Person With grief-Including a Service of Remembrance at Home - A Church Army resource

Support for Mental Health and Staying Safe Online

• Q&A Newsround (CBBC) - BBC
• BBC How To Protect Your Mental Health - BBC
• Young Minds Mental Health - YoungMinds
• Kidscape Safety On Line Supports - KIDSCAPE - Help with bullying
• Practical Tips To Stay In Touch Online (youth) - A Diocese of Ely resource
• Ideas For Worship At Home & Pastoral Care - A Pinterest collection of resources
• Social Story Coronavirus Support For SEN - from easterseals
• Screen Time Guidelines Balance - from Childnet International
• Barnardos Advice & Animations - Barnardo's - Believe in children
• Creative coping strategies to help young people manage stress, anxiety and other big feelings (Age 8+) - A JKP Blog
• Review of Apps your children may be using - NSPCC - NET Aware
• Downloadable Story about Coronavirus from the Gruffalo illustrator - made available free by publisher Nosy Crow
• Stay Home Super Heroes - from Sophie's Stories
• Time To Come In Bear (Social Distancing) - a YouTube video from Kim St. Lawrence, Children's Author
• Safe In My Nest Story narrated by Children - a YouTube video from Meredith Vigh, Children's author
• Help your Child Deal with Disappointment - from the Child Mind Institute
• How a child or young person can tell you what they need - from the Child Bereavement Network
• The Bridge of Bereavement Story and Workbook - from Phoenix Education Consultancy
• Explore your feelings on Covid with Parenting for Faith Resources - from Parenting for Faith
• Protecting the psychological health of children through effective communication - article from the Lancet
• Talking to children about illness - from the British Psychological Society
• How to tell children that someone has died - from Oxford University Hospitals
• Short animation on Why We Can't Hug - from Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) 

Emotional Health and Wellbeing Service - Wellbeing Resources. Downloadable pdfs with numerous links to support services.

• Support For Parents and Carers
• Young People's Support
• Support for Teachers and Schools
• Children and Young People’s Mental Health and wellbeing support - Covid 19 pathway

Faith At Home Resources for Workers

• Help Your Church To Worship - Thy Kingdom Come website
• FreeApp (7days) Lots Of Activities  - from the Little Worship Company Facebook page
• Messy Church At Home - from Messy Church
• Messy Church monthly sessions for lockdown - from Messy Church
• Under7s Diddy Disciples Compline Live Stream - from the Diddy Disciples Facebook Page
• Faith Based Song - from Same Boat Music - Part of the Out of the Ark Family
• Bible Colouring Sheets Anxious Times - from the Frog and Gnome website
• Accessible Worship for Additional Needs - from the includedbygrace Facebook page
• Little Church for Pre-Schoolers - from the Highnam Benefice online YouTube page
• 13 Free Big Start Assemblies - from the big start assemblies Facebook page
• Additional Needs Alliance-Lots of ideas - from the Additional Needs Alliance website
• Together Apart All Age Resources - from the Reflectionary website

Faith At Home Resources for Parents and Families

• Chat Maps For Family Worship - from the Diocese of Bath and Wells
• Pilgrimage At Home - from the Diocese of Bath and Wells
• Mini Podcasts Whole Family Worship - from the Blackburn Diocese Board of Education
• Growing Together For Families - from the Diocese of Gloucester
• Lectio Divina with your families - from the Diocese of London
• Calming The Storm Family Worship - from the Diocese of Litchfield
• 30 day dough challenge - created to share from Crewe CofE Parishes
• Intergenerational Worship At Home Resources - a Faith at Home and Forward Movement Mailchimp Newsletter
• Colouring Sheets - from the Illustrated Ministry website
• Lots Of Ideas For Worship At Home - from the Going for Growth website
• Develop A Family Faith Rhythm - from GodVenture
• Daily Family Worship & Prayer Activity - from the Engage Worship website
• Family Praise and Prayer activities - from the Engage Worship website
• Minno Resource - from the Minno website
• Family Fit Mobile Phone App - from the Family.Fit website
• Downloadable Story about Coronavirus From Gruffalo illustrator - from the Books for Topics website
• Stay Home Super Heroes - from Sophie's Stories website
• Material to adapt for 8-11sfrom SU - from the Scripture Union website
• Together At Home-Resources based on Lectionary - from the Together @ Home website
• Traci Smith Ideas - from the Traci Smith website

Film Clips and Music

• Pinterest Film clips - a collection of Pinterest clips collated by Debbie Hill
• Children and Young People Short Films - from the Children and Youth website
• Go Chatter Short Films - from the GoChatter website
• Worship Music For Children - from the Rend Co. Kids website
• Holy Moly Videos - from the Holy Moly YouTube channel
• The Gospels unplugged - Zacchaeus - narrated by Lucy Moore - A Bible Reading Fellowship YouTube upload
• Bible Society Films - linking to the Bible Society YouTube channel
• Bob Hartman Rhyming Bible Songs - a video collection on YouTube

Outside Activities

• Create a Prayer Lawn - from the Diocese of Leeds
• Outdoor Activity Sheet (summer holidays) - from the Blackburn Diocese Board of Education
• Indoor Activity Sheet (summer holidays) - from the Blackburn Diocese Board of Education
• Outside Activities and Environment - a Pinterest collection from Debbie Hill
• Messy July Jonah's Olympics - a Messy Church resource
• Messy August God v Water - a Messy Church resource
• Messy Science activities - a Messy Church resource
• Sports Day at Home 1 - from the Green Thumb website
• Sports Day At Home 2 - a resource from the Style section of The Telegraph
• Engage Worship - from the Engage Worship website
• Faith Formation At Home - a The Network website resource

Sign-up to our Newsletters

• Children & Families: You can sign up to receive regular mailings with resources and information by clicking here. https://www.elydiocese.org/church-roles/childrens-workers/
• Youth: You can sign up to receive regular mailings with resources and information by clicking here. https://www.elydiocese.org/church-roles/youth-workers/

Resources for working with Youth and Young people

• Resources for helping you work with Youth in the 11year+ age range, please visit the Youth Resources pages, here.