People are living longer and it is therefore important that we look after our health so that we can remain active and healthy and take part in our community for as long as possible. Improving wellbeing is a worthy goal in its own right and can be instrumental to other outcomes – physical health, getting into work and productivity. Feelings of wellbeing are fundamental to the overall health of an individual, enabling them to successfully overcome difficulties and achieve what they want out of life.
Health and wellbeing
Wellbeing Service
Warrington Wellbeing Service
Wellbeing is about having a good quality of life; it can be described as feeling healthy, happy or being able to cope with the problems that can happen in life. There are many different issues that can affect your wellbeing; worries about money, feeling stuck in a rut, or maybe wanting help to change, for example quit smoking.
For more information click here
Courses to promote Health & Wellbeing
These courses are for adults age 18 and over in the Warrington Community. Who are looking at improving their health and wellbeing.
I am I can (Confidence) a Journey of self-discovery
Looking after your mental wellbeing using - www.happyoksad.org.uk
Self-management peer support programme
All these courses are FREE and held in the local community - for more information click on the course you wish to attend
Happy?OK?Sad Mental Health Support
Happy? OK? Sad? is Warrington's mental health awareness website.
The site includes information about how to look after your mental wellbeing, as well as a directory of mental health support services. There’s also details of services you can contact if you can’t cope and need help right now. Local services are clearly marked and there’s a short description explaining what each service offers. The website is divided into age specific pages, so you can quickly find the information and services most relevant to you. There’s also a page for frontline workers with links to free resources and online tools.
The aims of the Happy? OK? Sad? website are to make you aware of:
- simple things you can do to look after your mental health
- symptoms of common mental health problems
- services that can offer information, advice, support or treatment
- what to do if someone can’t cope and needs help right now
As this year’s theme is “young people and mental health in a changing world” a new section, listing free mental health resources for children and young people, has been published on Warrington mental health awareness site www.happyoksad.org.uk
The section new covers:
- Mental health and wellbeing resources for schools
- Leaflets, booklets and fact sheets on different aspects of mental health, for young people, parents, carers and staff
- Training relating to young people’s mental health and wellbeing
The text below explains where on the Happy? OK? Sad? site you can find these resources; and also where on the site additional information relating to children and young people’s mental health can be found:
Links to free mental health resources
To find the new section listing links to free mental health resources for children and young people:
- Go to www.happyoksad.org.uk
- Click the blue “front line workers” button
- Then look under the drop down heading “Resources for children, young people & the adults who support them”
Support services for young people
The Happy? OK? Sad? site also has a page for children and young people, with details of mental health information and support they can access themselves. To find this information:
- Go to www.happyoksad.org.uk
- Click the blue “children and young people” button
- Then look under the dark heading “information and support”
Signposting or referring a child or young person into services
Information on the front line workers' page of the Happy? OK? Sad? site gives details about how to refer a child or young person into mental health services. Many of the services listed in this section of the website are specialised and require referral by a professional working with the individual or family. To find this information:
- Go to www.happyoksad.org.uk
- Click the blue “Front line workers” button
- Then click the drop down heading “Signposting or referring children or young people into services”
Happy? OK? Sad? promotional materials
Flyers, leaflets, posters and bookmarks signposting people to the Happy? OK? Sad? site are available free, for distribution in Warrington. (The materials include a poster and a leaflet designed especially for young people). If you would like to order some of the materials for the people you support, or to give to colleagues, then please complete and return the attached order form.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing & Make Time
Make Time is Cheshire and Merseyside’s mental wellbeing campaign. The campaign encourages us all to do everyday things, which can help us feel good about ourselves. The Make Time materials are aimed at adults, but many of the messages are still relevant to children and young people. The Children’s Society has slightly adapted the Five Ways to Wellbeing (on which Make Time is based) and has included “Be creative and play” as a way for children to improve their wellbeing, (rather than “give”, which is in the adult version of the Five Ways to Wellbeing).
The Make Time prompt sheet, though not aimed at young people, is clear and colourful and explains the Make Time campaign without using jargon. The sheet encourages people to think about what they do now to feel good about themselves, and what else they might do. It can be used in 1-1s with young people, or young people could fill it in themselves. I’ve attached a PDF of the prompt sheet. Hard copies are available free from Warrington Health Promotion Resource Centre. To order hard copies please email resources@warrington.gov.uk or ring 01925 443193
Who to contact
Website www.happyoksad.co.uk
Parent organisation Warrington Borough Council
