Useful Information Resources
From health and wellbeing, to activities for children, things for adults and general information - we have put together a list of resources that you may find helpful or of interest.
If you require any assistance with using your computer, tablet or smartphone at home to access a digital service, please contact our IT support team to request a phone call.
Action for Happiness - Action for Happiness helps people take action for a happier and kinder world
Advice and support for mental health - Guidance and links to support with your mental health.
Age UK, Health and Wellbeing - Get information on age-related health conditions, tips and advice on staying fit and healthy, as well as information on dealing with health services and leaving hospital.
The Anna Freud Centre has created a resource hub to help young people and their families cope with mental health challenges.
Anxiety UK - A range of useful information, resources and support for helping you understand how to deal with your anxiety during difficult times.
Bright Sky is a mobile app and website for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or who is worried about someone else.
British Dietetics Association Food Fact Sheets - Food Fact Sheets written by dietitians to help you learn the best ways to eat and drink to keep your body fit and healthy.
Burton and Uttoxeter Wellbeing Team - Local mental health support in the Burton/Uttoxeter area.
Calm Harm – App designed to help people resist or manage the urge to self-harm.
CAMHS Resources – This site was created for young people, carers and professionals to pool together lots of helpful resources from across the internet that are available to help support your mental health and well-being.
Change 4 Life - Change4Life is here to help your family be healthier and happier by eating well and moving more.
Childline, Staying Healthy - Staying healthy is an important part of growing up. And it can affect you physically and emotionally. When your body changes during puberty and you have to deal with things like school and exams, staying healthy can really help you.
Compton Care – South Staffordshire and Wolverhampton based charity offering extraordinary clinical care services and expertise to emotional, practical and spiritual support from a dedicated staff and volunteer team, there is a wide range of support available to you at Compton Care. Bereavement Information Hubs and telephone befriending service.
Drink Aware App - Want to change the way you drink? Get the free app from Drinkaware; track your alcohol consumption and spend over time, calculate units and calories and set goals to help you moderate your drinking!
Every Mind Matters - Mental health advice and support from the NHS.
Fact Check - How to Spot Fake News.
Headspace - Reliable and relevant videos from Headspace.
Health App Finder - Staffordshire County Council's own library of recommended and trusted health and wellbeing apps.
Health for Teens - The Health for Teens website delivers interactive messages and advice, covering a range of topical subjects, such as Coronavirus and online gaming that promote health and wellbeing and help young people to make the right choices.
The site, aimed at 11-19-year-olds signposts to a number of children’s and families services provided by the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Health Information Week - Health Information Week is a national, multi-sector campaign promoting high-quality information for patients and the public. High quality health information can have a huge impact on people’s ability to stay healthy and manage illnesses effectively, giving them a better quality of life.
Health Visiting and School Nurses - Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is strengthening the support it provides to young people through an innovative website offering important information about physical and mental health and wellbeing.
How to have difficult conversations with children - NSPCC Learning offers top tips on preparing for a difficult conversation and also having a difficult conversation with a child.
Independent Age - How to find reliable health information online
Internet Matters - Online Safety advice and insight for parents and carers
Living Life to the Full - Free online courses covering low mood, stress and resiliency.
Marie Curie, Bereavement Support – Support for the bereaved
MeeTwo - A safe and secure forum for teenagers wanting to discuss any issue affecting their lives.
Mental Health Foundation - Looking after your mental health during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust - For information about NHS services in Staffordshire.
Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust YouTube Channel - For informative videos from all aspects of this integrated service.
The Mix - Mental health advice and support for 13-25s. Understanding mental health can be tricky but The Mix is here to make sure you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you’re worried about your mental health, or someone else’s, we have everything you need to know about mental health, from anxiety and depression to self-care and counselling.
National Autistic Society - Autism and coronavirus advice and support.
NHS Apps Library - Apps and online tools to help you manage your health and wellbeing.
NHS, 5 Steps to mental wellbeing - Evidence suggests there are 5 steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life.
NHS England Publications - Order and download publications created by The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), National Health Service England (NHSE) and Public Health England (PHE)
NHS, Live Well - Advice, tips and tools to help you make the best choices about your health and wellbeing.
NHS, Mindfulness - It can be easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much. Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can improve your mental wellbeing.
Parent Talk - Down-to-earth parenting advice you can trust
Patient, Healthy Eating - A healthy diet may help to prevent certain long-term (chronic) diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It may also help to reduce your risk of developing some cancers and help you to keep a healthy weight. This leaflet explains the principles of a healthy diet.
Patient Info - Expert Health Articles, Tips and Information
Reading Well Books on Prescription - Book lists containing accredited and helpful reading to support health and wellbeing.
Royal College of Anaesthetists - Preparing for surgery – Fitter Better Sooner
Search for health and wellbeing apps - Search for health and wellbeing apps and support.
See, Hear, Respond from Barnardo's - A partnership to help children, young people and families cope with the Covid-19 crisis.
Seisdon Wellbeing Team - Local mental health support in the Seisdon peninsula area of South Staffordshire.
South Staffordshire Network for Mental Health
Speak Up Space – Free 121 online mental health support for young people.
Staffordshire Connects - Connecting you with help and support in your community.
Tips for Everyday living - Advice and support from Mind.
Tommy’s - Explaining evidence-based health information in pregnancy
Understanding Health Research - A tool for making sense of health studies
Vaccine advice for pregnant women - Find information about vaccines, you and your baby during pregnancy and beyond from Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Integrated Care System
World Cancer Research Fund Men’s Health Guide
World Cancer Research Fund Women’s Health Guide
Things for children to do and lessons at home
BBC Bitesize - A vast range of resources to support parents and teachers with online lessons, planning and links to Bitesize across the entire BBC network.
BBC Tiny Happy People - Tiny Happy People is here to help you develop your child's communication skills. Explore simple activities and play ideas and find out about their amazing early development.
Bloomsbury - Resources to download and links to your favourite authors’ websites.
Book Trust Home Time - Looking for something fun as a family? Free online books and videos, games, win prizes, test your knowledge in book-themed quizzes, or even learn how to draw some of your favourite characters.
Hungry Little Minds - Simple, fun activities for kids up to to five.
National Literacy Trust – Family Zone - Ideas and guidance for simple activities that will engage your children at home, while also benefiting their reading, writing and language development. Free resources.
Oxford Owl - Resources to help primary school children learn from home, brought to you by Oxford University Press.
Shakespeare Week - Kids’ Zone – free activities for children.
Skills Academy – Brought to you by The National Literacy Trust. Free for families and secondary schools during the coronavirus crisis, Skills Academy improves Year 7 and 8 students’ reading, rewarding their progress in a fun and engaging way.
STEM Home Support - Activities and ideas for families and teachers in the Science Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects
Climate Hero Activity Pack PDF (4.02mb) A selection of fun and educational activities themed around climate change
We also have more information about home education.
Things for adults to do, reading, activities and courses
100 Novels that Shaped Our World - Selected for the BBC by a panel of leading writers, curators and critics.
AbilityNet - AbilityNet supports people of any age, living with any disability or impairment to use technology to achieve their goals at home, at work and in education. Request free IT support at home
An introductory guide Ancestry Library Edition (2 MB) - A step-by-step guide to using Ancestry Library Edition produced by Staffordshire Libraries.
Staffordshire Adult Community Online Learning - A range of trusted online community learning courses from the Community Learning Team.
Future Learn - Free courses from Future Learn.
Learn My Way - Free courses to improve digital skills.
AgeUK Making the most of the Internet - The internet can seem complicated, but our step-by-step guides can help you make sense of it. From keeping in touch with friends and family to doing your shopping and banking, our tips will help you feel confident and stay safe online. This information is to help people who are already online but want to boost their confidence.
Open Learn - Free course across a huge range of topics from The Open University.
The Reading Agency Hub - Ideas, activities and challenges from The Reading Agency to entertain and educate adults and children nationwide. The resources are available free of charge and will be updated regularly.
Reading Friends - Resources to keep you connected from The Reading Agency.
The Skills Toolkit - Free digital and numeracy courses to build your skills.
Staffordshire Theatre - A directory of online theatre activities across Staffordshire
Citizens Online - Resources from around the web to help you stay in touch with family, friends or colleagues – or to help you to help others.
Coronavirus Resources from NHS Health Education - Information and resources about the Coronavirus. Easy to navigate, reliable information.
Doctors of the World UK - Find the latest Government Coronavirus information translated into 60 languages.
Guidance for working online and online safeguarding - Culture Health and Wellbeing website
National Cyber Security Centre - Are running the government Cyber Aware programme on how to stay safe online.. Easy to follow tips on basic cyber safety and lots of guidance on everything from using video conferencing facilities safely (eg a lot of social groups are using Zoom to stay in touch) and security around online gaming, phishing emails and scams.
Net Aware - A bite-size guide to the latest and most popular social networks, apps and games that kids are using. The ‘In the news’ section is packed full of information to support this and focuses on new platforms and online trends to help users keep up-to-date with the online world.
NHS One You - Apps, including Active 10 and Couch to 5k:
NHS One You - Home Workout Videos
Public Health England - Accessible information and advice available in accessible formats including BSL, Braille, large print and audio.
Thinkuknow - Thinkuknow is the education programme from NCA-CEOP, a UK organisation which protects children both online and offline.
UK Safer Internet Centre - Information on safe and responsible use of online technology for young people.
Digital Poverty Alliance - Information about how families in Staffordshire can access free computers for children aged 4 - 16.
OLIO connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. This could be food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. For your convenience, OLIO can also be used for non-food household items too.
Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call.
Disclaimer
"We" (Staffordshire County Council) are not responsible for the content of third party websites. It is recommended that you always check with providers that their service or organisation meets your requirements. We offer an impartial service and we cannot endorse any providers listed.