A part of our ongoing Safeguarding Training we focus on different areas of training and development with our team each half term. We select the areas to prioritise by referring to our ‘Cause for Concern Tracker’ where keep to record any areas of concern with young people who attend our provision.
This is all in addition to the statutory Safeguarding that we all continue to comply with and also additional training offered by other support agencies around young people.
In January we focused on eating disorders and how to spot the signs of these.
Eating disorders can start for a number of reasons. Often underlying anxiety or a fear or concern about not fitting in can be the driver for these conditions manifesting themselves. If they are left unnoticed or unsupported, they can lead to more serious problems. Therefore, it is important to identify concerns early on and ensure a young person receives help.
As a provider we are often asked to support young people as a part of their recovery, or on occasions a young person who is attending our provision may display signs of an eating disorder. It is important to be aware of the signs.
The TSOC approach can form an important part of a recovery programme and offer help to address the underlying reasons for this developing too. We embed physical and emotional health in all of the sessions that we hold because it is important for all of our clients to be aware of this.
Horses enable us to do this easily and making the comparisons with how their diet and exercise affect their moods and behaviours enables us to have those conversations in a very unobtrusive way.
If you are concerned that a child you know may have an eating disorder, here are a few places where you can get help and advice in the first instance:
National Eating Disorders Association: Warning Signs and Symptoms
Beat Eating Disorders: Downloads & Resources
Community Children’s Health Partnership: Eating Disorders
NHS: Bedfordshire and Luton Community Eating Disorders Service for Children & Young People
By The Seeds Of Change
