Our Approach
As is often said to friends who are expecting their first child, nothing can truly prepare you for being a parent.
Children are complex and unpredictable, delightful and infuriating. All these factors mean that parenting is arguably one of the most challenging tasks any of us is likely to take on - and one with no instruction manual! And when it comes to their emotional world, it can be particularly baffling!
Parenting is so much more than keeping children fed and clothed - it’s about understanding and meeting their emotional as well as physical needs. Parenting can also be seriously stressful, in a world that itself is not short of challenge for many. Societal change is disrupting the traditional family structure; record numbers of children are living in poverty, and the prevalence of mental health problems in young people is rising rapidly.
With over 14% of primary school age children believed to have a mental health condition and over 1.2 million children under the age of 18 referred to children's mental health services every year it can feel more of a challenge than ever for parents to understand and support their children's growing emotional needs.
Embers the Dragon was set up as a clinically-led, digital platform to develop good mental health and emotional resilience in children in their early childhood and around the time they start school, and to try to help their families when tackling common parenting challenges.
Who Is Embers For
Free Courses
Embers aims to assist all families with young children, with a focus on those aged aged 3-7. It's not just those facing mental health challenges, because every child can benefit from developing emotional literacy and resilience.
In order for young children to learn and remember great skills for their emotional health, everyone around them has to be working together. That is why we create content for children, their caregivers and their teachers.
Children learn through the world of Embers the Dragon. Led by an animated series, from which concepts are reinforced through off-screen games, reward systems and lesson plans.
Parents, educators and carers access supporting explanatory videos, as well as worksheets and at-home games that enable them to contribute to their children’s wellbeing.
Please be aware, that whilst the principles of Embers can be helpful for a wide range of children, Embers does not take the place of treatment for children in need of more specialist care or support.
Our courses, centred around the animated series of Embers the Dragon, are based on clinical best practice and serve as a one stop shop for resources, lesson plans, activities and expert advice – all grouped into an easy to follow pathway.
Each one explores key areas of childhood development, as well as pertinent issues that may arise in wider society. We are always considering new programmes based on areas that real families have told us are hard, or that reflect current difficulties we are all experiencing.
They have been clinically proven to not only boost child resilience, but also reduce parental anxiety. They can be used by families, teachers and healthcare professionals alike.
We’re on a journey to further prove our clinical foundations and novel application via digital & entertainment formats - a first for mental health, this age group and method of delivery. This is undergoing a government funded clinical trial with London South Bank University which is currently open for recruitment. You can sign up at the university's trial page.
In the meantime these courses are available free of charge:
Advice where you need It
As well as providing Embers the Dragon themed advice here, we also deliver parental support, ideas and reassurance through our social media channels.
As well as featuring the cast of the animated series, you'll hear from our clinical experts, other parents, as well as get expert tips and fun ideas delivered through the lens of Embers the Dragon and his friends on Keiki Island.
We further support parents by collaborating with parenting influencers to provide clinical foundations to their advice, as well as through our own social media platforms.
SEE US ON INSTAGRAM