Information
Early help
What is early help at an Learning Community Trust academy.
What is
Early help
Early help is a way of accessing extra support when you, your child or your family needs it, at the earliest possible stage, rather than waiting until things get worse.
It is designed to give you the right help, at the right time. You can receive support from a wide range of services and organisations that can work together to provide the right support for your family’s needs.
Our Learning Community Trust early help offer connects families with other multi-agency initiatives to support the family. This early intervention can usually prevent issues from escalating and causing further difficulties in the future. We offer universal and targeted/specialist services to help create a brighter future for your child/ren and family, promoting overall welfare.
Attendance and welfare team
The Learning Community Trust attendance and welfare team work closely with all our academies to support our children and families.
The Learning Community Trust attendance and welfare team leader, is the manager of the educational welfare officers (EWOs), counsellors and mentor. They support all our academies with a variety of attendance and welfare issues. They are our senior education welfare officer and the trust’s deputy designated safeguarding lead. They supports all our academies with attendance, early help, mental health and safeguarding.
Our education welfare officers work with our academies, families and pupils to promote and support good attendance and to help resolve any issues that may be impacting on attendance and welfare at school. We also liaise with the local authority regarding unauthorised holidays in term-time, persistent absence, child employment, elective home education and legal issues relating to attendance. Issues may be escalated to the educational welfare officers when academies have tried to resolve issues but feel that the child or family need additional support or involvement.
The trust has a mentor who mentors pupils across all our academies. Academy staff and Learning Community Trust staff can make referrals for pupils who they feel need the support and advocacy that a mentor can provide. They is hugely experienced in working with children and young people and has a variety of strategies that he uses to help and support.
Our counsellors help our pupils to discuss their problems, thoughts and feelings in a confidential setting, and offer them strategies to help improve their emotional wellbeing and mental health. With our younger children, this can be done through play as well as through talking and listening. Our counsellors have a variety of resources and a wealth of experience that enables them to work with our children from reception to year 11.
Our academies have systems in place to identify and support pupils who may benefit from emotional health and wellbeing support. As well as the counsellors, our academies have teams that include: pastoral staff, special educational needs and disabilities staff, safeguarding staff, attendance officers and family liaison officers; all of whom can offer different skills and experience alongside that of teaching staff, to help your child at school.
Early help
Early help assessments and support plans
What is an early help assessment?
An early help assessment is a way of working with children and young people. It involves listening to you and your child to find out your child’s needs and what is working well in your child’s life and your family life. This is reviewed and, if needed, sent into strengthening families to see if an allocated worker is needed to support you in the home. This is a voluntary process.
How does it work?
With agreement, a member of staff who knows you and your family the best will ask you some questions to find out what help and support your child might need. They will also talk to the child about their views. This information is record on a form.
How will the early help assessment help my family?
The early help assessment exists to help you support your child. It can lead to a quick solution or help to identify extra support if needed. The early help assessment will ensure that everyone involved in supporting your child/children – such as teachers and health visitors work together to support your child/children. The early help assessment will help your child/children receive the right support at an early stage before their needs increase.
What happens next
Based on the information you and your child/children provide, all agencies who can support your child/children will work together to provide the support that your child/children and family needs. The information that you and your family provide will only be shared with the people who need to know and only with your agreement.
Early help
Referrals
Strengthening families
A referral to Strengthening Families forms part of the early help assessment process to see if an allocated worker is needed to support you in the home. This is a voluntary process.
School Nursing (Healthy Child Programme)
Referrals can be made around the following concerns: physical, emotional, developmental, sleep, behaviour, accident prevention, bed wetting, diet, CSE, weight and communication. They can also provide advice and guidance to parents on how to support their child with such issues.
Young Carers
Practical and emotional support for children who may be a Young Carer. Young carers may have to deal with a range of illnesses with the person they care for, such as disability, chronic illness, mental health difficulties or problems with drugs or alcohol misuse. This doesn’t always have to be a parents they are caring for. It may be a sibling or other member of the household.
BeeU (previously CAMHS)
School, or your doctor, can refer to BeeU if there are high-level concerns around emotional health and anxiety, or for an assessment for Autism or ADHD.
Kooth
An online mental wellbeing community for children 11+.
PODS (Parents Opening Doors)
PODS are a parent support group for parents with children with additional needs. They provide advice, someone to talk to and hold regular workshops in some of our academies.
SENDIASS
Support for parents/carers of children with additional needs.
Please speak with the SEND team at your child’s academy for more information regarding accessing this service.
PEGS (Parental Education Growth Support)
PEGS are an organisation specifically founded to support parents, carers and guardians who are experiencing domestic abuse at the hands of their own children.
Attendance support
The Government has stepped up its expectation with regards to attendance, so it is vital you contact us if you require support in getting your child to school if issues arise. You can contact our academy attendance officers or family liaison officers who will be happy to help you. They can offer advice on getting to school
- transport applications
- bus passes or timetables
- safer ways to walk to school with other children from your specific area- buddy system
There is also extensive support from our Learning Community Trust attendance and welfare team who are happy to meet with you either at home or in school to discuss your worries or concerns.
Uniform support
We know that uniform can be costly, especially when children grow so fast! Our academies’ branded uniform is available from Baker & Sons in Wellington.
We do have a selection of second hand uniform available in our academies, so please speak with academy staff to see if they can help you.
If they are unable to help, contact one of our team and we will find a way to help you with this. Don’t keep your child off school if they do not have the correct uniform – just let people know and we will find you the right support.
Food banks and hubs
The Learning Community Trust can offer food support if you find yourself unable to provide food at home. The Community Fridge is based in the children’s centre at Wrekin View Primary. You can go during academy hours and take what you need. If you are unable to access the Community Fridge, please let your child’s academy know that you need a food parcel, and we will be in touch to arrange this.
Alternatively, we can advise you and signpost you to other sources locally, not only for food but for other help and advice.
If you have had a change in circumstance and think your child should be entitled to free school meals, please contact the relevant academy, who will support with this application.
Families with English as an Additional Language
All of our academies have support in place for pupils for whom English is not their first language. Please contact your child’s academy and let them know that support is required. If you have to come to a meeting about your child, and you are unable to speak or understand English, please let the academy know in advance so that translation services can be considered.
Bullying
Bullying is something that no young person should have to experience. However, sadly we understand that some do. There is someone in every academy who can help or support your child if they are being bullied. Please talk to someone and ensure that your child can access the support they need, and the bullying can be dealt with. Contact your child’s academy in the first instance.
Other ways in which we can support…
If we cannot provide the support you require, we can signpost you to other agencies that can help.
If you feel that you need help or support, please don’t worry, just contact us through the website and ask to be put in touch with the attendance and welfare team.
