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October 2026
Welcome to our October Newsletter!
October is packed with exciting opportunities for children, young people, and families across Nottingham City! From seasonal events and family activities to awareness campaigns and support services, there's something for everyone to get involved in this month.
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This month, we will be highlighting the fantastic activities, events, and opportunities taking place across the city. We will also be sharing helpful resources, support services, and family-friendly activities to ensure everyone can make the most of the October half-term holiday.
October is also Black History Month, providing an opportunity to celebrate the rich diversity of our city. This October, Black History Month for Nottingham is themed ‘Honouring our Communities’ celebrating the everyday contributions, history and culture of black people across the city. There are some great opportunities available.
Visit the website Blackhistorymonth.org.uk to explore a variety of events, activities, and opportunities taking place across Nottingham and the East Midlands.
 
It’s fantastic to see so many TAF meetings taking place across Nottingham City, with professionals working together to support children, young people and their families. However, we know that some TAF and multi-agency meetings are taking place without being formally registered with the TAF Team.
Registering your TAF is an important step in ensuring families receive the right support at the right time.
How Does Registering a TAF Help?
Registering a TAF gives professionals and families access to guidance and support from our experienced TAF Advisors, who have developed strong relationships and networks across a wide range of partner agencies.
These connections help Advisors identify appropriate services, overcome barriers to engagement and strengthen multi-agency working to ensure support is coordinated around the needs of each family.
TAF Advisors regularly liaise with schools, healthcare teams, housing services, family support services, nurseries and other partner agencies to help professionals work together effectively.
The Benefits of Registering Your TAF
Registering your TAF or multi-agency meeting provides several important benefits:
- Access to expert guidance: Receive advice and support from experienced TAF Advisors.
- Stronger partnership working: Connect with a wider network of agencies and services to identify the most appropriate support for families.
- Timely, coordinated support: Improve communication and collaboration between professionals, helping families access the right services at the right time.
- A clear record of support: Ensure that the support provided to families is documented, helping demonstrate the graduated response to need.
- Better-informed decision-making: Recording TAF activity on Nottingham City Council’s case management systems helps services understand what support has already been offered and identify appropriate next steps.
- Greater visibility of outcomes: Help demonstrate the impact of multi-agency working and the support being provided to children and families across Nottingham City.
- Meeting reporting requirements: Registration supports the Local Authority in meeting its reporting responsibilities to the Department for Education (DfE), including reporting on internal and external TAF activity in line with applicable national requirements and the Families First Partnership.
Registering Your TAF Makes a Difference
Registering a TAF is not about creating additional work. It is about ensuring that the support already being provided is recognised, recorded and strengthened by the wider network of services available across Nottingham City.
By registering your TAF or multi-agency meeting, you help ensure that professionals have a clearer picture of the support around a family, opportunities for further help are identified, and children, young people and their families receive the coordinated support they need to achieve the best possible outcomes.
How to Register
To register your TAF, please email your completed TAF Assessment and TAF Consent to: askTAF@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Thank you for your continued commitment to working together to support children, young people and families across Nottingham City. Every registered TAF helps strengthen our collective approach and make a positive difference to family outcomes.
There are some fantastic opportunities for children, young people and families this October half term. Nottingham's Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme offers over 47 activities across the city, providing fun, engaging experiences and support for eligible families. Families are encouraged to explore the available activities and book places through the HAF website.
Link: Holiday activities - Your Notts Directory
For older children and young people aged 11 to 16, the Bulwell Riverside Youth Centre is also offering a free half-term programme featuring creative arts, sports, STEM activities, nutritious meals and an off-site trip. Places are available for eligible young people living in Nottingham City.
Link: Nottingham City Adolescence Youth Service
Take a look at the links above and start planning for a fun and positive half term break!
Don't forget to make use of the TAF Holiday Planner, a helpful tool that supports families to think about what is already working well during the holiday period and identify any additional support that may be needed. Completing the planner can help families prepare for the break and ensure the right support is in place where required.
If you need a planner then get in touch via askTAF@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Or you can download a copy of the planner using link below:
Link: Team Around the Family - Your Notts Directory
Through community support, food provision and empowerment, Himmah is helping to create positive change for individuals and families across Nottingham. From food banks and hot meal services to education initiatives and community projects, the charity works alongside local people to address inequality, build resilience and strengthen communities. |
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Based in Nottingham, Himmah is dedicated to supporting people through practical assistance, cultural connection and community action. While meeting immediate needs such as access to food, the charity also creates opportunities for people to connect with others, rebuild confidence and thrive.
Recognising the impact of poverty, inequality, displacement and discrimination, Himmah provides food support, practical help and community-led initiatives that help people build resilience, develop local leadership and access services that reflect their needs. Supported by a dedicated team of staff, volunteers, trustees and partners, Himmah makes a significant difference across Nottingham, including through its food bank, which offers culturally appropriate food choices to ensure families from diverse backgrounds can access food that meets their dietary and cultural needs while helping to build stronger, more connected communities.
To learn more about Himmah's work, access support, or find out how you can get involved, visit www.himmah.org.
Adesua Osime, Safeguarding Children's Partnership Service Manager, has shared important information regarding operational changes within Nottingham City Children's and Education Services. All partners are asked to ensure that staff across their organisation are aware of these changes and understand the implications for practice.
Key changes effective from 1 September 2026 and include:
The existing Social Work Duty and Assessment Team and Fieldwork Teams will be replaced with 20 Locality based Social Work teams who will assess and support children living in their areas as per the details below:
We are introducing the locality-based operating model and revised arrangements to align our system with the Family First Partnership and continue to drive improved outcomes for children and families. These changes will help provide the right support at the right time by strengthening safeguarding responses, reducing handover points for children and families and improving partnership working across the city.
Professionals should continue to make referrals to Children’s Services by completing a Multi-Agency Referral Form (MARF) and submitting it to NottingXham City MASH which continues to be operational from Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 4.50 pm.
Police and EMAS colleagues should continue with their existing notification arrangements.
If a professional is of the view that a child requires urgent safeguarding, they should contact the MASH on 0115 876 4800, before submitting their MARF.
Children, Parents, Family Members or members of the Public who have worries about a child should contact us on Nottingham City MASH: 0115 876 5600.
Referrals to the MASH will be overseen by Social Work qualified Team Managers, and will be screened based on the Continuum of Need Framework so that children and families receive help and support from either Social Workers or Family Help workers based in the Localities,
By the end of the 2026 we plan to replace the MARF with an entirely phone-based referral service, and we will update Partners in due course when it becomes operational.
Out of Hours
From the 1 September we will have a dedicated Childrens Emergency Duty Team, who will deal with urgent safeguarding concerns only.
They can be contacted outside of the MASH operation hours on EDT: 0115 876 1000
This month, we'd like to give a special shout out to the following schools, who have recently implemented the Team Around the Family (TAF) process:
- Haydn Primary School
- Nottingham Girls' Academy
- Djanogly Sherwood Primary School
- Walter Halls Primary and Early Years School
It is fantastic to have you on board and embracing the TAF approach to support children, young people, and their families through effective partnership working.
Thank you for your commitment to early intervention and collaboration. We look forward to working with you and celebrating your TAF journey and successes in the months ahead.
Welcome to the TAF community!
Don't miss out - places are still available on our upcoming Lead Professional Training!
If you've been thinking about booking a place, now is the perfect opportunity to secure one of the remaining spaces. Join colleagues from across the partnership to build your understanding of the TAF approach and enhance your skills and confidence in practice.
The next training dates and venues are:
- 5th November - Council House
- 10th December - Council House
To book onto one of our upcoming training sessions, please complete our LP Training booking form to secure your place or send an email to AskTAF@nottinghamcity.gov.uk.
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We want this newsletter to be a helpful and practical tool for you all. If there’s anything you’d like to see included, please scan this QR code or click the link below to share your suggestions, we’d really value your feedback.
Link: TAF Newsletter Feedback Form
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