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Welcome to the latest edition of the Early Help newsletter in this edition you will find an update about the new Early Help Youth Support Team, the Neglect Screening tool to support you in your work with families and a new free online parenting course. There’s also an update on the work of the Strengthening Families Employment Advisors and how they can work with families.
If you have information on your service area you would like to share in the next early help newsletter, please email Kate.Bentham@shropshire.gov.uk
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Whether you think a child, young person or family needs some support, or you are worried a child might be at risk of abuse or neglect, there is only one number you need – 0345 678 9021. From this number you will receive the support you need to get the right help at the right time to strengthen families and safeguard children. |
Hello everyone, my name is Helena Williams, and I am very pleased to introduce myself as the Team Manager for a new Detached Youth Work Team which sits within Targeted Early Help. The Team consists of myself and 3 Youth Support Area Leads.
- Ian Hollingworth – South
- Sian Makin – Central
- Andy Haller – North
We have many years of Youth Work experience between us and are all JNC professionally qualified Youth Workers. We are currently in the process of recruiting to the part-time staff team and are hopeful that this team will consist of 5 trainee Youth Support Work Posts to enable new opportunities for people wanting to have a career in Youth Work.
So, what is detached youth work?
Detached youth work is a form of youth work that is targeted at young people on their territory, this could be streets, parks, open and shared public spaces. Participation is voluntary and engagement is on the terms of the young people, we are NOT a consent driven service.
Detached youth work begins where young people are in terms of their values, issues and ambitions and is concerned with their personal, social and moral education. The role of a Youth Worker is an educational one, however is informal in its approach.
The main principles that undertake Detached Youth Work are:
- It’s a voluntary relationship. The relationship between a young person and worker is instrumental to the process being a success and aims to establish relationships based on trust and respect.
- It encourages young people to have a voice in their communities and participate in decision making.
- It’s developmental – for example, the group may feel they need support around drug education. A setting would carefully need to be considered and the individual needs of young people will be understood to enable a successful intervention. The relationship is key to a successful intervention. Partnership working with agencies to introduce their service can be done at this point.
Whilst we are in the process of recruiting, we are currently undertaking extensive reconnaissance work (information gathering). The team have been in contact with many services and is looking to initiate contact with young people via Woodlands School and TMBSS to start their initial contact which will then move out into the community. We are currently engaging with local Town and Parish Councils to see how we can support them with their commissioning of youth provision in their areas, making sure that young people's voices are heard and that they are an integral part of the commissioning process.
If you would like a conversation with your area Youth Worker, please drop them an email:
Sian.makin@shropshire.gov.uk
Ian.hollingworth@shropshire.gov.uk
Andy.haller@shropshire.gov.uk
I look forward to sharing our journey with you and will be back to fill you in on future developments.
Neglect is the most cited reason for children to be referred to Children’s Social Care and for becoming ‘looked after’. Neglect is preventable and can be tackled and reduced if agencies work together. Early Help has a key role to play in supporting parents and preventing children becoming at risk from neglect or abuse.
The Shropshire Safeguarding Community Partnership has a Neglect Screening Tool for use by all front-line practitioners who work with children and families. The purpose of the tool is to equip frontline practitioners to:
- Identify signs of neglect at the earliest point possible;
- Alert the need for further action;
- Use professional judgement to make decisions about the level of harm the child is experiencing and what action should be taken to prevent the situation becoming worse;
- Identify any other organisation or team that also needs to be aware of the situation to undertake additional assessment and intervention as needed.
The Screening Tool can be found via the following link to the West Midlands Safeguarding Procedures website.
The Neglect Screening Tool does not replace existing safeguarding policies and procedures; it is designed to complement and inform other assessments.
Shropshire also has a Neglect Strategy, which was launched in January 2020, to help prevent and reduce Neglect across Shropshire. Click here to read the strategy.
If you are worried that a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, contact First Point of Contact on 03456 789021.
How do I access?
Via the In Our Place website.
What’s the code?
- If you haven’t used it already here is the access code for all the online courses (funded for residents of Shropshire): DARWIN18
- If, like many parents, you have already used this code, log into your account here and this course will be ready in your dashboard to start whenever you are ready.
Can I tell my family and friends?
Absolutely! Share the news with other families in the area so that they too can take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.
How long is it?
There are 7 modules which each take about 5 minutes to complete and will benefit from time to digest in between.
If you like this…
…you might like the bigger ‘Understanding your child’ or ‘Understanding your child with additional needs’, or other courses in the series available via the In Our Place website. These are all free with the code DARWIN18
Since 2001 Shropshire’s Fire and Rescue Service has been carrying our home fire safety visits as part of its ‘Putting Shropshire’s Safety First’ pledge. The purpose of the visit is to ensure that parents are aware of potential hazards within the home, and can therefore take appropriate actions. The visit is not to judge lifestyle but to keep children, young people and families safe from fire. During the visit fire officers will talk about the main causes of fire in the home, test smoke alarms, discuss points to consider when making a home fire escape plan and give advice on the action to be taken in the event of a fire.
You can now refer a family for a Safe and Well visit by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service directly on EHM when you have an open Early Help Episode.
The purpose of the Safe and Well visit is to ensure families are made aware of potential fire hazards in their home and give appropriate preventions advice. This link will take you to a leaflet that provides families with information about the visits. For information on how to make the referral for the Safe and Well visit on EHM, please go to section 15 in the EHM Partner Guidance.
Employment Advisors are available for family support. Please note that all contact will be by telephone and that capacity may be limited/temporary. They can support with the following: Benefit Enquiries including payment queries, Entitled to better off calculations, CV support, signposting to online training, Career discussion for future job goals, digital on line coaching including signposting to www.jobhelp.dwp.gov.uk (New dedicated website for Job help/advice in current climate)
Referrals can now be made through a standalone form on the Early Help Module (EHM), details of how to do this can be found in the Partner Guidance on the Early Help website.
Contact ben.marr@shropshire.gov.uk (South/Central) or Amanda.osborne@shropshire.gov.uk (North/Central)
 Bee U is the emotional health and wellbeing service for people, up to the age of 25, living in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
The team at BeeU have been busy working to improve the information on their website. More sections have been added and some content has been re-arranged to make it simpler to access. A new tab for the Access Team explains who can refer into the service and what happens after someone is referred. The webpages also explain about what is available without a referral such as the online support from Healios and options to chat via phone, teams or online from Kooth and Beam. Extra resources have also been included such as a link to a website created by CAMHS colleagues in Staffordshire which pools together lots of helpful resources from across the internet that are available to help support your mental health and well-being.
There is also a really important section on giving feedback and getting involved. BeeU is keen to hear from children, young people and families about their experience of services. It would also be great to hear what you think about the website and what else you would like to see included.
Take a look at the website here.
Shropshire Youth Association (SYA) support voluntary youth clubs across the county, their recent audit showed that 36 of the 139 youth clubs do not intend to re-open in the foreseeable future and a further 16 have not responded, which could be devastating for the sector, with 100's if not 1000's of children and young people losing this tier of support at a time when they are most vulnerable. This could have a substantial negative impact upon the number of young people escalating up into Early Help, Children's social care, increased vulnerability leading to exploitation and demands on the health services.
In response SYA have launched this series of events to re-engage with the sector and help clubs to reopen as well as offering visits and resources. Visit the SYA website and download the Training Sessions 2021 document to see what’s available.
Shropshire Council, the Parent and Carer Council (PACC) and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have been issuing a SEND newsletter for parent carers since May 2020 and Issue 8 has just been released.
The newsletter aims to provide easy access to key information for SEND families during the Covid-19 pandemic. We would like your feedback on the newsletter so that we can make sure it meets your needs and provides you with information to help and support you and your family.
We would be grateful if you could please complete this short survey, which should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
For more news and updates please like/follow the SEND Local Offer on Facebook and Twitter
If you would like to be added the distribution list for this newsletter please email Local.Offer@shropshire.gov.uk
Shrewsbury Kindness have put together bags containing journals, positive affirmation cards, books, worry monsters, charms and other small items, intended to help youngsters understand, talk about and feel supported in their mental health. They are unisex and they can provide bags for older or younger children.
They are intended to be like a gift not a bag of homework. Available for anyone working with children that they feel may like to receive one, no stipulations or questions asked.
Please contact us via shrewsburykindness@gmail.com to request.
Shropshire Cycle Hub (SCH) is a community charity focused on improving access to healthy sustainable transport across Shropshire. SCH volunteers retrieve, repair and redistribute donated bikes to those that need them, so that anyone who wants to cycle can. Since the charity was founded in 2020 they have given over 800 bikes to NHS and health care staff, and other essential workers. SCH also provide free bikes to children in the care of the local authority and care leavers. The hub also sells reconditioned second hand bikes and offers a range of service options, including DR BIKE free to user service health check & 30 minutes of repairs. The charity relies on bike donations, so if you have any bikes gathering dust in the shed please consider donating them. For any further information, go to their website or their Facebook page Facebook page.
To provide emotional and practical support to parents using the YSS Shropshire Targeted Early Help service via telephone and online video apps.
Covid has changed the way that we work with families, with support currently being provided via phone and video. Many parents are finding life hard to manage and would greatly benefit from talking regularly to a friendly, supportive volunteer. This volunteering opportunity is a chance to help people through challenging times in their lives, to reduce loneliness and isolation and to help people to make positive changes in their lives.
Generally support will involve phoning or contacting via WhatsApp video or similar on a weekly or fortnightly basis. This might be short term, for a few weeks, or much longer depending on the needs of the service user. You would need to be able to commit to this regular contact. Contact can be arranged at any time of day to suit you and the service user.
You will be supported by the volunteer coordinator and the family support worker working with that particular family, with regular phone catch ups with each worker.
You will need to be:
- Aged 18 years or over
- Shropshire based
- Be able to effectively communicate with a wide range of people and develop positive relationships
- Be able to support and motivate individuals
- Be able to demonstrate good listening skills
- Have a non-judgmental approach
- Be willing to identify appropriate resources within local communities for service users to access
- Be able to attend regular individual supervision and group meetings online and by phone
- Be open to learning and show a commitment to personal development
- Be available to volunteer for up to three hours per week
- Ideally you will be able to volunteer for at least 12 months, although there may be opportunities for shorter placements
You will require an enhanced DBS (criminal records check) which YSS will organise.
You will be provided with a YSS mobile phone to be used to contact service users. Any other out of pocket expenses will be met by YSS.
You will receive extensive training in Early Help provision, safeguarding, communication skills and other subjects relevant to the role.
This is an ongoing opportunity, there is no closing date.
To find out more or to apply please contact Sheila Brégeon, YSS Volunteer Coordinator 07736 901569 sheila.bregeon@yss.org.uk
A selection of resources have been developed in order to clarify the messages coming from Public Health England and other professional associations in relation to the safety of the vaccine. These materials aim to increase awareness and dispel misconceptions, thus enabling people to make informed decisions.
The materials include:
- Straightforward questions and answers about the vaccination
- Reassurance for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers
- Local and nationally produced videos and documents in a range of languages
- Easy read documents
These resources can be accessed here.
Thousands of children in the Shropshire Council area are to receive free school meals during the May 2021 half-term holiday.
The council has already supported the cost of providing food over the recent Christmas and February half-term holidays, and will do so over the forthcoming Easter holiday. This provision has been part-funded through the Government’s COVID-19 Winter Grant Scheme.
But Shropshire Council has now agreed to extend this support to cover the May half-term holiday as well, with the costs fully covered by the council.
As with the other holiday periods, funds will be transferred to schools and early years settings to secure vouchers and/or food parcels for eligible families.
Dear All,
Following the government guidance re business closures the Foodbank is no longer open for Clients to collect their food. To try to ensure Social Distancing for all concerned and to maintain the safety of all our volunteers, we have implemented the following:
- All ‘authorised referrals’ must be made by e-mail by 4.30pm on Mondays and Thursdays. The issuing of further Red Vouchers has now ceased
- Please avoid referring by phone as we cannot access the foodbank phone throughout the week. You may phone us during opening hours Tuesday and Friday 9.30 – 11.30 but not for referrals
- Until further notice we will arrange for food to be delivered to Clients’ homes.
- A notice is displayed outside Foodbank advising Clients of the changes to our arrangements
- Volunteers will then deliver the Food parcels to the clients’ homes. They will be placed on the Client’s step, the bell rung, and distance maintained to check there is an answer. No signature will be required. If there is no answer the food will not be left but removed and brought back to the Foodbank. A slip will be put through the door to say we tried to deliver. There will be no guarantee a further delivery attempt will be made that day.
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When you make the decision to refer a client, please ensure that you email us the necessary details i.e.:
- Name
- Address including postcode (for clients at the Raven Hotel and other similar shared accommodation, please indicate the room number)
- Number of adults and children (including ages)
- Reason for referral
- Any sundry items needed e.g. nappies (including the size), pet food etc.
- Details of any allergies etc
- Contact telephone number if the client is willing to share this
- Please ask clients to be patient and NOT to ring the Foodbank enquiring about the time of delivery. We cannot confirm the times but it will be after 10.30 am especially in the Wem area.
Bearing in mind that our volunteers are delivering in a very wide area, it is important that clients are at home when we call.
Please note that we have been experiencing a very high demand for food and other items required by clients and it is more than likely that we will not be able to supply everything on our usual lists. PLEASE ADVISE YOUR CLIENTS OF THIS.
Thank you for your continued co-operation
The Management Team
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