Welcome to the latest bumper edition of the Early Help newsletter. In this edition you will find exciting news about the launch of Stepping Stones, a project which will offer bespoke, therapeutically informed approaches to meet individual need, working with the whole family, including adults in their own right. There’s also information on a new Understanding your Child course - Understanding your child’s mental health and wellbeing – which is free to Shropshire parent carers. The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) summer programme is now live and the Family Information Service (FIS) has information on other activities talking place throughout the summer holidays – plus there’s lots more. Take a look.
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 or if you know of a colleague who would also like to receive this newsletter they can also email to be added to the distribution list.
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Whether you think a parent 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.
What is Stepping Stones?
The Stepping Stones project in Shropshire Children’s Services is based on the No Wrong Door Model, from North Yorkshire.
The team will offer bespoke, therapeutically informed approaches to meet individual need, working with the whole family, including adults in their own right. The team will focus on relationship building and support not being time limited to achieve long lasting, positive outcomes.
The team will work alongside partner agencies to ensure the right support is received by the best person at the right time and in the right place.
The Project is an Invest to Save project with the aim to keep families together, either through avoidance of a child needing to be accommodated or through stepping a child down from residential placements to foster care or home.
When is this support available from?
The Stepping Stones Team went live on Monday 12th July 2021.
Who is the Stepping Stones team?
The team is currently made up of an Operations Manager: Ian Allman, 2 senior social workers, 2 senior outreach workers, 8 outreach workers and family group conferencing service (we will also be recruiting a Speech and language therapist and a clinical psychologist in coming months). Admin and Project support alongside data analysis also supports the team.
The team are currently based remotely, from home and in the community. They have a base from Shirehall on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, with a permanent base planned to be in place by the Autumn.
Who will Stepping Stones work with?
The team will work with children and young people who are:
- Assessed as at the edge of care
- Pre-birth and post-birth family support to avoid care proceedings
- In residential care who can step down to live with a foster family or return home
- Currently living with a foster family but with support can move back to their family
- Transition to independence / Supporting lodgings
How can families access support from Stepping Stones?
Request for a service from the team will be done either
- Through a consultation request from an allocated social worker
- Identification of a child during panels and a follow up consultation
Have any questions?
For more information contact the team at steppingstones@shropshire.gov.uk
You can also watch the information video here
Beam will be delivering a workshop for parent carers and practitioners on Managing anxious behaviours in young people on Wednesday 18th August 2021 from 12pm to 1:30pm. The session will cover
- What anxiety is
- The science of anxiety
- How to support young people who are anxious.
All sessions take place on MS Teams, there is no need to book – just click into the link at the session time.
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Learn More | Meeting options
Beam continues to provide emotional well-being support to young people in Shropshire Telford & Wrekin.
Support should be requested via their website: users should scroll down to ‘register with us’ and complete the form that follows. Please note – the ‘register with us’ link should also be used to request follow-up sessions. Requests for service will be processed by their admin team and then appointments sent out by email.
Should you have any queries please get in touch via shropshirebeam@childrenssociety.org.uk.
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It’s been an anxious year for many adults, children and young people alike. We know many of you are worried about the impact of the pandemic on your children.
The Solihull Approach (NHS) has just released a BRAND NEW online course FREE TO ALL residents of Shropshire - Understanding your child’s mental health and wellbeing
 How do I access?
Simply visit the In Our Place website This link takes you through to all of the free courses available.
What’s the code?
- If you haven’t used it already here is the access code for all the online courses (funded for residents): 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 family members and other families in the area so that they too can take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.
How long is it?
‘Understanding your child’s mental health and wellbeing’ itself is in 2 parts (2 modules long in total):
Take Part 1….
…then take ‘Understanding your child’ OR ‘Understanding your child with additional needs’ (11 modules each taking 10-15 minutes to complete, benefitting from time to digest in between)….
…then take Part 2.
If you like this…
…you might like the other courses ‘Understanding your teenager’s brain’ (short course) or ‘Understanding your child’s feelings’ (taster course) , or other courses in the series. www.inourplace.co.uk
Kooth.com is a fully commissioned service which provides a free, safe, anonymous and non-stigmatised way for young people to receive advice and support online. Staffed by fully trained and qualified team members (including counsellors), and available until 10pm each night, 365 days per year, it provides a much needed out of hours’ service for advice and support. As well as 1:1 support, peer to peer support can also be accessed through our moderated message forums and online magazine.
Our experienced practitioners are available to provide emotional support to young people with a wide range of issues, from having a bad day to more serious issues such as bullying, stress, anxiety, depression, family relationships, sexuality, eating disorders, self-harm, abuse etc. During such unprecedented times, lots of young people are also seeking support around isolation, predicted exam grades, change of life, their future outlook, employment options and fear of COVID19 to mention a few.
With no long waiting times and no minimum criteria, Kooth is a fantastic way for young people to get the help and support they need, when they need it, rather than having to wait weeks for an appointment or in current times unable to access face to face support.
Latest Kooth resources
We have created a short resource (video) for young people reminding them Kooth can still support them over their 6 week break:
All of the Kooth digital assets/resources can be accessed via Swivle at Promote.Kooth.com and these can be shared on your website and social media accounts.
Kooth are still running their #DontDoItAlone Campaign until the end of July, and you can find the full video alongside campaign resources (including a digital lesson plan) HERE
If you would like further information or have any questions, please contact Jen Shergill - Kooth Engagement Lead for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin at jshergill@kooth.com
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The YSS Early Help Team are commissioned by Shropshire Council to deliver Level 3 Targeted whole family support across the county. They are looking to recruit to a vacant post in North Shropshire for a Family Support Worker.
YSS provide a flexible service, using a variety of interventions, to build resilience in children, young people and their families. The service offers a wide range of targeted and focused interventions that can be measured in terms of effectiveness, impact and outcomes.
Most of the services is delivered on a one to one basis in the local community including home and school visits, at flexible times, to meet identified needs. However other methods of service delivery are utilised where appropriate.
This service is outcome focused and it is essential that the Family Support Worker is committed to evidencing the improvement in outcomes for children and young people. The service user and their family will be at the heart of service delivery.
For further details and job description please visit the YSS website.
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The summer holidays can be a mixed blessing for both children and families. Balancing work and home commitments, keeping the children active and avoiding the boredom can be difficult. To help ease the stresses of the summer Shropshire Family Information Service (FIS) has information on things to do and places to go throughout the holidays. Families can find all the information they need in one place, making the summer holidays fun for all.
Some families may only need a few activity days, whereas others may need full-time care at a holiday play scheme, out of school club, or childminder. Whatever the family’s needs they can access a comprehensive list of summer fun activities
Things to do during July.
Things to do during August.
Things to do during September.
For a full list of registered childcare providers please telephone 01743 254400 or email ShropshireFIS@shropshire.gov.uk
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We are very pleased to announce the launch of the Shropshire HAF Activity Programme for the Summer 2021.
HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme, funded by the Department of Education, is intended to support families who are eligible to benefits related free school meals, to access activities and food through the school Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays in 2021.
Shropshire HAF Coordinators have worked with 43 of activity and enrichment providers to put together a fun packed summer of activities which can be booked directly by families across Shropshire.
How families will access the activities:
Each family eligible for free school meals, will be receiving the HAF Voucher and Activity Programme from their schools. The HAF Voucher Code can be quoted when booking with the provider of their choice and will entitle them to access the activity sessions which will include a meal for the child attending.
All children eligible for benefits related free school meals will also be receiving a further food voucher to cover the summer holidays. This is from the COVID Local Support Grant Extension and is being distributed separately to the HAF programme.
The Activity Programme is also available on the Shropshire HAF website as well as other resources and information about the HAF programme as well as attached to this email. We are very happy to include links to local relevant initiatives within the Resources section of the website.
We are also encouraging families to sign up to the HAF e-newsletter to receive useful links and information through the summer.
Please get in touch via HAF.programme@shropshire.gov.uk with any questions.
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Family Events throughout the Summer
Come and join us for some family sessions over the summer. Enjoy some quality family time whilst meeting other families. All events will be listed on our events page soon, for more information and to book please visit https://autismwestmidlands.org.uk/events/
Young People registered with ‘All in’ Short Breaks:
AWM and All In short breaks will be offering sessions for 12-17 year olds every Wednesday during the summer holidays. Come and join us for some fun, sessions can be booked via our online shop Please note young people must be registered with All In to take part in the events.
Dad’s Group
We welcome Dad’s to come and join our online group. Come together to share ideas and advice with a member of AWM present. For more information on this group and to register
Advice and support
We continue to offer advice and support over the phone and via email. Parents and carers can contact our small team directly to arrange an appointment please call:
Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri Wendy Cowton 07900784186
Weds, Thu, Fri Emma Hegenbarth 07881109480
Email shropshire@autismwestmidlands.org.uk
Helpline 0121 450 7575
Zoom Advice slots
For those who would like some face-to-face contact we are offering this virtually via video appointments. Zoom works well on mobile phones. To book a 45 min advice appointment with a specialist autism advisor please book via our shop
Please note we no longer have our landline number for professional consultations/enquiries please contact shropshire@autismwestmidlands.org.uk to arrange a call back or call one of the mobile numbers above
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The Zero Suicide Alliance free suicide awareness training is a short course (guide time around 30 minutes) which aims to give staff the skills and confidence to help someone who may be considering suicide. It also works towards breaking the stigma around suicide, encouraging people to have open conversations about their mental health.
Click here to access this training.
The most recent kindness drive from Shropshire organisation, Little Bags of Kindness, sees them helping to bridge the gap between shoe poverty and shoes going to early landfill here in the county.
With the help of lots of schools they have collected, cleaned, polished and sanitised good quality second hand school shoes and trainers that children have grown out of during lockdown. These are now available for any families that may struggle with the cost of new shoes and trainers. They have hand sorted them and are not passing anything on that they wouldn’t let their own children wear. Sizes are from toddler to adult.
They want to offer these to as many of the children that you support as possible. They can do a box full with a selection of sizes and styles or they can put a specific order together of sizes and styles (eg. Family1: Girl, size 4, school shoe, boy size 13 trainer). There is no need to prove that the shoes are needed they just want them to go to new homes and to help and support any families that may need it. Please feel free to ask for as many as you feel you could re-home and they will do their best to fulfil this until the shoes have gone.
They are based in Shrewsbury but happy to provide to the county, as long as the shoes are collected.
Please email them at shrewsburykindness@gmail.com
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. The team have produced a video to reintroduce safe and well visits, both in person and virtually, post pandemic. You can view the video here.
Having access to good quality information to help understand the world of SEND is really important for parent carers when making decisions about their child's life. This is where websites like the SEND Local Offer can help.
The Local Offer has two main sections. The first is the information section, where systems and processes are explained, such as how to get extra help at nursery or school, or who to speak to if you're worried about your child's progress. This section will introduce you to services that might help your family and help you to understand what support is available from a range of services across education, health and social care.
The second section is the service directory. This is a comprehensive list of services, clubs, support groups and businesses that might be of use to your family. It provides a brief introduction to what's offered and contact details so that you can find out more.
Please share information about the Local Offer with the families that you support.
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The latest newsletter for parent carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been published.
This newsletter is issued every half term and includes information from health, children’s social care, adult social care and the voluntary sectors about the services and support available to families. Please share this with any parent carers you think would benefit.
You can sign up to receive the newsletter by emailing Local.Offer@shropshire.gov.uk
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SEND is everybody's business and you can help us to promote the Shropshire SEND local offer using these free to download and share promotion materials:
These promotional materials can be saved to insert onto your own websites, social media posts, emails, documents and newsletters etc or they can be printed and displayed on noticeboards, staff rooms etc.
The information can be shared with anybody who you think would find the local offer useful, including:
- Parent carers of SEND children/young people
- Friends
- Family
- Neighbours
- Educational settings
- Other organisations who may want to signpost
Please support your SEND local offer by sharing these promotional materials to enable more families of children / young people with SEND to find a wide range of information and services to support them.
You are welcome to leave us feedback so we can continue to ongoing development work of the Shropshire SEND local offer.
The latest edition of the quarterly newsletter, aimed at reducing and ending exploitation in Shropshire is now available. The TREES newsletter (Together Reducing and Ending Exploitation in Shropshire) provides updates on the latest information regarding exploitation in your local area – including useful links and resources.
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The SSCP has published the July 2021 Newsletter.
The newsletter includes lots of very useful information and resources from community and partner agencies that they hope you will find useful and share broadly with others.
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There are cash grants available to anyone who is struggling financially, it is not necessary for benefits to be in payment, and each case will be looked at on its own merits. Your help is needed to get this money to Shropshire householders, especially our low-paid working families with children whose finances may have suffered due to the long effect of Covid and lockdowns and who are now struggling to make ends meet.
Residents can apply over the phone (a paper form is available on request), an adviser will complete the paperwork during the call and a specialist will look to see what help is available and if any further information is needed.
So if you, or someone you know, is having difficulty meeting essential outgoings, call 0345 678 9078.
We still need to do all we can to make sure that anyone who is told by NHS Test and Trace Service to stay at home and self-isolate does so to prevent the spread of coronavirus and the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment is still available.
For the qualifying conditions and to apply see here If someone doesn’t qualify, or if their financial need is greater, please remember that there are a range of other grants available instead.
For more information on all of the financial and other help available see this website or call us on our Covid helpline on 0345 678 9028.
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If you've made it to the end, well done. Go and reward yourself with an ice cream. |
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