Welcome to the latest edition of the Early Help Newsletter. In this edition you can find information on an update to the Smarter Screening Tool, the pathway into the young person's drug and alcohol service, a link to the new Latest Together Reducing & Ending Exploitation in Shropshire (TREES) website, information on the Solihull Approach training for professionals and the Understanding your Child courses for parents starting this soon, plus lots more.

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 Kate to be added to the distribution list.  

‘By treating our children and young people with respect, love and trust and with the right amount of encouragement we can inspire them to dream big, build relationships and connections that matter and together with kindness and a sense of belonging we can do great things.’

Children and Young People’s vision statement

WithYou is a drug, alcohol and mental health charity. With over 80 services across England and Scotland, we provide support and advice to more than 100,000 people a year. We're working towards a future free from harm caused by alcohol, drug and mental health challenges, where anyone seeking help feels welcomed, not judged.

In Shropshire, we operate county wide with our main offices in Shrewsbury, Ludlow and Oswestry. Our Recovery Workers are based regularly at GP practices throughout as part of our Shared Care provisions as well as Veteran Services, Job Centres, Police Stations and Probation as well as being a primary stakeholder in the RESET provision, a service that works in the community supporting individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. 

Treatment can vary depending on the needs of the individual; our model includes group work, one to one, outreach, harm reduction and clinical interventions. Our clinical team has a wide range of expertise from complex health to dual diagnosis and each staff member has a specialism pending on their interests as well as their knowledge and skills. We also have volunteers who provide additional support to clients in a one to one setting or group, this bridges the gap between client and treatment as they are excellent role models in showing what recovery is.

We offer one- to-one support for young people aged 11-18 in Shropshire who are facing challenges with drugs and alcohol. Our Young Person's Workers will meet with them regularly to help them work through some of the things they are struggling with. They can bring a parent or another person they trust, if they feel nervous about coming to see us. 

You can access our service by contacting 01743 294700 or, using our webchat service. Our main website can be found here: www.wearewithyou.org.uk and the Shropshire offer can be found here We Are With You - Shropshire.

Separating Better is a new app from the relationship experts at OnePlus One, co-created with parents. It provides helpful tools to guide parents through their separation journey.

Separating better offers:

• Self-guided support: expert emotional advice and practical tips such as childcare and financial arrangements
• Progress tracking: easily monitor your journey and achievements as you navigate separation and unlock app sections as you go
• An emotional readiness quiz: get a sense of where you are in your separation journey with this in-app quiz

Co-parenting tips: stay organised and communicate effectively for positive co-parenting and a healthy separation

An animated explainer video  that provides a comprehensive walkthrough of the Separating better mobile app has been produced, showing how to easily navigate the app, explore key features such as the parenting plan and budget planner, and understand the benefits of the self-guided support the app offers.

You can download the app here Separating better (oneplusone.org.uk)

Please share with any parents you think would benefit.

The Smarter Screening Tool is the pathway into the young person's drug and alcohol service in Shropshire. It has been devised to capture relevant information about young peoples' risk factors, so that we are able to deliver support tailored to their specific needs. 

We have recently updated the Smarter to capture vaping data, as this has become a trend amongst young people and is identified as a risk factor. 

We understood partners' concerns around gaining consent from young people in order to access support. We have included an option within the Smarter, called 'Meet & Greet', that referrers can tick when no consent is given. This triggers an informal chat with one of our team. This is designed to encourage the young person to consent to support by introducing the service, what they can expect and how the process works. We have found that young people are much more likely to consent to support once they have met us and know more about what support entails. 

The updated Smarter tool can be found on the West Midlands Safeguarding procedures website and the Early help website.

Just to make everyone aware; families with children, that are experiencing difficulties with parental separation are eligible for a £500 Family Mediation voucher, whether or not they’re entitled to legal aid through Universal Credit.  This voucher can cover the cost of us to 3 sessions of mediation.

The scheme was launched in 2021 to help ease strain on the Family Court system.  It is currently still in operation.  A parent need only contact a local mediator who is part of the scheme and the mediator will advise, and claim the voucher on the parent’s behalf.

For more information please visit Family Mediation Voucher Scheme - Family Mediation Council

To find a local mediator, go to Find your local mediator - Family Mediation Council​

Earlier this month it was world suicide prevent day.

Lots of young people may have thoughts about suicide at some point, and suicidal thoughts can affect anyone. Having these thoughts does not mean someone is necessarily going to attempt suicide, but it does mean they need help and support.

Young Minds have written a guide for parents and carers to help them talk to their children about suicidal feelings. It offers advice on how to approach the subject, what to say and where to get support for their family. You can access this information here, to share with families.

NSPCC Learning has published a Learning from case reviews briefing on suicide. The briefing is based on a sample of case reviews published between 2021 and 2023 where suicide was a key factor. The briefing highlights: the importance of understanding how suicide in young people often follows the accumulation of different vulnerabilities and adversities; the need to hear children’s voices and understand their experiences of the world; and the importance of promoting positive, trusting relationships in young people’s lives.

Read the briefing: Suicide: learning from case reviews

The Solihull Approach model combines three theoretical concepts, containment (psychoanalytic theory), reciprocity (child development) and behaviour management (behaviourism).

It provides a framework for thinking for a wide range of professionals working with families with babies, children and young people. This evidence-based approach can be used in one-to-one interventions and group work. It can be helpful as an early intervention model and is also used in preventative work or where difficulties are already present.

Solihull Approach training is beneficial to every professional working with families.

Have a look at the 4 minute video, explaining the Solihull Approach Solihull Approach.

The training offer for professionals can be found on the Early Help website and outlines the dates and details for free Solihull Approach training as well as exciting follow on training sessions.

Parenthood can be extremely rewarding and enjoyable. It can also be demanding, frustrating and exhausting. In Shropshire the Parenting Team offer workshops and groups for parents which provide easy to implement, proven parenting solutions.

The Understanding your Child groups encourage parents and carers to identify the most important issues in their relationship with their child and to reflect on why things sometimes go well and sometimes do not. It is about looking at what you are already doing well and building on that to make it even better. It is then easier for you as a parent to identify how to work together with your child.

The groups will

• Promote understanding of children’s behaviour within the context of how a child develops
• Promote the development of parent/child relationship
• Increase confidence and self-esteem in both parents and children
• Give parents a strategy for repair when things go wrong
• Promote reflective, sensitive and effective parenting.

Throughout September and October there will be Understanding your child courses starting in Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Shrewsbury, Cressage, Church Stretton and Ludlow. Find out more about the course and how to book a place visit the Family Information Service Directory.

Most children show a natural interest and curiosity with fire. Even if they do not display any fire setting behaviour, many children may be fascinated by fire, and it is not uncommon for children as young as two to show an interest.

Unfortunately for some children this interest develops into something more dangerous.

Fire setting behaviour can become increasingly serious and lead to injury, damage to property and death. There are also many criminal aspects that have long term consequences. This short video explains more about the signs of firesetting behaviour.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service provide the Firesetting Intervention Scheme; an educational programme for children and young people under 17 who have displayed fire setting behaviour or have played with fire. Find out more about the support available from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service on firesetting.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has published a news story about an increase in the number of younger children exposed to sextortion in the UK. New data from IWF shows: in the first six months of 2024, child sexual abuse reports related to sexual extortion were up 19% compared to the same period in 2023; there was an increase in reports involving 14- to 15-year-olds; and there was an increase in reports involving girls.

Read the news story: ‘Exponential increase in cruelty’ as sextortion scams hit younger victims

The Responding to Self-Neglect in Shropshire guidance has now been completed and is available via the SSCP website.

The documents provided here supply practice guidance and outlines the local multi-agency procedure in Shropshire for responding to self-neglect in relation to adults with care and support needs.

As well, the Business Unit is running training sessions for professionals who wish to know more about how to use these tools. You can book your place for these sessions by following this link.

The sessions are being run on the following dates:

• Friday the 11^th of October – 13:30 – 14:30
• Tuesday the 15^th of October – 15:00 – 16:00
• Thursday the 24^th of October – 18:30 – 19:30
• Wednesday the 30^th of October – 10:30 – 11:30
• Monday the 4^th of November – 12:30 – 13:30
• Friday the 15^th of November – 14:00 – 15:00

Citizens Advice Shropshire will continue to provide free, impartial and confidential advice and support for children, young people and their parent carers on matters relating to special educational needs and disability.

Citizens Advice Shropshire has been re-awarded the contract to deliver the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) for the next four years, with an option to extend for a further year.

The service will provide:

• Free, impartial, confidential information, advice and support about education, health and social care for children, young people and their parent carers on matters relating to special educational needs and disability
• Support and help to promote independence and self-advocacy for children, young people and parent carers
• Support to understand options, rights and responsibilities including exclusion, complaints, SEND processes, and SEND appeals
• Information, advice and support before, during and following a SEND Tribunal appeal
• Help with paperwork and preparation for meetings

To find out more about SENDIASS please visit the Shropshire SEND Local Offer.

The latest edition of the TREES newsletter is now available

The newsletter looks at current patterns and emerging themes, hot spots of concern, how to report intelligence, and overview of ketamine and some of the services and support available to help.

TREES also has a new website which is well worth a look.

Read the latest newsletter from our colleagues in Compass. This newsletter has useful data, an insight into a Day in the Life of a Compass Senior Social Worker, and some tips and suggestions for partners.

NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin is encouraging local residents who are aged 75-79 or pregnant (between 28 and 36 week) to have a vaccine that is being rolled out nationally to protect newborn babies and older adults against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

RSV is a common virus that affects the airways and lungs. It causes cold-like symptoms, such as coughing, a sore throat, sneezing and runny or blocked nose. However, in some cases, RSV can make it hard to breathe and lead to dangerous lung problems like pneumonia, which may require hospitalisation in severe cases.

Pregnant people are also advised to have the vaccination to ensure protection for their child. Newborn babies are at higher risk of developing severe complications if they contract RSV.

This new vaccine offers huge opportunities to prevent severe illness in those most vulnerable to RSV, helping to protect lives and ease winter pressures for the NHS.

The NHS will invite you for vaccination or please ask your midwife for more information.

You can read the information for pregnant people here

Parent : you have been brilliant, helped loads, pointed us in the right direction for everything - nothing you could have done better! Lots of advice and it was nice to have someone to talk too and who listened.

Young Person: It was just really good

Parent: I have really loved knowing I can contact you whenever I needed you if I am struggling with anything at all. You have supported us throughout housing difficulties and loads of other things.

You have always been really encouraging with me and always reassuring me when I am doing a good job. I honestly don't feel you could have done any more for me or my family and I am really grateful to have had your support.

Young person: I have always felt comfortable talking to you and you has never judged me and I know I can say what ever is on my mind to you

Young person: I wish you was staying involved with us I will miss talking to you.

Parent: You have kept me at ease throughout the time you have worked with my family. You have been extremely helpful and when I have had questions has helped me understand the process.

Young person: You helped me a lot and listened to me and answered all my questions helpfully.