Early Help
Support for Parents, Carers and Families
The Team Around School
Whitehill has a Team Around School meeting termly with key professionals who are linked to our school. This includes:
- Our Pastoral Manager
- A School Nurse
- A School Age Plus Worker
- A Social Worker
The purpose of these meetings is to discuss any concerns or support that families have raised with us. This will only ever be done with the parent/carer's permission.
The meetings allow us to discussion appropriate support or agencies who may be able to help.
The team have strong links with many agencies, including:
- Housing
- Health
- Benefits
- Youth Offending Team
- PCSOs
- Charities
- Domestic Abuse services
- Parenting Classes
- Drug/Alcohol Support Services
- Family Support Workers
It is not the role of the team to make judgements about families or work without the consent of the family. It maybe decided that an Early Help Assessment is appropriate.
What is an Early Help Assessment?
People from different agencies work together, with you, to support and improve any areas of life that your family may want some support with.
It begins with a conversation with you (the parent) and a worker who is usually already offering a service to your child/children. At Whitehill, this is usually Mrs McDonald (our Pastoral Manager).
• The conversation looks at different areas of life for you and your family.
• You can talk about how things are going for you with home, housing, work or gaining employment, health, school, college and any social or community issues.
• The conversation will highlight what you feel is working well and what you feel could be better for you and your family.
• The conversation helps those who can offer you support to understand what is the most important issue to you and what is needed to offer you some genuine support.
• After the conversation, you and a worker will be able to agree if you just need some information or advice, or if you need a bit more support from different agencies. Helping you to help your family is the key principle of Early Help.
Is Early Help For Me?
Try answering a few questions of how things are going for your family:
Home (Housing, benefits, relationships)
- What would I say is working well?
- What would I, or my children say could be better?
- What do I need to do, to make things better?
Work / Training (For all adults in the home)
- What would I say is going well?
- What would I, or my children say could be better?
- What do I need to do, to make things better?
Nursery/ School / Education (For the children in your home)
- What is the one thing I would say is working well?
- What would I, or my children say could be better?
- What do I need to do, to make things better?
Health (Think of everyone in the home)
- What is the one thing I would say is working well?
- What would I, or my children say could be better?
- What do I need to do, to make things better?
Social/Community (Support from family and friends, groups)
- What is the one thing I would say is working well?
- What would I, or my children say could be better?
- What do I need to do, to make things better?
What Happens Next?
If you feel like you need some more information, or support in any of the areas above, then please make an appointment to speak with Mrs McDonald.
If you agree that an Early Help Assessment is right for you, Mrs McDonald will arrange to have a proper conversation with you about what is working well, what could be better and what needs to happen next.
We will check that you agree for your information and the main points from the conversation to be recorded on an Early Help Assessment form and if you agree to this being shared with other agencies who can potentially offer you and your family practical, realistic Early Help.