Charford First School
Supporting families - School Offer
Charford First School has a whole school ethos that values every child and nurtures them to enable them to achieve their potential.
We recognise the challenges that families can face in bringing up children and there may be times when you need extra help and support. Everyone needs help at some time in their lives and therefore an ethos of help and support for families is important for us as a school.
There are many ways in which we can help as outlined in this offer of support for families.
Providing early support to our pupils and families at Charford First School means we can improve outcomes for children and their families by providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the early years through to when children leave us at the end of Year 4.
There is an ‘open door’ approach for parents/carers to ask for help when they need it.
In the first instance, it is good to speak to your child’s classteacher about any worries you may have or any support you feel you may need.
We also have a Safeguarding and Wellbeing Team who are able to provide more targeted support by working with families to look at what is going well, what the worries are and plan next steps to make positive change.
Ready, Steady, Worcestershire (School holiday activities and food)
The HAF programme funding is there to provide free holiday provision, which includes healthy food and enriching activities, to school-aged children eligible for benefits-related Free School Meals (FSM).
The funding makes activities, food and support directly available to families through local providers throughout the Winter period.
The provision should aim to support children, young people and families to:
- eat more healthily
- be more active
- take part in engaging and enriching activities
- be safe and not isolated
- have greater knowledge of health and nutrition
- be more engaged with school and other services
Ready Steady Worcestershire (RSW) is the Worcestershire response to holiday hunger and the national HAF programme.
Information for Parent Carers and Families Ready Steady Worcestershire - school holiday food and activities | Worcestershire County Council
Information for providers / potential providers Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme in Worcestershire | Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme in Worcestershire | Worcestershire County Council
Contact – Sarah Morton sarah.morton@suttoncroft.com or enquiries@hafworcestershire.co.uk
Health (including mental health, emotional wellbeing, and sexual health)
The Starting Well Partnership offer a range of health services which support both children and families experiencing a range of health issues.
Worcestershire Health Visiting Service | Starting Well (startingwellworcs.nhs.uk)
If your child is under 5 years old and you need advice on issues such as feeding, behaviour, or toileting you can contact the Telephone Advisory Service on 0300 123 9551 (Monday – Friday 9am til 3pm). A Health Visitor will assist you over the phone with any worries, concerns, or questions you have.
School Health Nursing | Starting Well (startingwellworcs.nhs.uk)
School health nurses offer a range of services such as home visits, health needs assessments, time4u drop-in service, school aged hearing and national child measurement programme to support the needs of children and their families.
Text service supporting young people | Latest news, updates and opportunities | Starting Well (startingwellworcs.nhs.uk)
Chat health is a free and confidential text service for young people in need of advice or support
TO CONFIDENTIALY CONTACT YOUR SCHOOL NURSE, TEXT: 07507331750
Social Prescribing :: Onside Advocacy, Worcestershire (onside-advocacy.org.uk)
Social Prescribers support you to take control of your health and look after yourself by making connections with the different types of community support available.
Home - Kooth
Kooth is an online mental wellbeing community which offers free, safe, and anonymous support.
Reach 4 Wellbeing | Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust (hacw.nhs.uk)
The Reach4Wellbeing team promotes positive wellbeing to reduce the stigma of mental health by providing short-term group programmes for children and young people age 5-18 experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and low mood.
Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide (papyrus-uk.org)
Papyrus can offer suicide prevent support providing free and confidential helplines, advice, webchats, and resources.
Home | Healthy Minds (whct.nhs.uk)
Winston's Wish - giving hope to grieving children (winstonswish.org)
Winstons Wish provide support for children and young people following the death of a sibling, parent, or a person important to a child.
Sexual Health Sexual health | Sexual health | Worcestershire County Council
WISH offer friendly and non-judgemental specialist services to support with information and advice, contraception, pregnancy, STIs and screening.
Under 21 Saturday Service - Clinic telephone lines are open between 10:00am – 12:30pm on Saturdays - Please call: 01905 681673 for further details.
Young People have a telephone consultation and are asked questions about their relationships. Callers will be advised what to do next and directed towards a clinic if necessary.
WISH have a dedicated Outreach nursing service. Referral forms can be found at www.knowyourstuff.nhs.uk The Outreach team see young and vulnerable people who couldn’t otherwise access sexual health services.
Free STI test kits and contraception: SH:24 Free Home STI STD Test | Sexual & Reproductive Health (sh24.org.uk)
Bullying (including Cyberbullying)
If you are concerned your child or a child, you know is being bullied there are several services and useful links which can help you support your child as a parent.
In the first instance if bullying is happening at school, please speak to a member of staff who will be able to help.
The following links will provide you with more information if you or someone you know is being bullied:
Is your child or someone you know being bullied? | Is your child or someone you know being bullied? | Worcestershire County Council
Are you being bullied? | Are you being bullied? | Worcestershire County Council
Cyberbullying | Cyberbullying | Worcestershire County Council
https://www.kidscape.org.uk/resources-and-publications/
Online Safety
If you have concerns around the safety of your child or a child you know online, the following links will provide you with information, support, and advice to help understand the risks and keep your child safe online:
- https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/
- Online safety | Barnardo's (barnardos.org.uk)
- http://educateagainsthate.com/
- www.internetmatters.org
- https://www.bbc.com/ownit/the-basics/8-tips-for-staying-safe-online
Sexting is the sending or receiving of sexually explicit images, videos or conversations online.
Sexting and sending nudes | NSPCC
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/Nude-selfies-a-parents-guide/
Relationships
The following services and links offer information, advice, and intervention on healthy relationships for your family and children:
Challenges at home: Harmony at Home – information and support for parent carers | Harmony at Home – information and support for parent carers | Worcestershire County Council
CRUSH is an awareness raising and support programme to help young people make safe and healthy relationships. http://www.westmerciawomensaid.org/crush/
Relationships | The Family Hub | Worcestershire County Council
Friendships and relationship in teenagers
Making friends and starting new relationships are a big part of getting older. It's very common to fall out with friends or break up from relationships – which can be very difficult to deal with. You might also be in a relationship that doesn't feel right and need some advice about what to do. The websites below contain lots of information about making friends, peer pressure, healthy and unhealthy relationships, sex and much more. There is also information available for parents around how to talk to your child about friendships, sex and relationships.
Childline - Friends, relationships and sex (opens in a new window)
Disrespect Nobody - Signs to spot (opens in a new window)
NHS Choices - How to talk to your child about sex (opens in a new window)
NHS Choices - Sex and young people (opens in a new window)
SEND (Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities)
If you are looking for information or advice the following links will help you:
SEND Local Offer | Worcestershire County Council or contact localoffer@worcschildrenfirst.org.uk
SEND Information, Advice, Support Service SENDIASS Worcestershire and Herefordshire (hwsendiass.co.uk)
Worcestershire Young Carers
Worcestershire Young Carers aim to identify, and support children and young people aged 7 to 24 years who have a caring role within the home and help look after a parent, sibling, or grandparent due to illness, disability, physical or mental health difficulties or substance misuse.
Worcestershire Young Carers/Shropshire Young Carers | YSS Carers | Worcestershire County Council
Finance, Housing and Employment
If you are facing challenges around employment and income, please contact the local job centre who can with offer support with jobseekers’ allowance, incapacity benefit, employment and support allowance and income support:
Local Job Centre Plus,
Worcester Job Centre Plus, Haswell House, Sansome Street, Worcester, WR1 1UZ
Telephone: 0845 6043719
Citizen’s Advice Bureau Worcester Citizens Advice – Worcester Citizens Advice Bureau and WHABAC (Worcester Housing and Benefits Advice Centre) (citizensadviceworcester.org.uk)
Building Better Opportunities is a service to help local people move closer to employment. Building Better Opportunities (fusionworcs.co.uk)
For information on what financial and housing support is available in Worcestershire, please visit:
Housing and finances | The Family Hub | Worcestershire County Council
Parenting Support
The Starting Well Partnership offer a range of parenting support, information, groups, and courses. For information on the groups available please visit: Parenting groups | Starting Well (startingwellworcs.nhs.uk)
Parenting Talk is an online hub offering information, advice, and a free confidential online chat with a parenting advisor.
Parent Talk - Support for Parents from Action For Children
Homestart can work with you to provide one to one support in the family home each week. This service provides support tailored to your needs and can help you as parents they learn to cope and build confidence to provide as best you can for your children.
Home-Start | South Worcestershire (home-startsw.org.uk)
Family Information Service
Do you need advice and support around finding childcare? The following link will provide you with the contact details of the Family Information Service’s District Teams: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20507/childcare/1579/family_information_service
Substance Misuse
Here 4 Youth is support service for children and young people up to the age of 18 who may be struggling with their use of drug and / or alcohol. Here4YOUth Worcestershire - Cranstoun
Family member in Prison?
Do you have a family member in prison which is having an impact on your child? Support is available to work with both the person in prison and your family.
NICCO
Families First provides support and guidance in a safe space, to enable the whole family to cope with the demands of having a partner, and parent, in prison: Families First | YSS
Get Safe
If you are worried your child is at risk of being tricked, forced, or made to work in the criminal world please speak to a member of staff and visit Get Safe for help and information:
https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/GetSafe-keepingchildrenandyoungpeoplesafefromcriminalexploitation