Family Help Support for Families

Sometimes families need a little extra help – and that’s okay.

At Leckhampton C of E Primary School, we understand that family life can sometimes be challenging. There may be times when you or your child need some extra support with worries, relationships, behaviour, health, wellbeing, school, finances, housing or changes within the family.

You don’t have to wait until things become difficult before asking for help.

Our Family Help approach is about listening to families, identifying what might help and working together to find the right support. Sometimes this support can be provided within school; at other times we may help you connect with another service or organisation.

If you have something you would like to talk to us about, please come and speak to us. We will always make time to listen.

What sort of things can Family Help support with?

There is no need to have a particular problem or diagnosis before asking for help. Families may seek support with:

  • Children’s worries, anxiety or emotional wellbeing
  • Friendships and social difficulties
  • Behaviour and managing emotions
  • Parenting and establishing routines
  • Attendance and difficulties getting to school
  • Family relationships and separation
  • Changes within the family
  • Bereavement and loss
  • Children’s additional needs or SEND
  • Sleep, eating or toileting difficulties
  • Children’s physical or mental health
  • Online safety and technology
  • Housing or financial difficulties
  • Domestic abuse or keeping family members safe
  • Accessing community activities and services
  • Finding other specialist support

You do not need to wait for a crisis. Asking for help early can make things easier.

How can school help?

Our Wellbeing and Family Help offer includes:

  • A listening ear – your child’s class teacher is often the first person to notice when a child may be worried or struggling. They can provide pastoral support and help identify whether any additional support would be useful.
  • Worry Boxes – every class has a Worry Box which provides children with a way to share a concern if they find it difficult to talk about something face-to-face.
  • Well Being support – our Well Being teaching partners have dedicated time to support children individually or in small groups with emotional wellbeing, friendships, confidence, worries and other pastoral needs.
  • Support from school leaders – our Headteacher, supported by our Inclusion Lead, coordinates pastoral and family support across the school and works with staff and outside agencies where appropriate.
  • Family meetings – we can meet with parents/carers to listen, discuss what is happening and think together about what might help.
  • Links with external services – with your agreement, we can help you access appropriate services and professionals who may be able to provide more specialist support.
  • School nursing support – our school nurse team can provide advice and support around children’s health and wellbeing and can be contacted directly or through school.
  • Support with SEND and additional needs – if you have concerns about your child’s learning, development, communication, behaviour or emotional wellbeing, we can work with you to understand their needs and identify appropriate support.

What happens if I talk to school?

Our first step will usually be to listen and understand what is happening. We will talk with you about what support might be helpful and agree the next steps together.

Sometimes the best support may be something we can provide in school. We may also signpost you to a local service or, with your agreement, work with another professional.

Talking to school does not automatically mean that social care will become involved.

Where a family would benefit from more coordinated support, Gloucestershire has a Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP). This provides a framework for ensuring that children and families receive the right support at the right time, according to their individual needs.

If there are concerns about a child’s immediate safety or wellbeing, we have a safeguarding responsibility to act in accordance with our safeguarding procedures. We will always seek to work openly with families wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so.

 

We are here to listen

You do not need to have all the answers before you talk to us.

If something is worrying you, please come and talk to us. It is much easier to find the right support when we know that a family is finding things difficult.

You can speak to your child’s class teacher, the Inclusion Lead (Mrs Pinless), Headteacher (Miss Porter), the Deputy Headteacher (Miss Bird) or the Assistant Headteacher (Mrs Taylor).

Sometimes asking for help is the first step towards making things feel better.

Looking after your child’s emotional wellbeing

Children can experience worries and difficult feelings for lots of different reasons. You can always talk to us if you are concerned about your child’s emotional wellbeing.

Support might include:

  • Talking to your child’s class teacher
  • Pastoral support in school
  • Support from the school nurse
  • Signposting to local services
  • Advice about supporting your child at home
  • Referrals to specialist services where appropriate

We also encourage families to talk regularly about feelings, friendships, worries and things that are happening at home or school.

Attendance and getting to school

Sometimes children find attending school difficult because of anxiety, health needs, SEND, changes at home or other challenges.

If your child is struggling to attend school, please talk to us early. Our aim is to understand what is making attendance difficult and work with you to identify practical solutions and appropriate support.

Keeping families safe

If you or your child is experiencing domestic abuse, you do not have to deal with it alone.

Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS) provides confidential advice and support to people aged 16 and over experiencing domestic abuse, including support with safety planning and accessing further help.

GDASS Helpdesk: 01452 726570
Email: support@gdass.org.uk

If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.

Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS)

Online safety

Children use technology every day for learning, entertainment and keeping in touch with friends. We want to help families make sure children can enjoy the benefits of technology while staying safe.

Useful sources of advice include:

Childnet – online safety advice for parents

CEOP Education – online safety advice

Agencies that are available to support families

Gloucestershire Family Hubs

Gloucestershire’s Family Hubs provide a welcoming ‘front door’ to support for families with children and young people. They bring together advice, activities, health, education, community and family support services.

Family Hubs can help with things such as:

  • Parenting advice and support
  • Children’s emotional wellbeing
  • Health and development
  • Activities and groups
  • Support for families with SEND
  • Community activities
  • Childcare and early education
  • Advice and information about family life
  • Support during difficult times

Family Hubs are available to families with children and young people aged 0–19, or up to 25 for young people with SEND.

Find local Family Hub support:
Gloucestershire Family Hubs

Family Information Service

The Gloucestershire Family Information Service provides information, advice and signposting for families with children and young people aged 0–19, or up to 25 for young people with SEND.

The service can help families find information about:

  • Childcare
  • Parenting programmes
  • Activities and clubs
  • Family support
  • Financial support and benefits
  • SEND services and the Local Offer
  • Education and learning
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Local services and community activities

Find out more:
Gloucestershire Family Information Service and Families Directory

Families First

Gloucestershire’s Families First service provides targeted support for families who may be experiencing a number of difficulties or need more coordinated help.

Support can include:

  • Parenting and family relationships
  • Children’s behaviour
  • Education and attendance
  • Emotional and physical wellbeing
  • Bereavement, trauma and other difficult life events
  • Housing and financial difficulties
  • Community connections
  • Employment and training

Families First takes a whole-family approach, focusing on the strengths of each family and helping families make positive and sustainable changes.

Support for families with SEND

If your child has, or you think they may have, additional needs or SEND, there are a number of services available to support families.

SENDIASS Gloucestershire provides free, confidential and impartial information, advice and support to children, young people and parents/carers about SEND matters from birth to 25 years.

You can also find information about local SEND services, activities and support through the Gloucestershire Local Offer.

Gloucestershire SEND Local Offer

Support if your family is facing financial difficulties

If your family is experiencing unexpected financial hardship, support may be available through Gloucestershire’s Crisis and Resilience Fund.

The fund can provide help with essential costs such as:

  • Food
  • Fuel and energy costs
  • Housing-related costs
  • Essential household items
  • Emergency living costs

The service can also help families to access longer-term support and advice with benefits, budgeting, debt, energy costs and other local services.

If things are financially difficult at the moment, please don’t feel that you have to manage alone. There is support available, and asking for help early can make a real difference.

If you would like help finding out what support may be available to your family, please speak to a member of the school team or find out more on this page https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/crisis-and-resilience-fund/