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Supporting Children and Families

Supporting Children and Families previously known as Early Help. 

At St Matthias CE Primary School we recognise the challenges that families face in bringing up children. There may be times when you need extra help and support. If this is the case please come and talk to us.

Our 'Supporting Children and Families' Offer can be found at the bottom of this page with our Supporting Children and Families overview.

Providing support for Children and Families at St Matthias CE Primary School means we are more effective in promoting support as soon as we can. Supporting Children and Families means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to teenage years.  Sometimes there are very valid reasons why children and families need extra support and we are here to offer that help and signpost for the best possible support to enable parents and families to meet those challenges. Sometimes help can be for a short period of time and other times a little longer. Whatever is needed we can support.

Attendance support

Sometimes parents face challenges getting their children to school on time and every day. These challenges can vary for each individual. Attendance is paramount to each child's success with their progress and education and missing more than 5% of their learning can have significant impact on their ability to learn more and remember more. Please speak to Mrs Kazerooni or Mrs Beale if you need advice, strategies or any type of support to get your child to school on time and every day.

 

The Children's Commissioner website has worked with the Department for Education to provide some useful resources and links to support parents and carers getting their children to school. 

 https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/back-into-school/resources-for-families/

There is also a guide on how parents and schools can support each other to improve attendance and outcomes for children. This guide also answers lots of questions parents might have about illness, mental health and parent and school responsibilities.

 https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2022/12/aaa-guide-for-parents-on-school-attendance.pdf

NHS/School Health Team                                                        

                                                 

The School Health Team offer support online, via telephone and face to face. They operate through the 'Starting Well Partnership' https://www.startingwellworcs.nhs.uk/ 

The support families, parents, children and young people across Worcestershire to lead happy and fulfilled lives.

St Matthias can make a referral to the School Health Team for individual support for any health needs, mental health needs or parenting advice. Please speak to Mrs Beale if you would like to access this support.

They offer online support through their web link above for young people on topics such as bullying, mental health and wellbeing alcohol and drugs misuse, relationships, homelessness and much more. 

They offer online support through their web link above for parents and carers on topics such as parental wellbeing, parenting workshops and courses, financial and childcare support, reducing parent conflict, sleep, eating and so much more. 

Malvern Citizen's Advice Bureau 

  http://www.citizensadvicesw.org.uk/                                                        

Malvern CAB can help with Benefits and Pensions, Debt, Money Advice, Housing, Employment, Relationships and Family issues, Community and Home Support, Social Care, Consumer, Energy tariffs and disputes, Immigration and many other issues. Please do not hesitate to contact them because if you are not sure whether they could assist you the best thing to do is ask them!

Their service is completely free because they believe nobody should feel unable to ask for help because of cost. They keep the service free by raising funds to support the service and via the huge commitment and support of their volunteers.

All the advice they give is independent, confidential and impartial. They value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination. They also use their experience of clients’ problems to campaign for improvements in the laws and services that affect everyone.

You can visit, call or email the Malvern CAB

  • 0808 278 7891 (Advice line) – available Monday-Friday from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. Calls to this number are free of charge
  • 01684 563611 (Option 1 for advice, option 2 for admin. Please note availability of the option 1 local advice service is limited and callers may wish to use Advice line in the first instance). Calls to this number are charged at the local rate.
  • Malvern Office : enquiries.malvern@citizensadvicesw.org.uk

   

Worcestershire Virtual Family Hub

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/virtual-family-hub 

The Virtual Family Hub has been developed to give you a range of different types of resources to help support you and your family. 

Links within the website give advice for topics such as...

  • Parenting, health, housing, finance and relationship support
  • Early Help Family Support
  • Groups and activities for Young People
  • Ready Steady Worcestershire- Free School Meal holiday provision
  • Harmony At Home - Reducing Parental Conflict in partnership with Organisations

Their Early Help Booklet of all support offered is attached at the bottom of this page.

Ready Steady Worcestershire- Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme

                         

What is the HAF Programme?

HAF is a Department for Education (DfE) funded programme aimed at enabling children and young people in receipt of benefits-related free school meals (FSM) to attend school holiday activities and experiences during Easter, summer and Christmas. 

In Worcestershire, we work with over 200 organisations to deliver the programme for families, this includes holiday club providers, workshop providers, supermarkets, suppliers, caterers, community groups, charities and schools.

The programme creates free places for eligible children to attend, with a focus on enriching activities with a healthy meal and snacks included. 

Research has shown that the school holidays can be pressure points for some families, leading to a holiday experience gap. Through the HAF programme we are encouraging children that access our out-of-school activities to eat well, get active, have fun and make friends. 

How to take part in the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme

To find out if you are eligible to take part in the HAF programme and sign up for an activity click on this link and complete the sign-up registration form within the 'How to take part in the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme area. https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/virtual-family-hub/ready-steady-worcestershire-holiday-activities-and-food-haf-programme

Here2Help

    

Here2Help enables families to search for support or services in our area, register to appear on the Community Services Directory and find out more about volunteering in our community.

Are you in need of help?

You can complete a form requesting help if you are vulnerable and need support but are unable to seek help from family, friends and neighbours. https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/here2help

Household Support Fund

Support is available for those households who are struggling with the cost of living, in particular the rise in energy prices.

On this website you can find out:

  • What help is available through the Household Support Fund
  • How to apply for the Household Support Fund
  • Help with food and other essentials

https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/sustainability-and-carbon-reduction/warmer-worcestershire/household-support-fund

Support with Food

St Matthias has links with the local Food Bank. If parents and families are in need of help and support to access enough food for their households please speak to Mrs Beale or send an email or ClassDojo message to request a Food Bank referral. The local Food Bank can deliver to homes on request. If families can collect the food parcels, the Food Bank have fridges and extra food for families to choose from.

Malvern Food Bank Spring Lane opening times

  • Monday 10.15am-12.45pm
  • Tuesday 1pm-3.30pm
  • Thursday 10.15am-12.45pm

SEND Local Offer

This website informs and gives advice to families with children and young people with SEN and/or disabilities. https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/send-local-offer-0

You can find out about:

  • What is SEND?
  • Care, support and money matters
  • Early years, birth to starting school
  • Education, schools and colleges
  • SEND school provision and education health care plans (EHCPs)
  • SEND Health and wellbeing
  • Worcestershire SEND strategy and so much more.
SENDIASS

Herefordshire and Worcestershire SENDIASS have a dedicated team of advisors offering legally-based and easily accessible information and advice about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

They support parents, carers, children and young people with SEND and our service is impartial and confidential. https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/sendiass 

Disability Information Advice Line (DIAL) South Worcestershire

What they offer:

  • Information on a wide range of disability related issues.
  • Welfare Benefit entitlement checks including eligibility, applications, casework, challenging unfavourable decisions, appeals and tribunal representation.
  • Liaising with agencies on your behalf.
  • Referrals and signposting to support groups and organisations.
  • The DIAL Guide to Services is a comprehensive listing of services for disabled people in Worcestershire.

They operate an appointment system, so if you need to discuss your benefits claim, or, help with anything else, your first step is to get in touch:

Opening Times

  • Monday: 9.00am – 3.00pm
  • Tuesday: 9.00am – 3.00pm
  • Wednesday: 9.00am – 3.00pm
  • Thursday: 9.00am – 3.00pm
  • Friday: Office Closed

Online Safety Support and Advice

It is critical that school and parents work together to keep children safe whilst using technology, accessing apps and using the Internet. The websites listed below are there to give parenting advice and guidance to ensure you keep your child as protected and safe as possible online.

  • PACE Parents against child exploitation  https://paceuk.info/ They support parents and carers whose children are being exploited by offenders outside of the family.
  • CEOP education is part of the National Crime Agency https://www.ceop.police.uk/Safety-Centre/ They give information and advice to parents on keeping children safe online and enable you to report an incident.
  • Internet Matters https://www.internetmatters.org/ This website helps parents keep their children safe online, set up parenting controls on any device, advice regarding age specific online safety checklist and can answer questions.
  • NSPCC https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/ The NSPCC have numerous resources and advice for keeping children safe online, there are also online safety guides for parents which are downloadable. 
  • UK Safer Internet Centre https://saferinternet.org.uk/ This website has options for children and parents to ask for advice, report an online issue including harmful content or images, or get top tips for using the Internet in a safe way.

Mental Health Support

Mental health can affect everyone in varying degrees. Sometimes we can access support from our families and friends, but sometimes we need help from professionals. It is important that you either speak to a member of staff at St Matthias if you need help for your child or yourself linked to mental health. 

Our mental health can be affected by our lived or experiences, it is OK to not feel OK! It is also important to seek support in the best way possible. 

Support for children
Support for parents

   

Bereavement support

Bereavement Support South Worcestershire offers various types of bereavement support to anyone registered with a South Worcestershire GP.  We are funded by South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and hosted by St Richard’s Hospice. Webiste: https://bereavementsupportworcestershire.org.uk/useful-links/

Touchstones is a small, local charity with one very simple aim – to be there for any bereaved child and young person in North East Worcestershire – including Redditch, Bromsgrove, Wythall, Rubery, Hagley

https://touchstones-support.org.uk/ or Call 07547 367267 or email at info@touchstones-support.org.uk

Winston's Wish is a charity that helps children, teenagers and young adults (up to the age of 25) find their feet when their worlds are turned upside down by grief. Through information about grief, on-demand helpline, email and live chat services, bereavement support and counselling, we support young people to understand their feelings, process their grief and find ways to move forward with hope for a brighter future.

Footsteps is a registered charity providing support for bereaved children, young people and their families in Worcestershire following the death of a parent, sibling or other significant person in their life.We guide and support bereaved children and young people, and help them manage their grief.

Primrose Hospice delivers a professional high ethical standard of counselling valuing every individual in their own right, our service is open to patients and their families who are experiencing a life limiting illness.

They also offer a bereavement service for anyone experiencing an unexpected death which has occurred in the last 3 years.

If you are interested in accessing Counselling Service, please contact:

The Support After Suicide Partnership brings together suicide bereavement organisations and people with lived experience, to achieve a vision that everyone bereaved or affected by suicide is offered timely and appropriate support.

https://supportaftersuicide.org.uk/

GET HELP

We have put together some of the national abuse, domestic abuse and stalking helplines for anyone who feels they need help or want to speak to someone about what they are going through. Below is a list of potential free helplines, live chats and email contacts.

These are not emergency services, if you feel like you might be in danger please call 999 immediately, if you can’t talk press 55.

Refuge: For women and children against abuse.
The free phone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247

Womens Aid: Live Chat (between 10:00am-6:00pm Monday to Sunday) and email support – http://www.womensaid.org.uk/

Respect: The Men’s Advice Line: for male domestic abuse survivors – 0808 801 0327

Galop: National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0800 999 5428

Samaritans: (24/7 support service) – 116 123 Website: https://www.samaritans.org/

National Stalking Helpline: The Helpline provides guidance and information to anybody who is currently or has previously been affected by harassment or stalking. Tel: 0808 802 0300 Website: www.stalkinghelpline.org 

In our 'St Matthias Supporting Parents and Families Offer' document there are a number of other services listed for help, advice and emergency support. If you need help please don't hesitate to come and ask as we can point you in the right direction. 

  1. St Matthias Supporting Parents and Families Offer 2024-25
    pdf
  2. Supporting Parents and Families overview 2024-2025
    pdf
  3. Worcestershire Early Help Booklet 2024
    pdf

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