Early help is an effective way of providing support for young people and their families from infant to teenage years. It is a way of being proactive to an issue rather than reactive. 

Early help calls upon local agencies to come together to provide support plans for families and young people who are in need of help. The aim of the multi-agency work is to assess the needs of a family/young person and work out where the primary need/s of the family/young person are. It is a targeted approach set out to help a young person and their family. 

Children’s welfare is at the heart of everything Early Help offers. All young people deserve a safe, stable and loving home. Their younger years should be a stepping stone to the next stage of their lives and all doors should be opened to them. Children who need support deserve high levels of care and effective support around them. This can mean agencies, individuals and local organisations each have their own roles and responsibilities and will work together to provide a support plan.

For the most effective support, gaining the voice of the young person, expressing their views, thoughts and feelings is paramount to ensuring the best support is in place. Family background, needs, strengths and concerns also need to be included. All of this collated information should enable the best outcome and support plan for the young person and their family.

Should there be a need, school are committed to providing a support team for young people and their families. They will be able to signpost families to the offer of Early Help to avoid an escalation. The aim is to help young people and their families as soon as a problem starts to emerge.

The school support team currently offer:

• Pastoral check-ins
• Work with our Pastoral and Mental Health Support Officer - Mrs J Blair
• Working alongside the Education Welfare Officer and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead - Miss L Moule
• Referring families to support services and agencies  
• On-site school counsellor 

Contact: jblair@barnwoodpark.co.uk             lmoule@barnwoodpark.co.uk 

The Education Welfare Officer works closely alongside the Attendance, Safeguarding and Pastoral Teams. Together they provide a team to support families where necessary. Barnwood Park’s attendance manager is Miss L Magovern. 

Young people who are in need of support are triaged by the Pastoral and Safeguarding team to consider the best course of action to meet the needs of children and their families. There is a clear referral process and contact will be made with families offering intervention. Parents/Carers will always be included in this process and any intervention will be regularly reviewed and evaluated to ensure it is effective. Interventions can vary from pastoral support in schools, to referring to external agencies such as, but not limited to, the Navigation Hub, Young Gloucestershire and Music Works.  As a school, we work closely with many Gloucestershire services and will, if necessary, use external support networks where appropriate. Every support plan is individually tailored to the young person and their needs.

Where there is an increased level of need and support, schools will contact the Early Help Partnership. These are made up of service providers who can further support the young person, their family and school. Schools are allocated an Early Help Coordinator by Gloucestershire County Council who, if needed, will attend meetings and offer further support.  

SENDIASS Gloucestershire are able to provide advice and guidance relating to young people with SEND.