Family Support
At Yorkley School we understand that children learn better when families, schools and children work together. We have a dedicated Family Support Worker, Miss Sime, who can provide emotional support, guidance and encouragement to children and families. Miss Sime can support you, without judgement, and signpost you to the most relevant agency.
We work with an open-door policy and encourage families to come in for an informal conversation when support is required. We work with multiple outside agencies to establish the very best support for you and your children. If you have concerns or are experiencing any personal difficulties, sharing these concerns can often help.
What does a Family Support Worker do?
A Family Support Worker is able to offer impartial support, advice and guidance to parents/carers.
Advice and support is confidential, although concerns relating to the safeguarding of children will always be dealt with in accordance to the school’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
We may not have all the answers, but hopefully, we can work together to find them!
Support for pupils includes:
Promoting good attendance and punctuality
Promoting self-esteem and confidence
Promoting positive behaviour and positive attitudes to learning
Providing personal, social and emotional support to children Please click on the links below to see what support is available at Yorkley Primary:
Support for families includes:
Advice and support in promoting positive behaviour at home
Attendance and support at school and other agency meetings
Liaising with a range of external services
Providing information on services available in the local area
Where to find me!
Miss Sime will be available for informal chats most mornings in the playground.
If you have a more sensitive matter you wish to discuss, you can contact the school office to make an appointment.
If needed, home visits can also be arranged.
Please feel free to come up and say hello!
What is Early Help?
‘Early Help’ describes the work of many agencies engaged with children and families including health services, schools, learning providers, local authorities, the voluntary sector, children and family centres, police, housing providers and many others. We are all engaged in work that seeks to avert a problem developing and preventing difficulties from escalating or the deterioration of circumstances which could adversely affect children, young people and families. Early Help is about focusing on how we can help empower families to build on their strengths and develop areas where they need support. If we can get this right early on, at the right time, we set families up for a better, healthier future.
Our offer of Early Help
ALL staff recognise their role in ensuring safeguarding is always prioritised for ALL children. We believe that information sharing and timely effective support can ensure that ALL children and families get targeted support that is fundamental for success. Families can benefit from support from a wide range of agencies. We recognise that other agencies will be able to support families based on their specialised work. Therefore, our role is often to signpost families to the resources that will best support their needs.
Yorkley Primary School understands their responsibilities and as a school, we will carry out our duties in ensuring the effectiveness of Early Help Services for pupils in accordance with the requirements of the Children Act 2004 and within the statutory guidance Working together to Safeguard Children 2023 and KCSIE2023, In summary, these are to:
- Identify children and their families who would benefit from Early Help.
- Undertake an assessment of the need for Early Help, working closely with families.
- Ensure signposting of targeted Early Help services to address the needs of the child/ren and families.
- Share information on that provision which is consistent with the child’s welfare and with due regard to confidentiality.
Staff have daily contact with children and their families throughout term time. All staff recognise their role in identifying needs of vulnerable children and their families need for early help. We focus on support which significantly improves the outcomes for the child/ren. This involves the use of evidence-based interventions which are often led by our Inclusion Team. We regularly use the support of outside agencies such as Young Minds Matter and Barnardos.
If you would like to find out more about this support, please speak to Miss Sime or Mrs Wright.
All reports of concern are logged on the school’s safeguarding software. A secure electronic record is maintained as a chronology of concerns.
Our Early Help Approach
Hearing what children have to say and using the ‘voice of the child’
The school can provide a neutral space where the child feels it is safe to talk.
Sensitivity to the child’s conversation is vital. Staff listen carefully to what the child is saying, validate their lived experience whilst understanding their thoughts and feelings. We support the children to co-regulate their emotions and value what they say ensuring safeguarding concerns are dealt with in a timely manner in line with the school’s policy and procedures.
Hearing what parents/carers have to say and signposting support agencies
Being a parent is hard work and there are no instructions. Sometimes you or your children may need extra support. There is nothing to be ashamed of in asking for help. The school may be able to help you or signpost you and your family to other partner agencies such as Young Minds Matter, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers), the school nurse etc.
With your permission and signed consent to share form, people from different organisations working with your family will share information and work together to help support you and your children.
What training do we receive?
Designated Safeguarding Leads and our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads undergo training every two years. All other staff members receive annual refresher training at the start of the new school year. New staff cover safeguarding training as part of their induction and safeguarding is always discussed during staff meetings ensuring confidentiality.
The DSL or Deputy DSL readily seek advice from the safeguarding partners in the event of disclosure if necessary or if they are concerned about a pupil’s wellbeing. If a child is at risk of harm this information may be shared prior to consent being gained.
The DSL and the Deputy DSLs receive alerts from the safeguarding partners, attend regular safeguarding briefings and keep their knowledge and awareness of safeguarding up to date and at the heart of their practice at all times.
- Staff understand the correlation between domestic abuse and child protection – staff are vigilant, listening to the child and make referrals as required
- The school is fully engaged with the multi-agency approach and works as part of a multi-agency group to support children and families, ensuring the best outcomes.
- The school raises parents’ awareness of reasons for out of character behaviours such as becoming withdrawn, anxious, continually tired etc. to increase their understanding of the correlation between behaviour and safeguarding risks such as grooming, internet safety, bullying, aiming for early identification of pupils at risk.
Identifying risks at the earliest opportunity
All staff are aware of the risks which may indicate the need for early help – this includes children who:
- Are disabled or have certain health conditions and have specific additional needs; have special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory Education, Health and Care Plan)
- has a mental health need;
- is a young carer;
- is showing signs of being drawn into anti-social or criminal behaviour, including gang involvement and association with organised crime groups or county lines;
- is frequently missing/goes missing from care or from home;
- is at risk of modern slavery, trafficking, sexual or criminal exploitation;
- is at risk of being radicalised or exploited;
- has a family member in prison, or is affected by parental offending;
- is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as drug and alcohol misuse, adult mental health issues and domestic abuse;
- is misusing drugs or alcohol themselves;
- has returned home to their family from care;
- is at risk of ‘honour’-based abuse such as Female Genital Mutilation or Forced Marriage;
- is a privately fostered child; and
- is persistently absent from education, including persistent absences for part of the school day.
Staff understand that, where statutory intervention is not always required, Early Help may be used to address concerns and support families to move forward successfully.
If appropriate, a ‘Team Around the Family’ or ‘Team around the Child’ meeting will be held. The family and supporting outside agencies involved come together to make a support plan. This is reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that progress is being made for your family and that the right support is in place.
Please refer to our Safeguarding page for further details:
Parental Feedback:
“At the start, we didn’t get on. I felt very anxious about talking about home life and what was going on, but as time progressed I understood they were helping me and they have been amazing. I feel like I have had so much support. I now say you should be upfront and ask for help. They don’t want to work against you they want to work with you and my child has come such a long way!”
“My son really struggled to settle back into school after lockdown. Although I aimed to maintain a school routine at home, he struggled to socially adjust back into class and Yorkley School has been amazing at settling him back into the routines. He’s attending his friendship club and loves it. I have also been consistent with the school, completing the Triple P course which I found really useful, as it has loads of positive teaching and helpful tips. We could see an improvement in his behaviour within a couple of weeks and he’s continued to be the sweet loving boy he is, coming home with Star of the Week and green slips for doing nice things”.
“Yorkley School offers its children a wonderfully nurturing and supportive environment, second to none. Staff dedication to the whole school is inspiring and Mrs Bidmead is incredibly personable, understanding, patient and so knowledgeable to all aspects of well-being and pastoral support. The speed of signposting and offering extra support where needed has been incredibly helpful for our child and our family, and for that, we will be eternally grateful. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Yorkley School to any parent, it’s truly loving and caring, as well as setting high expectations and attainment for all its pupils – thank you everyone at Yorkley!”
“I would just like to say a massive thank you for all the help and support you have given to us over the past year and a half. You have gone above and beyond your normal duties in order to ensure our family issues are resolved with the right support. I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for your amazing help and your continued support, I don’t know what we would have done and how we would have got through the past 18 months. From all the referrals you have put in to get us the help we needed, your openness and willingness to make sure we are always ok is something I can’t put into words to express my thanks to you!”
Links to support:
Childhood Bereavement Charity Winstons Wish
Online Mental Wellbeing Community
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