Early Help
Early Help
What is Early Help in school?
Early Help is a way of getting extra support when your family needs it. With a view to getting help as soon as difficulties start rather than waiting until things get worse. Help can come from all kinds of services and organisations who work together to support your family.
Staff in school will listen to your thoughts and concerns, and work with you to signpost relevant support services, complete targeted work and sometimes undertake intensive work with an aim to meet positive outcomes for both pupils and their carers.
Jane Finlayson is our Family Liaison Worker. She will be working with families to support with a variety of concerns. These may include help and support with health, housing, finance, domestic violence, and attendance. She can support families with other practical and emotional concerns at times of difficulty. Jane may visit you in your home with your permission and advise you of other agencies that can support you and your family. This may include carrying out an Early Help Assessment, which identifies need and then the support to be offered. She may also undertake some direct work with your child in school, for example, a child recently estranged from a parent.
Jane is in school on Mondays and Tuesdays. To arrange to meet with Jane please contact school or Jane directly by emailing her at jane.finlayson@st-georges.derbyshire.sch.uk.
Through effective use and deployment of Early Help, the following objectives can be achieved:
- Children achieve good attendance and are engaged in their learning
- Children are kept safe from abuse, neglect and exploitation
- Families are supported to be physically and emotionally healthy
- Families are knowledgeable on where to seek support
- Carers are well informed about how best to support their children.
- Children's long-term outcomes are improved
How will Early Help support be offered?
Support will be given via telephone, email or face to face. A family Support worker will communicate regularly with you.
With parent/carers permission an Early Help Assessment (EHA) may be completed, which will allow the school and family to identify concerns, and plan / coordinate timely solutions.
Our school recognises that we are stronger together, and therefore Early Help Assessments will consider the strengths and needs of children, their carers and their wider support network as part of a whole family approach.
An EHA will identify risks and stressors as well as positive resources and protective factors. Often ‘Team around the family’ (TAF) meetings will be arranged; where relevant support agencies and the family can come together to discuss developments and ensure that the right support is in place.
We will work together, openly and honestly, and this may include having challenging conversations at times. Children’s needs will always take priority, therefore if a practitioner identifies a risk, which the family may or may not agree with, appropriate action will be taken to keep the child safe.
If parents or carers have any concerns around our delivery of Early Help, these can be addressed by following the schools complaints procedure.
If you are concerned about the safety of a child or you require urgent help or advice, you can phone Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190.
Attachment & Relationships Aware School
We are proud to be an Attachment & Relationships Aware School. This is a Derbyshire County Council initiative and is led by Derbyshire's Virtual School.
The programme was conceived and devised by Lizzie Watt, Assistant Headteacher and Dr Paul Kelly, Specialist Senior Educational Psychologist within the Virtual School in Derbyshire.
The attachment aware schools programme was designed to:
- improve the teaching and learning conditions for children in care and all vulnerable learners in schools and settings
- help to reduce the need for exclusions in school
- develop a supportive network of Derbyshire schools that have innovative and excellent practice around vulnerable learners
- produce a portfolio of good practice examples and other resources to share across the whole of Derbyshire’s school community and beyond
- raise awareness of the issues and needs around attachment and trauma
- consolidate good working relations between the newly formed Virtual School and all Derbyshire schools
- bring about a new community of schools working with action research as their driver for school development
Mental Health & Wellbeing
We know that the most effective learners are happy learners, therefore from the start of your child's journey with us through to the end of their time at St George's CE Primary School, we aim to make sure they feel supported, encouraged and motivated to learn.
We know that each of our young people will face different challenges as they grow up, be that academically, socially, emotionally or developmentally, therefore we want to do everything we can to help them through whatever life throws their way. Here at St George's, mental health and wellbeing is a high priority for us and we promote and support the social, emotional and mental wellbeing of children and families in many way such as through our curriculum, Positive Play, one-to-one support and engagement with external agencies.
St George's MHWB Provision Map
Below you can find a range of signposts and resources for support for you and your family. Please contact us in confidence if you will like us to help you access any support.
Parental Anxiety Pack - Tips for supporting your child when they are anxious
Wellbeing Policy - How we promote wellbeing in school
Children's Wellbeing Policy - A child-friendly version of our policy
Five Ways to Wellbeing - Guidance for supporting your own wellbeing
Smilers - A resource to support children take responsibility for their own wellbeing
Parent MHWB Workshop July 2024
GOSH Sleep Hygiene for Children and Young People - Support to build a successful bedtime routine
Getting a Good Nights Sleep Help Sheet
Compass Changing Lives provides prevention and early intervention emotional wellbeing and mental health support to Children, Young People and Families (CYPFs) across Derby & Derbyshire.
Changing Lives is made up of two services, a Mental Health Support Team which supports schools and CYPF in Derby, High Peak, Glossop, Erewash, Bolsover, the Derbyshire Dales, Chesterfield, Amber Valley and South Derbyshire, and the Early Intervention Targeted Support Service which provides support across the county and city.
We are a compassionate and friendly team who are here to help support children and young people’s mental health. We provide a free and confidential emotional health and wellbeing support for children and young people with mild to moderate emotional health and wellbeing needs.
Sometimes, you may feel sad, scared or worried. Maybe you’re getting angry or frustrated. We can help get you the right help!
We work with CYPF across Derby and Derbyshire providing support to children and young people in groups and one to one. We also provide parent and carer support to parents and carers around improving their knowledge and understanding of how best to support and improve their child’s mental health and wellbeing.
To find out more about Changing Lives click here
Children's Introduction to Changing Lives
Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline and Support Service
The Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline and Support Service is a freephone service available to everyone living in Derbyshire - young people and adults. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you or your loved one are experiencing distress or anxiety, or feeling that you cannot cope, call us on 0800 028 0077 for support over the phone. That support could be about your mental health but you can also talk through practical issues that may be causing concern.
In addition, if the helpline team feel you would benefit from some face-to-face support, you may be invited to our ‘safe haven’. Here you can continue to discuss your problems in a calm, welcoming environment with people who understand what you’re going through.
Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people
Advice, support, resources and shared personal experiences around being LGBT+
Support for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts
Burton Cruse offers free information, advice and support to anyone experiencing bereavement. Trained and qualified volunteers receive professional supervision. The service is delivered by telephone, face to face either in clients home or at the Cruse counselling room and through a mutual support bereavement group.
Relate offers counselling services for every type of relationship nationwide. They provide advice on marriage, LGBT issues, divorce and parenting.
