Families 3

23rd Jun 2022

Families 2

23rd Jun 2022

Families 1

St. Patrick’s Catholic Primary Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all children. We care about every child in our school and we want each and every child to reach their full potential.From time to time, we all go through situations which are difficult to cope with. We sometimes hear in the media about families who are, or who have been, struggling, or even in danger.
We are always happy to help where we can and to try and help you find the right agency to support you. We will ask for individual tailored support that best meets the needs of individual situations. If in any doubt, please come and talk to us. We are here for you!At times, we all need help and advice but finding the right department or agency can be a mind field. St. Patrick’s works hard to support families when issues first arise. The school does this in conjunction with Wolverhampton’s Early Help Offer.

What is Early Help?

‘Early Help’ means providing help for children, young people and families as soon as problems start to emerge or where it is likely that issues will impact negatively on children’s outcomes.

Early help…

Is for children of all ages and not just the very young,
Can be provided at any point of need and;
Can be very effective in supporting a child, young person and/or their family to step down from statutory services as well as preventing the escalation of issues.
Is important because there is clear evidence that it results in better outcomes for children.
Early help is a term that describes much of the everyday work of schools.

The Early Help Offer gives parents a framework for asking for support. An assessment form may be completed, or signposting given, to provide parents and families with services who can help. This may be behaviour support, parenting advice, attendance, bereavement counselling, health advice, or for specific medical issues. The list is not finite.

Day to Day Support

Most families, most of the time, can get on with their lives quite happily with little or no outside help. If they need help it is usually provided by universal services, such as schools.

Focused Pastoral Support

All families can have times, however, when difficulties arise and they either may not recognise it or may not know how to start putting things right. Schools play a role in supporting families to address these difficulties through more focused pastoral support, which might include bringing in support via an external agency.

Early Help Assessment

Early Help Assessment
For those children and families whose needs and circumstances make them more vulnerable, or where schools need the support of other agencies to meet the needs of the family, a coordinated multi-agency approach is usually best.

In Wolverhampton this is achieved through undertaking an Early Help Assessment and assigning a Lead Practitioner to work closely with the family to ensure they receive the support they require. Schools should be a key partner in any multi-agency work to support families.

For further information on how St. Patrick’s Catholic Primary Academy can support your child and family, please contact Mrs. Mulrooney on 01902 556451 or email stpatricksprimaryschool@wolverhampton.gov.uk