Welfare and Support Officer at St Mary's C of E (VA) Primary School

If you would like to contact our Welfare and Support Officer Jo Crocker,  please call the school office on 01799 523384.

YOUNG CARERS

St Marys (VA) Primary School, Saffron Walden is committed to develop provision for young carers and their families.

We will capture this commitment by widening services on offer to young carers with the support of our network partners.  We plan to build on the needs of the young people and better meet young carers’ needs by reviewing our provision for young carers with a view to ultimately achieving best practice.

How we will achieve this:

• The whole school is committed to meeting the needs of young carers so that they can attend and enjoy school in the same way as other pupil/students and achieve their potential.
• Appoint a designated Young Carers’ School Lead with responsibility for young carers and their families. Pupils and families will be made aware of the identity of this lead and how to contact them to access support.
• The school only shares information with professionals and agencies on a need to know basis in order to support pupils and their families.
• St Mary’s will actively seek feedback and ideas from young carers and their families to shape and improve support.
• The school has an effective referral system and strong partnership in place with relevant external agencies, including referral to Young Carer agencies providing key workers who will work with young carers and families.
• We will strive to achieve best practice for students and families in our school in order to provide them with the best chance of success in their future.

For further information regarding young carers support in St Mary’s School, please speak to

 Jo Crocker, Welfare and Support Officer  or visit:

https://youth.essex.gov.uk/young-people/young-carers/

https://carers.org/

PARENTING SUPPORT

Family Lives:

Family Lives provides help and support on all aspects of parenting and family life, offering advice for families before they reach crisis point.

Parentline: 0808 800 2222

email: askus@familylives.org.uk

www.familylives.org.uk

Home-Start:

Specifically for families with a child aged 8 or below, Home-Start supports families through their toughest times.  Trained volunteers work alongside families to overcome the challenges, build on their strengths and offer support.

phone: 01245 847 410

email: info@home-startessex.org.uk

www.home-startessex.org.uk

Essex Family Support Service:

This service provides support to families with children aged 8 – 19 who are not receiving support from specialist and statutory services

phone: 01206 505 250

email: families@community360.org.uk

www.community360.org.uk

Parenting Alone- Volunteer Befrienders:

Support and advice specifically for single parents. Parenting alone can be full of pressures and challenges. If you’re feeling lonely, lacking in confidence, not getting out enough, swamped by responsibilities or desperate for 'adult conversation' a volunteer Befriender may help.

email: parents@mindinwestessex.org.uk

Parenting Together Support Programme:

This programme offers parents support to address conflict within their relationships, as well as strengthening their parenting skills. 

www.parentingtogethersupportprogramme.org.uk

NSPCC Learning:

This online guide shares practical advice and tips for positive parenting techniques that work well for children – from babies to teenagers.  These techniques encourage better behaviour and help parents find out what works for them and their child.

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/leaflets/positive-parenting

Free Online Course - Advanced Parenting Skills

https://alison.com/course/advanced-parenting-skills?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PPC%3eTier-1%3eSubCat%3ePsychology-(Broad)&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-uX9z8fr7AIVYoBQBh1sCg1MEAAYASAAEgI_VvD_BwE

Cost of Living Support - Active Essex

https://www.activeessex.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Cost-of-Living-Support-8_compressed.pdf