Schools
Social Work Service 
Our service is centred on the needs of vulnerable children and young people who may be experiencing extreme distress to fulfil their potential, access full life and learning opportunities offered by the school and support families, parents and teachers in their vital roles.
Since your meeting with our son last week there has been a huge improvement. He speaks so highly of you, and we’re very grateful for all your support.
– Parents of a young person
The service will:
- Remove barriers to learning and participation.
- Develop the full potential of individuals.
- Nurture the emotional development and improve the resilience of individual children and young people within the school and home and the local community.
- Address critical personal and social issues.
- Develop new skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that assist children and young people in reaching their full potential.
- Work with partners to ensure that children and young people are safe and that safeguarding is robust and accessible.
When children and young people have problems at school or at home, those problems can’t just be addressed at one end: they require an integrated approach which involves all affected parties. Wherever extra support and intervention are needed, we offer a team of dedicated school & family social-work professionals.
The facts & figures: The financial year 2018-19
In 2018-19, we took 1,421 referrals to our service, delivering 16,003 one-one sessions with children & young people and individually supported 180 school staff. We also gave support to 261 parents and made 182 home visits. This year 81 groups have been established offering support to students.
Person-centred but in partnership
We want to make a positive difference in the life of every child or young person we support, which requires seeing them as individuals and really hearing them. We also work closely in partnership with the people around them, including their family members, teachers and other professional services.
This enables us to ensure the best possible standard of support and care for the young people’s physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs.
Specific Services
We offer a Holistic In-school and community Social Work Service that encompass Individual Counselling Support for children and young people, Group Work, Family Social Work Support, School Staff Support and Safeguarding.
The cost of the service includes the following:
Long term work with young people facing a range of difficulties which impact on behaviour and performance at school. This may involve work with families and liaison with other agencies.
(+/- 6 sessions) focusing on a specific problem with the aim of identifying skills and strategies to cope more effectively. E.g. anxiety management.
On issues such as peer relationships, anger management, raising self-esteem and confidence.
Solid scientific evidence suggests that mindfulness interventions improve attention, self-control, and emotional resilience, recovery from addiction, memory and immune response.
We offer this approach as a whole school intervention, particularly when a school has experienced trauma, we also offer class and small group work and individual sessions with referred children and young people.
Supporting children and families within their own homes in their community.
Aiding stress management by looking at both personal and professional concerns.
We offer support to vulnerable parents on an individual and group basis, supporting parents to develop new strategies and skills and improve family relationships.
Providing a service to the whole school community or on an individual l basis. We cover a range of loss issues including, family breakdowns and children living in foster care situations.
With staff, we will look at loss issues in a broader sense, enhancing coping and classroom management following bereavement.
For students who have been previously referred to the service and require some follow on support.
Empowering children and young people through supporting others through periods of emotional distress.
A confidential and professional in-school social work service is available for head teachers along with support around managing complexes cases, liaising with outside agencies, chairing and managing Early Help Assessments.
Working on the transition to secondary school or college – in particular, we are keen to develop ways to engage and sustain contact with parents plus create links between primary and secondary school communities. Vulnerable children and young people will receive consistent support through the transition period.
Support, supervision and guidance on managing safeguarding in school, maintaining records and ensuring safe and positive outcomes for the most vulnerable children and young people.