More than 600 listeners from the local government, children and families sectors joined MHCLG’s webinar to mark the next phase of Supporting Families (formerly the Troubled Families Programme). Eddie Hughes MP, Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, with responsibility for Supporting Families, thanked professionals …
For children up and down the country, starting high school means growing up, and taking on a whole new world of friends and role models. Unfortunately, not all these influences are good ones. Police officers in Sandwell, West Midlands, were worried that primary school leavers in their boroughs were at risk from harms linked with local gangs, including exposure to exploitation, knife crime and drugs. …
With families trapped at home during lockdown, and family keyworkers needing to observe social distancing rules, local authority early help teams have been responding to rising levels of parental conflict. This good practice webinar shares some different strategies for supporting families who need help to reduce parental conflict and alcohol dependency. …
The See, Hear, Respond partnership has been created specifically to help children and young people in England who are experiencing harm and increased adversity during COVID-19, by providing support to those who are not being seen by schools or other key agencies. …
Patrick Myers, Senior Ambassador for the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme, reflects on how the programme is trying to support parents to change their behaviour to create happier homes for children and the resources available.
Ruth Keeling, Head of Policy for the Troubled Families Team at MHCLG, explores some of the different ways Troubled Families programmes are working with schools to provide families with more frequent access to support from early help. This is helping to keep children in the classroom and not excluded from school.
Nicholas Lindsay, Head of School at Longfield Academy, talks about how local services need to work together in a joined up and coordinated way to support the early help offer - ensuring every child and their family has the chance to fulfil their potential.
Catherine Watson, Practice Manager for Troubled Families at East Sussex County Council, talks about their innovative approach to signposting families to early help services via their Mental Health and Wellbeing Prescription Pad.
Thea Snow, Senior Programme Manager for Government Innovation at Nesta, discusses the opportunities and challenges of using algorithmic decision tools in children's social care to support decision making. Thea explores how humans make decisions, the different ways these tools can be used, and suggests a checklist for supporting their introduction into the workplace.
Barry Stormont, Manager at the Emotional Health Academy in West Berkshire, talks about how the academy provides early support to help prevent the need for accessing specialist mental health support and ease the pressure on both Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and acute services.
Alison Smith is practice and area lead for Earned Autonomy (EA) areas for the Troubled Families Team at MHCLG. Following a round of monitoring assurance visits to EA areas earlier this year she talks about common themes and how areas are working to ensure their Early Help system is more sustainable into the future.