At Birchensale Middle School we recognise the challenges that families face in bringing up children. We understand that times are hard and every now and again we all need extra help and support. If this is the case, we want to open our doors and we welcome you to come in and chat with us.
What can we help with?
If you, your child or family are in need of additional support for any of the following reasons please follow the links below for details of how to access support.
If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact school, and speak with the team on 01527 684430 and ask for Mrs Pugh.
General Support and Advice
Virtual Family Hub
Worcestershire Children First have developed this virtual family hub to give you a range of different types of resources to help to support you and your family.
Starting Well Partnership
Starting Well have advice and services for Young People aswell as for Parent(s) and Carer(s) experiencing a range of health issues.
Opening hours are:
9am – 4:30pm Mondays to Fridays
Telephone: 01905 760000
Worcestershire Children First Early Help Family Support Service
The Early Help Family Support Service is delivered by Worcestershire Children First directly to families permanently living in Worcestershire who have children aged 0-18 years old and need help and support specifically from a Family Support Worker.
Ready Steady Worcestershire
Free School Meal eligible children and families with a referral are invited to sign up for the Worcestershire Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme now.
Local Services
Woodrow Library
25, Local Centre, Studley Road, Redditch, B987RY
GP Surgeries
The Bridge Surgery – 8 Evesham, Road, Redditch, Worcestershire, B974LA 01527555600
or
The Dow Surgery – William Street, Redditch, Worcestershire, B974AJ 0152762285
Food Bank
Redditch Foodbank Number 24
Church Green East, Redditch
B98 8DE.
07847618539
Family Support Worker
Many of you may already know Justine Fitzer, our Family Support Worker at Birchensale Middle School.
Justine brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to supporting our students and their families. With her compassionate approach and extensive background in family services, she is dedicated to fostering a nurturing and inclusive environment. Justine will be working closely with parents, carers, and staff to ensure that every child receives the support they need to thrive both academically and personally.
Contact the direct and speak to Mrs Pugh in the first instance and we can make an introduction.
Health
Starting Well Partnership
Holly Trees – Redditch
Holly Trees St Stephen’s First School,
Mabey Avenue,
Riverside,
Redditch
B98 8HW
Mon-Fri 9am – 4:30pm
T: 01905520032
A Health Visitor will assist you over the phone with any worries, concerns, or questions you have or you can use the text service and speak with a School Nurse on 07507331750
School Health Nurse Services
School health nurses offer a range of services such as home visits, health needs assessments, time4u drop-in service, school aged hearing and national child measurement programme to support the needs of children and their families.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
CAMHS – I am worried about my child
Kooth
Kooth is an online mental wellbeing community which offers free, safe, and anonymous support.
Reach 4 Wellbeing
The Reach4Wellbeing team promotes positive wellbeing to reduce the stigma of mental health by providing short-term group programmes for children and young people age 5- 18 experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and low mood.
Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention
Papyrus can offer suicide prevent support providing free and confidential helplines, advice, webchats, and resources.
Healthy Minds
NHS Talking Therapies
Winston’s Wish
Winston’s Wish provide support for children and young people following the death of a sibling, parent, or a person important to a child.
NHS Health and Care
The NHS have developed a wide range of self-help guides that provide information across a wide range of topics.
Relationships
Harmony at Home
Harmony at Home understands all relationships can experience challenges, difficulties and breakdown, especially with the pressures of being a parent.
Conflict is natural within relationships, these pages have been designed specifically to support families with advice, tips and information for parents and carers who may be together, separating, divorced or co-parenting.
Healthy relationships – NSPCC
NSPCC services and links offer information, advice, and intervention on healthy relationships for your family and children.
West Mercia Women’s Aid
CRUSH is an awareness raising and support programme to help young people make safe and healthy relationships.
Friendships & Relationships in Teenagers
Making friends and starting new relationships are a big part of getting older. It’s very common to fall out with friends or break up from relationships – which can be very difficult to deal with. You might also be in a relationship that doesn’t feel right and need some advice about what to do.
The websites below contain lots of information about making friends, peer pressure, healthy and unhealthy relationships, sex and much more. There is also information available for parents around how to talk to your child about friendships, sex and relationships.
Childline – Friends, relationships and sex
NHS Choices – How to talk to your child about sex
Information and advice about sexual health, including contraception and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Sexual Health
Sexual Health Worcestershire County Council
Worcestershire Integrated Sexual Health Service (WISH)
WISH offer friendly and non-judgemental specialist services to support with information and advice, contraception, pregnancy, STIs and screening. WISH have a dedicated Outreach nursing service. Referral forms can be found following the link. The Outreach team see young and vulnerable people who couldn’t otherwise access sexual health services.
Under 21 Saturday Service – Clinic telephone lines are open between 10:00am – 12:30pm on Saturdays – Please call: 01905 681673 for further details.
Young People have a telephone consultation and are asked questions about their relationships. Callers will be advised what to do next and directed towards a clinic if necessary.
Free STI test kits and contraception: Free Home STI STD Test
Parenting
The Starting Well Partnership offer a range of parenting support, information, groups, and courses. For information on the groups available please visit:
Parenting groups – Starting Well
Parenting Talk is an online hub offering information, advice, and a free confidential online chat with a parenting advisor.
Parent Talk – Support for Parents from Action for Children
Homestart can work with you to provide one to one support in the family home each week. This service provides support tailored to your needs and can help you as parents they learn to cope and build confidence to provide as best you can for your children.
Telephone: 0152762819
Childcare
Information about Childcare in Worcestershire
Different types of childcare and information on choosing the right type and the funding available.
Young Carers
Worcestershire Young Carers aim to identify, and support children and young people aged 7 to 24 years who have a caring role within the home and help look after a parent, sibling, or grandparent due to illness, disability, physical or mental health difficulties or substance misuse.
Finance, Housing & Employment
If you are facing challenges around employment and income, please contact the local Job Centre who can offer support with: Jobseekers’ Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Employment & Support Allowance and Income Support.
Local Job Centre Plus
4th floor Library
15 Market Place
Redditch
B98 8AR
United Kingdom
Telephone: 0845 6043719
Bromsgrove & Redditch Citizens Advice Bureau
We can all face problems that seem complicated or intimidating. At Citizens Advice Bromsgrove and Redditch, we believe no one should have to face these problems without good quality, independent advice.
That’s why we’re here: to give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem.
Housing, Finances and Debt
Support and guidance resources can be found on the link above part of the Worcestershire Virtual Family hub.
Substance Misuse
Cranstoun
Cranstoun has supported people to rebuild their lives, inspired transformation and empowered positive change. They are here for people who need help and support with substance misuse with a variety of support strategies.
Here4Youth
Worcestershire Here4YOUth works with youths to provide alcohol and drug support and they can meet team members at school, at home, or in any environment that they feel comfortable in. They offer advice, support and guidance for children, young people and family members of any age to cope with someone else’s drug or alcohol misuse.
Get Safe
If you are worried your child is at risk of being tricked, forced, or made to work in the criminal world please speak to a member of staff and visit Get Safe for help and information:
Family Member in Prison
Do you have a family member in prison which is having an impact on your child? Support is available to work with both the person in prison and your family.
Families First provides support and guidance in a safe space, to enable the whole family to cope with the demands of having a partner, and parent, in prison.
Online Safety
Online Activity (phones, computers) can be a serious risk to children: The use of technology has become a significant component of many safeguarding issues. Child sexual exploitation; radicalisation; sexual predation – technology often provides the platform that facilitates harm. With the right support, education and safety measures in place the internet and new technologies can also bring great benefits but we must all be vigilant.
- Some of the risks online usage can pose to young people are
- Cyberbullying.
- Online grooming
- Sending/receiving/uploading inappropriate images or messages
- Peer pressure
- Body image
- Ways to support your child
- Contact the police, reporting any misuse of social media i.e. online grooming.
- Monitoring online usage and favourite apps when and as you deem appropriate.
- Ensure your child is aware of how to report any issues/concerns on their favourite sites/apps.
For more information visit
PACE (parents against child exploitation) UK is a useful website for parents to engage with online safety issues.
This is the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre. It’s a one stop shop for most information about online safety.
This is the government website to help parents and professionals understand the risks of children and young people being radicalised by extremists online and how to keep children safe from this.
A great site for helping parents keep their children safe online.
Family Support Services
Being a parents or carer is not always easy and can often present complex challenges. Sometimes these challenges may develop into a worry or difficult situation that may start to impact the functioning and happiness of a family and home, engagement with school and it may start to feel like it is not possible to find a solution. If you do have any concerns about your child then please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss how we can support with the NWHS Early Help Offer. Alternatively, please use the links below to find our information from support groups that may help provide advice and guidance.
Support Line offers a telephone helpline offering emotional support to families.
Relate offer relationship support for families, including advice about parenting and family life.
Family Lives provides information, advice, guidance and support on any aspect of parenting and family life.
Gingerbread provides single parents with advice and practical support.
Here is a very helpful website for what do to in many different difficult situations.
This site is an information site for anyone who is raising children on their own, whether through relationship breakup, illness, bereavement, work commitments or choice. It is run by Single Parent Action Network, a campaigning organisation working to make sure that your stories and your questions about single parenting are an important part of the social and political agenda.
Domestice Abuse
West Mercia Women’s Aid:
0800 980 3331
[email protected]
Anxiety
Anxiety UK is a long standing charity that aims to provide a range of support and guidance to help deal with stress and anxiety.