Families First Dates for Your Diary!
There are many ways to stay updated with Families First News, including events, webinars, induction days, and partnership meetings. Discover what’s coming up here
Monthly Families First Keeping in Touch Sessions
These sessions are a short informal update on service news, training offers and parenting courses delivered by one of our service managers. Please email familiesfirst.support@hertfordshire.gov..uk if you would like an invitation to join.
- Thursday 4th September, 9am-9.30
- Thursday 2nd October, 9am-9.30
Join a Families First Induction day - ideal for new starters
We host Families First online Induction days 4 times per year, where various early help services give a 20 minute whistle-stop tour of their service and are attended by new internal CS staff and external partners. The next dates are:-
- Wednesday 15 October 2025 via Teams
Please email: familiesfirst.support@hertfordshire.gov.uk if you have any questions on the above or would like an invite sent to you.
Families First quarterly district partnership meetings
In addition, many of you are regular attendees at our partnership meetings, which are a great way of keeping up to date with new services, updates and make connections. You can find out more about the groups here and email familiesfirst.support@hertfordshire.gov.uk if you would like to join.
Working Together in Early Help Events
Next round of events will take place in October 2025 - Dates announced soon!
View Courses from Step2Skills
Step2Skills Autumn Courses now LIVE, Spring into a career in childcare with a Step2Skills Early Years Skills Bootcamp and Support into long-term, sustainable work with Step2Skills.
If you could please share details of what might be of interest to your networks, that would be much appreciated by the team at Step2Skills.
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Exciting News! Step2Skills’ Autumn Courses Are Now Live!
Step2Skills are thrilled to announce that their courses and workshops starting this September are now open for booking on their website!
Whether you prefer face-to-face learning across the county or the flexibility of online options, there’s something for everyone. Explore a wide range of topics and discover what you’d love to learn this Autumn.
Visit www.step2skills.org.uk/courses to see the range of tailored and accredited learning on offer, from ESOL courses for speakers of other languages, to digital skills, to a range of skills for work.
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Spring into a career in Early Years & Education with a Step2Skills Skills Bootcamp
Did you know, if you complete an Early Years & Education Skills Bootcamp with Step2Skills, they'll support you to apply for jobs and prepare for an interview in the Early Years sector?
Their next accredited Level 2 Skills Bootcamp will begin on Monday 1st September, with one class weekly from 9am to 2.30pm. In October, another cohort will begin.
Gain a Level 2 Certificate AND a Paediatric Emergency First Aid Certificate, alongside one-to-one careers advice on the FREE Skills Bootcamp, for Hertfordshire residents.
In just 16 weeks, you'll have the stepping stones to launch into your new career in childcare, whether that's at a nursery, or working as a childminder. Once working, you could choose to develop your training and complete a full diploma.
Skills Bootcamps are FREE to the learners and are a great way for employers to grow their own workforce. Skills Bootcamps require commitment and dedication, but they are a fast and efficient way to kickstart your career in a sector that needs YOU!
Visit www.step2skills.org.uk/SkillsBootcamps to register your interest today.
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Looking for support into long-term, sustainable work? Gain Employment Support from the Step2Skills team
Struggling to find work in Hertfordshire due to a challenge or barrier?
Step2Skills offers a range of employment support programmes and works with a supportive network of local employers across the county.
One such employer is Samsic UK, where people are at the heart of everything they do. As a Disability Confident Employer, the company is committed to creating inclusive opportunities and supporting individuals of all backgrounds and abilities. Through their partnership with Step2Skills, Samsic actively recruits within local communities to help remove barriers to employment.
John, who joined Samsic UK in February 2025 through this programme, is one such success story—now a valued member of the cleaning team at Berkhamsted Fire Station.
“John is an incredibly hardworking member of the team - nothing is ever too much for him.
Taking the time to support John through his early days has shown just how valuable it is to invest in people. By removing barriers, we’ve not only helped John rebuild his confidence, but also gained a loyal and dedicated team member who delivers service excellence.”
Katie, Samsic UK.
If you’d like to apply or refer someone to Step2Skills employment support services, please visit their website www.step2skills.org.uk/EmploymentSupport.
New Free Young Carers e-learning module
📢 Young Carers Are Everyone’s Business – New e-learning Module Now Live
To mark Carers Week (9–15th June), Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) has launched a new free, accessible e-learning module to help professionals across Hertfordshire better understand and support young carers.
👧 Who Are Young Carers?
A young carer is someone under 18 who helps care for someone with a physical illness, mental health condition, disability, or substance misuse issue.
❗ Why This Matters
The Carers Trust estimates that 1 in 5 school-aged children could be young carers. Yet in Hertfordshire:
- The January 2025 School Census:
- Found that 60% of schools reported no known young carers
- Identified only 1,483 young carers out of approx. 200,000 pupils
- The 2021 Census recorded just 2,525 young carers aged 5–17
These figures show many young carers remain hidden and unsupported.
💡 About the Module
This 30-minute course helps staff:
- Recognise signs a child may be a young carer
- Understand the impact of caring on their wellbeing
- Know how to signpost to support in Hertfordshire
👥 Who Should Complete It?
This module is for anyone working with children, families, or vulnerable adults—whether in adult care, libraries, youth services, health or education. Young carers are everyone’s business.
🔗 How to Access
Let’s all play our part—complete the e-learning today and help ensure young carers get the support they need to thrive!
Herts Mind Network
Herts Mind Network are excited to share our upcoming Online wellbeing groups for children and young people, designed to support emotional development, resilience, and mental wellbeing through engaging and age-appropriate groups.
Please see flyers attached. WithTOUth Online Group Support, Future YOUth Mentoring Service, CYP Workshops (costed training guide), CYP workshops (free training guide), Spot the Signs Suicide Prevention
🌿 The Calm Club (Ages 15+) - The Calm Club - WithYouth
Mondays, 7:00 PM | 7 July – 25 August 2025 (7 weeks)
Find your calm. Build your confidence.
A supportive space for teens to understand and manage anxiety, build self-awareness, and learn practical strategies for coping with school pressure, exam stress, and social anxiety. Activities include mindfulness, goal setting, and positive thinking exercises.
🎒 Road to Year 7 (For Year 6 students) - Road to Year 7 - WithYouth
Thursdays, 5:00 PM | 17 July – 18 September 2025 (10 weeks)
Starting secondary school can feel overwhelming – but they don’t have to face it alone.
This group provides a friendly and fun space to prepare for Year 7, meet others going through the same transition, and build confidence through games, helpful discussions, and practical tips on friendships, routines, and organisation.
🌈 Creative Minds - Creative Minds - WithYouth
Wednesdays, 5:00 PM | 11 June – 13 August 2025 (10 weeks)
A welcoming group for young people to explore their feelings through art, games, and writing.
No experience needed – just bring creativity and curiosity! A great way to build confidence, connect with peers, and express emotions in fun, supportive ways.
Workforce Shadowing
The vision for Families First training and development is to create a skilled, confident and resilient multi-agency workforce that supports whole family working.
Workforce shadowing provides a great opportunity to find out more about other services, what they do and how they might be able to support you in your work. It also enhances communication across agencies and helps strengthen and develop professional relationships, building local networks.
If you would like to organise a workforce shadowing placement for either yourself or a team member please complete the form on this page stating the service you would like to shadow and the preferred district and we will match you to a shadowing opportunity.
The following services have offered to host shadowing opportunities in either in person or virtually:-
- Citizens Advice (Broxbourne/St Albans/North Herts)
- Childcare provision
- CGL (drug & alcohol support)
- District Council, ASB Team, Three Rivers
- District Council, Housing Support, Broxbourne
- Domestic Abuse Support
- DSPL (Delivering Special Provision Locally) - All areas
- Families First Panels Team
- Family Support Service, Family Centre
- Herts Mind Network
- Herts Sports Partnership
- Home-Start (Watford & Three Rivers)
- MIND in Mid Herts
- ASB Team, District Council, Three Rivers
- Housing Support, District Council
- Intensive Family Support Team (IFST)
- Local School Partnerships
- Police
- Public Health Nursing
- Re-Intergration, Virtual School
- Schools Early Years Provision
- Specialist Adolescent Services Hertfordshire (SASH)
- Services for Young People
- Supporting Families Practice Team
Additionally, if you would like to add your service to the above list, again please email us with your contact details, service and district.
Familesfirst.support@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Please take a look at the page, bookmark and share with teams, where appropriate.
Workforce development (hertfordshire.gov.uk)
My Teen Brain Online Training - 16th September
Strategic Partnerships Commissioning are pleased to announce that there are still spaces available on the My Teen Brain Online Training course on Tuesday 16th September 2025. Please can I ask that you share the below information in your newsletters, training bulletins and with your colleagues and partners.
My Teen brain is a FREE 1-day CPD course, from 10am – 3pm for Hertfordshire practitioners working with parents of teenagers and/or working with teenagers or young people in Hertfordshire. It provides an opportunity to understand teenage brain development and the adolescent developmental process and consider both risk and resilience. It includes ideas and strategies for professionals working with teenagers and their parents to help them cope with challenging feelings and behaviour and to support young people in an emotionally healthy context. The day brings together the latest understanding from neuroscience and developmental psychology and the principles of The Nurturing Programme from The Centre For Emotional Health.
Please find below the booking link for you to reserve your place on to the first Autumn term course. This training is a very popular and is beneficial to all practitioners who work with Hertfordshire children and families.
If you are interested in booking on to the course, please ensure that you ONLY reserve your place if you have the capacity to attend the training on your preferred day and for the entire duration of the session, from 10am – 3pm.
Tuesday 16th September - My Teen Brain Online Training | Hertfordshire County Council
If you would like further information about the course or alternative dates, please email CSStrategic.Partnerships@hertfordshire.gov.uk