The latest news
Exam Results Day Support
AS and A-Level results day is on August 18, 2022
GCSE results day will be on August 25, 2022
We understand that this can be a particularly stressful time of year for some young people due to upcoming exam results or deciding on their future plans. The Services for Young People team will be on hand to deliver free, impartial and confidential information, advice and guidance from the Access Point Projects and Results Day support within schools. The below pdfs include a page dedicated to the support that young people can access on Results Day. Please do feel free to print this off and promote where possible to ensure young people have access to the help and support they may need.
For Broxbourne
For East Herts
For Dacorum
For St Albans
For Welwyn Hatfield
Visit Services for Young People for all other areas
We also thought we would share the dates for some great webinars for you to share with families from the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
They are holding free webinars for all parents and carers of children in Year 11 and Year 13 receiving their exam results this summer.
The exam results webinars are taking place from 1st to 12th August, and will provide parents and carers with strategies to support the mental health of young people who are waiting on their results.
Please share the details of the webinars with parents and carers at your school or college before the end of term.
Free exam results webinar for parents and carers (annafreud.org)
They will also be holding a series of webinars for young people who are starting university this autumn. Find out more Free university transition webinar for young people | Training | Anna Freud Centre
They have created a set of free resource packs to help pupils and staff practise self-care this summer.
The packs for pupils feature a range of creative activities based on self-care strategies that other young people have found useful. The staff toolkit features top tips for maximising self-care over the holidays, as well as a poster that can be shared in the staff room or disseminated online to colleagues.
Self-care summer | Resources for primary schools, secondary schools and staff (annafreud.org)
Keeping children entertained during the holidays
Lots of links and resources here to share with families for low cost school holiday activities.
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This summer, beyond your front door, but not that far from your doorstep, there’s lots for everyone to do all over Hertfordshire. We’ve put together a big list of ‘no cost’ or ‘low cost’ activities in our county, as voted for by Hertfordshire residents, providing a whole world of wonder for children and their parents. Check out our Healthy Little Trips webpage to find your next family day out – how many of our Fifty Thrifty Adventures will you tick off the list?
This is the Fifty Thrifty blog link: Fifty Thrifty Adventures to have in Hertfordshire this summer
Healthy Little tips (hertfordshire.gov.uk)
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HAPpy camps are for children and young people who attend a Hertfordshire school and are in receipt of benefits-related free school meals.
HAPpy Activity Camps - Herts Sports Partnership (sportinherts.org.uk)
There is some scope for provision to be available for vulnerable children as well as Ukrainian or other refugees, to check eligibility or obtain a code email haf@herts.ac.uk’
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“50 Things To Do Before You’re Five” is a menu of activities for early years settings and families with young children, contained within a FREE app, giving great suggestions for how to have fun and learn at the same time. https://hertfordshire.50thingstodo.org/app/os |
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Services for Young People are offering eight free Go Wild at Hudnall nature connection sessions during the 2022 school summer holidays |
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How to entertain your children in the holidays | Family Lives |
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The Hertfordshire Family Centre Service are running free family fun sessions over the summer period for children aged 0 – 8 years and will also be celebrating National Play Day out and about at community events. All of these events are free to Hertfordshire families.
We will be running lots of fun sessions to offer a wide range of activities for you and your children to enjoy and play together. They are an opportunity for you to meet other local families and get advice and support from the family centre team. As well as lots for under 5’s to enjoy, there will be activities for siblings up to the age of 8.
Celebrate National Play Day on Wednesday 3 August at events across the county. For more details please see our what’s on page. |
Summer Reading Challenge
Are you looking for a fun, free activity to keep your children busy over the summer holidays? Bring your family to your local library and sign up to the 2022 ‘Gadgeteers’ Summer Reading Challenge, which runs from Saturday 9 July to Saturday 3 September. Children are encouraged to read six books over the summer. You can read the books together with your child, they can read them independently, or even with a friend! For each two books read your child will receive a set of stickers. Those who complete the challenge will be rewarded with a medal, certificate, and pencil.
The Challenge was launched with a special event at St Albans library on Saturday 9 July.
The ‘Gadgeteers’ Summer Reading Challenge will be finishing in style with a special author event on Sunday 25 September. Enter the prize draw when you sign up to win a chance to attend!
The Challenge is a fun way of maintaining your child’s reading level over the summer so they can easily adjust to the learning environment of the new school year.
The Challenge is running at all Hertfordshire Libraries while stocks last. Join in the fun and keep the summer boredom at bay with the 2022 ‘Gadgeteers’ Summer Reading Challenge.
For more details pop into your local library or visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/libraries or call 0300 123 4049.
Just Talk - Summer Sleep Challenge
25 July - end of August 2022
Public Health’s Just Talk programme, which is aimed at young people, will launch a ‘Let’s Just Talk About Sleep’ campaign tomorrow. Please share information about the challenge with any young people/families you work with - if they participate in the challenge, they will be entered into a prize draw to win £200 worth of vouchers to spend on a family experience of their choice.
The Hertfordshire summer sleep challenge is for young people aged 11–18 and their families
You may have heard people tell you how much sleep you ‘should’ be getting, but sleep is like a t-shirt – there’s no ‘one size fits all’. Most young people need between 7 and 11 hours sleep but we know that pressures of school, and other demands on our time make it difficult to really know how much sleep you personally need. That’s why we’re inviting you to join Hertfordshire’s summer sleep challenge, to work out how much sleep you and your family members ideally need, by turning off your alarm clocks for two weeks this summer and completing a simple sleep log.
Let us know you’ve completed the challenge by emailing your completed summer sleep challenge log to: justtalk@hertfordshire.gov.uk . You will be entered into a prize draw and be in with the chance of winning Family Experience Vouchers worth £200!
Prince's Trust TEAM Programme for 16-25 year olds starts in September 2022
The Prince's Trust’s 12 week TEAM programme is for people aged 16-25 who are not currently in employment or education. TEAM is designed to help young people to get back into employment or further education. Not only is there a qualification at the end, it's also free!
We are asking parents, relatives and friends to pass on these details to anyone they think our scheme could be of benefit to.
Students are encouraged to undertake a voyage of self-discovery, to grow in confidence and to boost their skills and experience. Learners are supported to:
- Take part in an outdoor activity team-building week
- Take on a local community project
- Build interview and presentation skills
- Write a CV
- Gain work experience, work placements and references.
- Achieve a nationally recognised qualification in Employment, Teamwork and Community Skills (Entry level, level 1 and level 2)
Training is free and doesn’t affect jobseekers’ allowance.
Courses run three times a year from five locations: Watford; Hemel Hempstead; Cheshunt; Stevenage/North Herts; and Welwyn/Hatfield.
The next local Welwyn/Hatfield TEAM will start on 12th September 2022.
For more information or to register for upcoming courses, follow this link:
Prince’s Trust Team Programme – Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (hopinto.co.uk)
You can also email them at hfrs.youth@hertfordshire.gov.uk or find them on social media: Twitter: @HFRSYouth Facebook: Princes Trust Team Programme Hertfordshire.
Mums Matter!
Herts Mind Network have some new Mums Matter groups starting at the end of July. The below leaflet gives more information and you can download a referral form here. This information is also available on the Herts Mind Network website
They offer:
- 1-1 and group support to mums with babies up to 2 years old living in Hertfordshire
- The mums we support have mild to moderate mental health difficulties such as postnatal depression and / or anxiety
- The support is free
- Mums can be referred using the referral form or they can self-refer via the website
- The groups are small, online groups aimed at giving mums a range of tools and techniques to manage their own wellbeing and are also a great support to mums who feel very isolated after having a baby
Spread the word about #DogSafety
Leading animal welfare organisations have teamed up to produce a shareable infographic to encourage safe interactions with dogs.
Recently we’ve seen several tragic dog attack fatalities, so it’s paramount that families are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to enjoy spending time with their dogs safely.
The Canine and Feline Sector Group Dog Safety Code highlights three crucial messages that all dog owners and families need to know:
- Be alert – Always keep an eye on your dog around kids. Never leave them alone together
- Be aware – Dogs use signals to tell us how they feel – What is your dog telling you?
- Be safe – Any dog can bite. Accidents happen fast.
We’re encouraging safeguarding partners to display and share the infographic as widely as possible to get the #DogSafety message out there.
Available in digital and print versions – download from the Canine and Feline Sector Group website https://www.cfsg.org.uk/dog-safety/
Support for Autism and ADHD in Hertfordshire
The ASD and ADHD transformation programme, which includes Hertfordshire County Council, NHS trusts, HPCI and local voluntary organisations, has been working hard to improve services for families and young people.
A key area of work has been ensuring practitioners that work with children and young people know where they can go or signpost families to access support in their local area. This will hopefully help families, children and young people get access to support as early as they can.
To find out more about the support available please watch and share this 3-minute animation or visit the Herts Local Offer.
Please find some example communications attached to help with circulation.
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/autismADHDsupporthertfordshire
Help to manage the cost of living
The cost of living is something all the families we support are concerned about and there is so much information being sent out it can be hard to navigate.
The attached Toolkit may be helpful for you and your staff to be able to advise on the government support available over the coming months.
Cost of Living Toolkit
You may find this page useful when supporting families, it contains good resources which offer advice and practical help to manage finances and make savings and tips in managing the cost of living increases:-
Hertfordshire County Council | Help to manage the cost of living
Remember we also have a free online Universal Credit course available at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/benefits
Also if families are struggling, they can get in touch with HertsHelp - trained friendly advisors are on hand to offer confidential assistance and can put you in touch with helpful services and support locally - call 0300 123 4044, email info@hertshelp.net or visit www.hertshelp.net
Would you like to save money on your childcare costs?
If you have a child under the age of 12 (16 with a disability) and currently pay for childcare, did you know that you could save up to £2,000 per year by using Tax Free Childcare. To find out more please visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Help to manage the cost of living
We all need a little support from time to time. We’ve collated resources that offer advice and practical help to manage finances and make savings, while also helping the environment. For more information, visit the Hertfordshire website.
Family Centres Annual Report 2021/22
The Hertfordshire Family Support Service are pleased to share with you their Annual Report from April 2021 to March 2022.
The report covers who they are, their work focus, the last year and reviews of their priorities listed below. It also includes next steps.
Priority 1 - Healthy Lives, Healthy Relationships
Priority 2 - Raising Aspirations and Volunteering
Priority 3 - Narrowing the Gap
Priority 4 - Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
Priority 5 - Public Health
We hope you find this of interest and please do get in touch if you have any comments or questions. Telephone: 0300 123 7572 or visit their website Family Centre Service (hertsfamilycentres.org)