The latest news
Update from the Intensive Family Support Teams (IFST)
The Intensive Family Support teams work with families with multiple and complex needs who would benefit from intensive support.
Up until recently the teams were set up in 5 areas but they have recently reorganised to operate as quadrants and are now represented as follows:-
East Herts, Broxbourne & Welwyn Hatfield Manager: Janine Culpin
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Watford, Three Rivers and Hertsmere Manager: Debbie Stone
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North Herts & Stevenage: Manager: Lauren Penrose
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Dacorum & St Albans Manager: Penny Smith
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The help they provide depends on each family's situation, but examples of issues they help with include:
- parenting skills
- improving school attendance
- training to help find a job
- help with housing problems
- managing money and debt.
There is no age focus for the service, as long as there is a dependent child (under 18) in the family.
The focus instead is to provide practical support to the whole family, when there is evidence of 4 of the following presenting issues being a concern to professionals across more than 1 family member, or the family are identified as requiring intensive whole family support which no other services are available to provide:
- parents or children involved in crime or anti-social behaviour
- children who have not been attending school regularly
- children who need help (for example they have had an assessment in the last year)
- adults out of work or at risk of financial exclusion or young people at risk of worklessness
- families affected by domestic violence and abuse
- parents or children with a range of health problems.
Update from Services for Young People
Our Access Points are fully open for in-person and virtual booked appointments where young people can receive support on a range of needs including Careers Guidance, Sexual Health Services and support in accessing our projects.
Some services and projects are highlighted below, and full details of all our projects can be found by visiting our website.
Looking ahead and planning for the future
In addition to our usual Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance, delivered in schools and through our Access Points, we are providing more intensive support for young people who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). Our Pathways to Success programme delivers individual tailored support alongside a range of interactive workshops, which equips young people with the skills to develop their CVs and hone their interview skills. In doing so, the programme supports young people with identifying their future options, raising their aspirations and enhancing their employability. Contact us if you know of a young person who would benefit from this extra support.
Supporting young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing
Young people who are experiencing low mood may benefit from our Emotional Wellbeing Project which focuses on the Five Ways to Wellbeing, a framework for young people to explore how simple lifestyle changes can improve their emotional wellbeing. Similarly, the Supporting You Project supports young people who are struggling with feelings of worry or anxiety. Delivered within a supportive group work setting, young people learn how to apply a range of CBT techniques to their everyday lives, increasing confidence, self-esteem and developing their resilience to support their long-term wellbeing.
Supporting young people with mild to moderate learning difficulties
Our projects for young people with mild to moderate learning disabilities enable young people to access a safe space, participate in activities, workshops and interact with others, developing their communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills, as well as having a focus on developing skills to support independent living.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE)
DofE is a real adventure from beginning to end. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from, you just need to be ready to jump into the best time of your life! SfYP support schools across Hertfordshire in delivering the Award but we are increasingly aware that not all young people can access the award through their schools as places can be limited and for some school’s they are not in the position to offer this opportunity. Therefore, from September young people are welcome to access the Award at one of our Young People’s Centres and we would be happy to hear from you if you know of a young person who would value this opportunity.
How to refer a young person to Services for Young People
If you wish to refer a young person to a project or programme please click here. Your online referral will go to our referral Hub at County Hall and be allocated through the appropriate team manager to the SfYP project/service best placed to meet your needs.
Do you deliver a service to help disadvantaged families in Hertfordshire?
If so, we’d like to hear from you. Please spare 5-10 minutes to complete this short survey to help us understand more about the services that you provide.
The information you provide will be key in shaping our Building Life Chances programme, a joint initiative between Children’s Services, Adult Care Services and Public Health to support families in or at risk of disadvantage.
Please complete this survey by Friday 19th November 2021
The Henry Programme - A great start for babies and young children
The Henry Programme provides a service for families with children aged 0-5 to help ensure babies and young children have a healthy start in life. The programme can help everyone with a baby or young child.
View their leaflet here form more information and programme details.
They are currently are running 8 week FREE programmes in Watford, Hemel and Borehamwood fand also an online programme for families who cannot travel.
Please view the HENRY’s new programme schedule for September 2021 who will be returning to face to face programmes while keeping an online programme option too.
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Free Computer Essentials course for Hertfordshire Families
Community Action Dacorum would like to share a course that might suit some of the families you support. It is a basic computing course, and we have partnered with the South Hill Centre to arrange a place learners can go to do the course if they do not have their own equipment, or if they would simply prefer going to a venue opposed to being at home and accessing online. It’s hopefully the first of many we will do in this way.
The course is free for anyone living in Hertfordshire. Referrals can be sent to learning@communityactiondacorum.org.uk or they can register directly by competing the enrolment form https://forms.gle/cYqPFPoa86JJk8as7
We will also be running IT assessments on a regular basis at the SHC, hopefully 2 a month. More information below:-
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Youth Suicide Prevention Training for Parents, Carers and Family Members
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For professionals to promote to families:-
On Friday 15th October at 10am - 12, Herts Mind Network will be delivering their first Spot the Signs – Youth Suicide Prevention Training for Parents, Carers and Family Members. The aim of this training is to help parents, carers and family members to recognise when their young people are experiencing suicidal thoughts and provide next steps support, along with practical advice, information and signposting.
If you are a parent, carer or family member over 18 and living or working in Hertfordshire, please visit the following links for more information and to sign-up for your FREE space:
*Please note that this training session is not able to provide support those who have a child that continues to attempt suicide, or who have previously been bereaved by suicide.
If your child has recently made a suicide attempt but a mental health specialist hasn’t assessed them, they need to be urgently assessed. You can ask for an urgent on-the-day appointment with your GP, or call your local NHS helpline or 111 for urgent advice.
If you’ve lost a child to suicide, please visit SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement By Suicide) for further support: www.uksobs.org
If you are worried that your child is at risk of making a suicide attempt or seriously hurting themselves, or it doesn’t feel like they’re safe, don’t wait to attend this training. Call 999 for an ambulance or take them to Accident & Emergency (A&E).
For further information about the training, please contact Jess Whittaker – jessica.whittaker@hertsmindnetwork.org
HAPpy Programme - planning for Christmas
This Christmas, Hertfordshire County Council, Herts Sports Partnership and Hertfordshire Community Foundation will once again join forces to deliver healthy food alongside physical and enrichment activities, under the name ‘HAPpy: Hertfordshire’s Holiday Activity Programme’.
The Christmas delivery period will fall over three weeks:
- Week 1: 22nd, 23rd, 24th December
- Week 2: 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st December
- Week 3: 3rd and 4th January
'HAPpy' aims to tackle the triple inequalities of holiday hunger, physical inactivity and social isolation. So far, thousands of children and young people aged 5 to 16, who are in receipt of benefits-related free school meals have benefited from the Easter and summer programmes. With applications for Christmas now open, we are pleased to invite you to find out more about the Christmas HAPpy programme
The income squeeze and the rise in food poverty
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Citizens Advice EH have published their latest research findings on food poverty. A household can be said to experience food insecurity or food poverty when unable to access ‘an adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways’. Food poverty in the UK was prominent before Covid began, with 700,000 households using a food bank in 2019/20 (Trussell Trust) but the pandemic has caused these numbers to increase dramatically.
In the first 6 months of the pandemic, the Food Foundation reported that 4.7 million adults and 2.3 million children lived in a household which could not access a sufficient quantity of food. With around 8.4 million people in the UK facing food poverty, the rate is one of the worst in Europe. While support is available, for example from food banks and free school meals, food poverty remains an extremely prominent issue which reduces quality of life and increases risk of illness and health issues.
This winter will see a major income squeeze which will be focused on low-to-middle income households. High inflation, especially higher energy bills, will strain many families’ finances. We can expect to see an increase in demand for support from charities such as Citizens Advice and foodbanks. It is more important than ever that people know where to turn for help.
To find out more about our research in this area and how we and other frontline services are supporting, please join us for a webinar on 12th October at 12.30-1.30pm. You can sign up via the link below.
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Get answers to your SEND related questions
Do you need to get answers to questions relating to SEND to better support children and young people in your work? The Early Help SEND Navigation Tool may be able to help you.
Some of you may already know that last year we designed a tool to help early help practitioners get answers quickly to SEND related questions they may encounter while working with CYP with SEND and their families.
The tool mainly navigates to the Local Offer and health websites and is therefore a useful way for practitioners to become familiar with content on these sites, which have been designed for parents/ carers, so how professionals navigate them may be different.
Many early help practitioners have told us they find the tool useful and is strengthening the SEND support within universal services and targeted services. It was been co-produced with professionals from a range of services across health, education and social care, together with parent /carer representatives from HPCI.
The tool is an interactive pdf with hyperlinks. We’ve recently checked for broken links and some new ones taking you to brand new pages on the Local Offer e.g. Contacting a SEND service, New to SEND, Early Years SEND and Preparing for Adulthood.
So, we’re taking this chance to remind you of this tool and hope it continues to be useful to you.
The tool can be found in two places: the Families First Portal and the SEND iLearn (elearning) platform. We encourage you to save the link rather than the pdf so when we update the links you always have the most up to date version.
Let us know what you think about it or if there is anything else you need to help you support CYP with SEND: sue.chapman@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Please note the tool should NOT to be shared with families. Instead, professionals should be helping families become familiar with navigating the Local Offer.
Make sure you keep up to date and share stories with us about SEND information and support in Hertfordshire via Local Offer Facebook, @sendherts Twitter and fortnightly newsletter SEND News
Learning & development
Mind in Mid Herts courses
Living Well Courses
Our ‘Living Well’ courses have been designed to support people make positive changes in their lives. Informed by psychological theories these guided self-help courses and workshops support you to understand your own experience and build new strategies to live a healthy life.
These online courses and workshops will be delivered via Zoom by an experienced Mind in Mid Herts trainer; giving you all the benefits of face-to-face support from your own homes.
You can book online at and take a look at all the courses and workshops that we are offering.
Mental Health Peer Supporter Open Courses
We are also offering Mental Health Peer Supporter Training Open Course online. This four week course certifies you to be a mental health peer supporter; supporting you to recognise the signs of mental distress and know how to respond appropriately.
By the end of this training delegates will have:
- An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
- The ability to spot the signs of mental health issues
- Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
- Understanding the roles, responsibilities and boundaries of managing mental health in the workplace.
- An understanding of the knowledge, qualities and skills needed to support someone in distress.
- Know how to support their own wellbeing
- Knowledge of national and local signposting options.
- Everyone who completes the course will get a certificate and a supplementary manual to support their learning.
To book your place on this course, you can do this online here.
If you have any enquiries please do not hesitate to contact training@mindinmidherts.org.uk.
HSCP Learning & Development Programme
Following the virtual launch of the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership’s Neglect Strategy and Joint Campaign with the NSPCC, please see below a link to the Neglect Hub on the HSCP website. The resources available are as follows:
- Neglect Strategy 2021-24
- Practice Guidance
- Neglect Strategy Toolkit
- Link to the Graded Care Profile tool
- The presentations from the launch by Dez Holmes, NSPCC and Operations Director, Matt Ansell
- Posters
Neglect Hub Edge Browser
Neglect Hub Explore Browser
Year of Learning
Information for professionals and volunteers | Hertfordshire County Council
Sept 2021 - Child Sexual Abuse
June 2021 : Harmful Sexual Behaviours 7 minute briefing
May 2021: Female Genital Mutilation 7 minute briefing
The HSCP/HSAB Summer 2021 Newsletter is now available on the HSCP website – Newsletter Summer 2021
Spot the Signs & Emotional Wellbeing - training for professionals
Spot the Signs & Emotional Wellbeing is a fully-funded programme offering training and workshops to children and young people (CYP), CYP’s parents/carers and professionals working with CYP.
The programme provides psychoeducation, emotional resilience and signposting support to empower young people and the adults around them to feel confident enough to manage their mental and emotional health.
All sessions can be delivered in-person or online upon your request.
You can find more information about the training available.
Suicide awareness and prevention accredited course
Hertfordshire County Council have commissioned Harmless to deliver a an Suicide awareness and prevention accredited course.
Please note: you must be working in/supporting people who reside in Hertfordshire county to qualify for a funded place on this course.
The training package is an intermediate level for those who have already received basic/introductory suicide prevention training (or mental health training with a suicide prevention element). If you have not completed an introductory or basic level course do note Hertfordshire commission a range of courses, you can attend.
To express your interest in the Suicide Intervention Half day training please complete our online booking form via Eventbrite by using the following links. Or for more information or advice on the courses being delivered please speak to a member of the Let’s Talk Training team: training@harmless.org.uk
Workforce development
The vision for Families First training and development is to create a skilled, confident and resilient multi-agency workforce that supports whole family working.
To support this, we have brought together training courses that are available to practitioners across Hertfordshire. We aim to add new resources to this page when available and we have recently added some resources on Trauma Informed practice.
Please take a look at the page, bookmark and share with teams, where appropriate.
Workforce development (hertfordshire.gov.uk)
Local area news
East Herts & Broxbourne
Broxbourne
Want to learn more about the new Kickstart scheme?
Find out all about it in this free one hour webinar with Broxbourne Council and the local DWP Partnership Manager.
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Date: Thursday 4 November 2021
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Time: 09.30am to 10.30am
Download the Building Better Opportunities (BBO) leaflet here
CHEXS Family Support Team
Our Family Support team are #hereforyou and available for our Parent Virtual Chats (Every Tuesday at 10am), parenting support, advice, tips and SO much more.
Here's what our Family Support Team can help you with, we're just a phone call or email away and we're ready to help
Herts Mind Network
The Community Support Service (CSS) is a mental health outreach service run by Herts Mind Network and in partnership with local councils. CSS currently operates in Watford, Three Rivers, Hertsmere and Broxbourne.
The service is for adults age 18 plus and delivers one to one holistic , practical and emotional support with a range of issues. These include coping strategies and developing emotional resilience. Support with housing, benefits and debt. Support around drug and alcohol abuse and supporting parents who may be on a child protection, child in need plan or family support plan. Mental health should be the primary need.
For any referral enquiries please contact css@hertsmindnetwork.org
Frontline
Is a user-friendly web-based referral system for local community health and wellbeing services. Organisations can refer/signpost to other providers via the up-to-date library of local services. All referrals are encrypted, consent driven and referrers can 'track' any referral they make. Currently, Frontline covers both East Herts and Broxbourne.
Services for Young People
A further project they will be delivering this term is the project for Young Parents and Young Parents to be. Projects will be taking place across Hertfordshire. In our area this will be delivered each Thursday 2-4pm, at our Waltham Cross Young People’s Centre Stanhope Road, Waltham Cross, EN8 7DJ
East Herts
Citizens Advice East Herts - Service Update
As an advice service our focus is on making sure people are able to access the support they need in a way that works for them and we've found many people like being able to access us remotely. As lockdown restrictions lift we won't be going back to a 'drop in' service from our offices which only worked for a minority. Instead we'll operate our service across multiple channels, helping people by phone, email, webchat, video and online. We'll continue to offer home visits and in person appointments in community locations to those who need them. This short video (1.5 minutes) explains more. For more details on our services and how to access them please visit https://citizensadviceeastherts.org.uk.
Tthe Citizens Advice East Herts are running a short survey to help them find out about local community needs post pandemic, what people know about our service and how they would wish to access it, if needed. Please share with your communities
CVS for Broxbourne & East Herts latest e-bulletin can be viewed here
View the East Herts Frontline - library of services
Dacorum & St Albans
Colourful Minds: Free Online Creative Therapy Course
Colourful Minds is a free Creative Therapy Course for adults in Dacorum (aged 18+) with mild to moderate mental health conditions, such as stress, anxiety and depression, starting on the 5th November 2021. The course is run by a qualified Art Therapist from Herts Inclusive Theatre and funded by Dacorum Borough Council. Application to the course is by referral only from a GP, health professional/agency or support agency/worker.
We are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity free of charge to anyone who may need support. Sessions are run weekly on Zoom and no previous art or creative experience is needed. Materials are also provided.
If you know anyone who may benefit from attending the course, please Please download this leaflet and contact kerry@hit-theatre.org.uk for more information.
Workshops for young people this autumn – last year Dacorum District Council planned to run a Beatboxing Project for young people that had to be cancelled due to COVID. We are now looking at running a few workshops with the same artists this autumn, who run a very successful Beatboxing Academy in South London. The workshops may not be Beatboxing (the nature of this is not particularly COVID-safe due to the spitting involved!), however possibly rapping or music/performance related. If you have a group of young people who may benefit from these workshops and working with these brilliant South London artists, please get in touch. We are also looking to deliver these as pilot workshops for a possible larger project at a later date, in consultation with the young people taking part: Email annie.smith@dacorum.gov.uk
Community Action Dacorum have some courses that may be of interest to some of your families. One of the courses is an employability course, the other a healthy eating one. They are both online, and currently free to anyone living in Hertfordshire. See attached flyers for more details.
Cook Well Eat Well: Enrol here: https://forms.gle/Hqf4WqNw6Y5Ukxzt6
Pathways to Employment: Enrol here: https://forms.gle/3Q2KTzZnwdCG3Gd28
DSPL 8 run a number of courses for parents, carers and professionals. Click here to see a list of the current available courses, together with details of how to sign up.
Sopwell Community Trust
Following our hugely popular summer football sessions we have organised a week of football games and training with FA trained coaches at Samuel Ryder Academy from 25th to 29th Oct 3pm to 5pm daily.
These sessions are open to boys and girls aged 8-12 years old of all abilities. Priority will be given to children who receive free school meals, universal credit, child tax credit, refugee families and/or fall under the pupil premium scheme. I must stress all applications will be considered and to date we have not turned a child away.
This is a part of our COVID recovery program to reduce social isolation and improve the mental and physical well-being of young people in St Albans.
The coaches are St Albans locals who have faced and overcome challenges in life through sports; they have put together a thoughtful and nurturing series of games and training.
Please note all volunteers are DBS checked.
More information is on the flyer below and booking form link is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uCBDtpZyAfA0X7KzciHO_5DT4fiDbVEHpjTjduIMqWM/edit
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Watford, Three Rivers & Hertsmere
Youth Link![](/img/16f7d761/350/350)
Youth Link aims to work with various sectors in our local community to create connections to relevant and safe provisions for Children and Young People.
Find out more in these downloadable leaflets:-
Youth Link Information Sheet - CYP
Youth Link Information Sheet - Partners
North Herts & Stevenage
North Herts Council receives £100,000 to help community organisations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
Find out more here: Health Protection Board Covid Fund | North Hertfordshire District Council (north-herts.gov.uk)