The latest news
Help to manage the rise in cost of living
Hertfordshire County Council have set up a central webpage that offers advice and practical help to manage finances and make savings and contain many useful links to help you support families.
Hertfordshire has become one of the first regions in the UK to partner with Energy Saving Trust to provide an energy efficiency app to residents and help them make energy savings. The App can be downloaded via the central page:-
In addition, 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
The annual St Albans sleepout is BACK and BIGGER than ever!
Taking place on Friday 11th November 2022 at Oaklands College or at home, we invite you to join us for an evening under the stars.
A night filled with live entertainment, music, workshops, prizes for the best ‘deck your den creation’…and a bit of a reality check. To see what life is like for some of our service users. Last year, with your help, we raised an incredible £58,000 all of which went towards helping vulnerable young people in Hertfordshire who do not have a stable place to live and enabled us to provide our vital services to those who need it most.
This will be the most memorable thing you will do this winter! Help us come together as a community, for our community.
Please enjoy the below video and find out more here https://www.hyh.org.uk/sponsoredsleepout
Awesome Autumn Adventures
There’s lots to do across Hertfordshire this month and with the October half term just around the corner we’ve updated our fifty thrifty tips to give it an awesome autumnal twist.
The link is: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/awesomeautumnadventures
In addition the 50 things to do before you're 5 app can help support Hertfordshire families
Please share with the families you work with:-
Fully funded parenting courses
Both Families in Focus and Talking Parents have some great free parenting courses this winter:-
Families in Focus courses
For parents of children with Special Education Needs and/or Disability are also inclusive of parents whose children are on assessment pathways or waiting diagnosis
Families in Focus award winning, evidence based courses funded by Hertfordshire Children’s Services and free for parents living in Hertfordshire. All courses have just 12 fully funded places available.
Please promote these courses to the families you work with:-
(FIF L1 D8) Families in Focus Complete guide to parenting children with SEND
Free for parents Living in Herts. inclusive of those on assessment pathways/awaiting diagnosis 2-11years Starting Tuesdays 9.30-11.30am January 10th
(FIF L1 E6) Families in Focus Complete guide to parenting children with SEND
Free for parents living in Herts. inclusive of those on assessment pathways/awaiting diagnosis 2-11years Starting Tuesdays 6.30-8.30pm January 10th
(FIF ADHD E4) Families in Focus Handling anger of your child with Autism/ADHD
Free for parents living in Herts. parenting primary aged children and inclusive of those on assessment pathways/awaiting diagnosis Starting Mondays 6.30-8.30pm January 9th
(FIF ADHD D2) Families in Focus Handling anger of your child with Autism/ADHD
Free for parents living in Herts. parenting primary aged children and inclusive of those on assessment pathways/awaiting diagnosis Starting Thursdays 9.30-11.30am January 5th
For parents of primary aged children
(FIF L2 D1) Families in Focus Handling anger in your family
Free for parents living in Herts parenting primary aged children Starting Wednesdays 10-12noon January 11th
(FIF L2 E1) Families in Focus Handling anger in your family
Free for parents living in Herts parenting primary aged children Starting Wednesdays 6.30-8.30pm January 4th
(FIF L2 EVR) Families in Focus Sleep Solutions
Free for parents living in Herts parenting primary aged children Starting Fridays 9.30-11.30am January 6th
TO BOOK:-
Practitioner/Service referrals: Using Herts FX please contact Francine and Lesley stating the course code and title of course, parent name, email & mobile number and outcomes agreed with parent.
Any questions please email us – bookings@familiesinfocus.co.uk
More details available on our website: www.familiesinfocus.co.uk
Talking Families
In addition, Talking Families courses begin immediately after half term and are now going to be conducted online and we have places available so please share the attached details with your colleagues and any parents who you feel would benefit from these sessions.
Our Talking Dads course also has a few places left so please share these details as well.
Talking Families (for parents of children under 12): Tuesdays 8pm to 9.30pm 1st November to 6th December (6 weeks)
Talking Dads: Mondays 7.45pm to 9.15pm 31st October to 5th December (6 weeks)
Find out more here:- Courses (supportinglinks.co.uk)
Alongside the usual Parenting Courses, Supporting Links are pleased to be offering the workshops this coming Autumn Term. These are open to parents and carers of children with ASD and/or ADHD across Hertfordshire, funded by the Local Authority.
Talking ASD/ADHD: Anxiety and Stress - 23rd November 2022
Talking ASD/ADHD: Responding to Anger - 20th October or 7th December 2022
Talking ASD/ADHD: The Teenage Years - 2nd November 2022
Talking ASD/ADHD: Tech Use - 11th October 2022
We accept referrals or parents can self-refer and book places via Eventbrite.
Courses (supportinglinks.co.uk)
News from Services for Young People
HCC Services for Young People Access Point Projects survey, Autumn 2022
HCC Services for Young People (SfYP) is asking young people how they can make their Access Point Projects more accessible to them.
SfYP is committed to delivering the best possible services for young people at venues and times that work best for them.
They are currently reviewing the delivery of services at their Access Point Projects, where young people can access a wide range of support and information. SfYP help young people progress into education, training or to find a job or apprenticeship. They also offer confidential one-to-one support with issues such as mental health, relationships, personal safety, benefits and finances, housing and homelessness, drug and alcohol use. Young people can also access sexual health services, including free condoms, free pregnancy testing and free chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing.
The results of the survey will inform how they structure and deliver the services at the Access Point Projects from January 2023, so it is important that they hear from as many young people as possible. Please share the link to the short survey with any young people you know or work with to ensure their views are included.
The survey is anonymous and young people do not need to provide any personal details. It only takes a few minutes to complete:
Complete the SfYP Access Point Project survey, Autumn 2022
The closing date is 13 November 2022.
National Youth Work Week 2022: ‘A Festival of Youth Work’
As part of their Youth Work Week celebrations, Services for Young People is inviting young people to create a poster expressing ‘What youth work and youth workers mean to me’ and enter it into their poster competition.
Youth Work Week takes place in November every year and celebrates the positive impact youth work has on young people. This years’ theme is ‘A Festival of Youth Work’.
Young people aged 11-17 (up to 24 for young LGBT+ people, care leavers and young people with learning disabilities) can create a poster around the theme of ‘What youth work and youth workers mean to me’ and submit it between Monday 3rd October and Friday 28th October 2022.
Get full details and find out how young people can enter here:
Enter the Festival of Youth Work poster competition
Spotlight on Safe Space Mentoring!
Mentoring involves a young person meeting with a volunteer mentor for an hour or so a week, in a public place such as a café, park or library.
The Safe Space mentoring programme is available to 11-19* year olds (up to 25 for young people with learning difficulties/disabilities or care leavers) in Hertfordshire who have low to mid-level support needs. *If aged 11 the young person must be in year 7.
The programme is voluntary so the young person must agree to the referral and support.
Mentoring gives young people a chance to talk about anything they wish to discuss or want advice on.
Typically, mentoring lasts for 6 months (this can be longer/shorter depending on the young person’s needs).
Some young people decide to set goals at the beginning of the mentoring, whilst others simply value the one-to-one time, just to talk with someone outside of their family / school.
All our mentors go through a recruitment process, 2 day training and have a valid DBS check.
If you would like more information or to discuss a possible referral please contact us on mentoringmailbox@hertfordshire.gov.uk or call the office on 01992 588251.
“It can help you through a rough patch, for me it was school and staff not listening, but with an advocate and mentor, things changed, school is better and I have a bit more confidence.”
“It’s going well, I’m enjoying it. It’s really nice to have someone to talk to if I have random worries.”
From a parent: “X’s mood has improved 100% since seeing her mentor. She has someone she can trust which means so much. I think it’s great what you do, especially as it’s volunteers. Happy child= happy mum. 5 out of 5 for everything the mentor has done”
Can you Volunteer?
Do you have an hour a week to volunteer? Interested in supporting a young person in Hertfordshire to help them reach their full potential? Then becoming a volunteer Mentor with Hertfordshire County Council may be for you! Contact the Safe Space Mentoring team today to find out more.
Find out more about Safe Space Counselling and mentoring | Hertfordshire County Council
Safe Space Mentoring currently has a shortage of mentors in East Herts – particularly Bishop’s Stortford and the surrounding villages. If you are interested and could cover this area, please do get in touch at mentoringmailbox@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 588796
Talking Pants !
The NSPCC have put together some useful resources for tips and advice to help keep children safe.
Talk PANTS helps children understand that their body belongs to them, and they should tell someone they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried.
Please visit the Talk PANTS website for helpful tips, advice and useful materials,
Talk PANTS & Join Pantosaurus - The Underwear Rule | NSPCC
Funding Opportunity: The BLC Informal Youth Activities grant is now open!
Do you, or an organisation that you work with, provide youth activities in Hertfordshire that:
- are informal
- operate outside of school term time, and
- do not require pre-booking or fees to access?
We are once again accepting applications for the Informal Youth Activities Grant from Monday the 3rd of October 2022 as part of the Building Life Chances programme. This is a multi-agency programme addressing inequalities exacerbated by the likes of Covid-19 on Hertfordshire residents who are vulnerable.
The pandemic has been tough for many young people who may not have had the opportunity or confidence to meet with friendship groups informally and may now have increased anxiety affecting their wellbeing. Therefore, we welcome applications for locally based community activities for young people aged 12-17 years that run all year round.
Each district in Hertfordshire will be able to access up to £25,000. Grants will be awarded for any amount up to the maximum amount for that district.
In the last round of grants, we funded 16 organisations across Hertfordshire that offered exciting and varied projects, including drop-in cafes, Friday-night groups, sport and performing arts and refugee support for young people.
Please email buildinglifechances@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an application form and further information. The closing date for applications is 11.59pm on Monday the 31st of October 2022.
We want as many organisations as possible to have the opportunity to apply. Please share this opportunity as widely as possible with any organisations that you work with or that may be interested.
Did you know . . .
. . . all Hertfordshire Family Centres are part of the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative? We were also reaccredited by UNICEF again in July this year. This means the staff are trained and able to provide qualified and expert advice on all infant feeding options – be that breastfeeding, bottle feeding or starting your baby on solids.
There are strict guidelines by being part of this initiative and so many mums have said what a help it’s been to be able to receive such great support. There is lots on offer for new and expectant parents such as:
Find your nearest Family Centre here and if you work with families, make sure they sign up for the free events happening near them! You can also download family centre leaflets from the Herts Grid.
ADHD & Autism Digital animation
As part of the ADHD & Autism transformation, we are excited to announce the launch of our ADHD and Autism Support Digital Animation. This animation is aimed at all families that are living in Hertfordshire and seeking support and guidance for a child or young person with neurodiverse needs. As children’s practitioners, partners and schools, this animation will also help you to better support your families and will be a great place to sign post the families that you work with.
Please find below the link for you to share far and wide within your teams, services and families, as well as an attached document with example communications for social media or newsletters, we hope that you will enjoy it.