Invitation to join our next Share & Learn event
Due to popular demand, our online Share & Learn event is back for an Autumn session. This time organised by the St Albans Families First Partnership group with a theme around positive wellbeing and resilience in St Albans. The event is open to all Families First professionals, across the county and is a great opportunity to hear more about the services and training they offer, plus ask questions.
We are planning to have the following line up who will give an overview of their services:-
- Mental Health in Schools Team, overview of the service – Lyndsey Hooper
- Herts MIND Network : 5 ways to wellbeing workshop for professionals - Joe Owers
- The OLLIE Foundation : overview of service and training for professionals – Vicky Gutteridge
- Safe Space : overview of the mentoring service – Sally Gubb, Safe Space
Please share with your teams and register your place here:- Eventbrite page and a calendar invite will follow.
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 below 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 (Brox/St Albans/North Herts)
- CGL
- Domestic Abuse Support
- Families First Panels Team
- Family Support Service, Family Centre
- Herts Mind Network
- Herts Sports Partnership
- 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
- 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)
Free Suicide prevention training
Our Public Health team have commissioned Samaritans to deliver suicide prevention training. The course is aimed at frontline professionals and volunteers whose role may bring them into direct contact with people experiencing suicidal thoughts. The three-hour session is delivered via Zoom and will equip participants with practical skills to have a supportive, controlled, and effective conversations, assess and respond to risk and signpost to relevant support services. Please book a place using the links below or email SuicidePreventionHerts@hertfordshire.gov.uk for more information:
Next available dates:-
- Monday 31st October
- Wednesday 2nd November
- Wednesday 9th November
- Friday 11th November
- Tuesday 15th November
- Tuesday 22nd November
- Wednesday 30 November
Book your place here: Hertfordshire County Council | Eventbrite
My Baby’s Brain & Teen Brain Training dates
My Teen Brain Training Dates for Professionals Working with Teens - 2022
My Teen Brain focuses on a key stage of brain development and shows how changes in the adolescent brain, in conjunction with experience and environment, can affect emotions, relationships, behaviours, sleep and attitudes to risk.
The initiative aims to raise awareness and provide practical information and strategies to professionals. This training along with a range of resources, will enable you to support young people through this time of change.
Professionals working with young adolescents (10-15) and/or their families are invited to attend a free one-day multi-agency training which will look at changes to the adolescent brain, risks and behaviours and how the learning can help a strength-based approach to practice.
THIS FULL DAY TRAINING HAS BEEN ADAPTED TO BE DELIVERD LIVE ONLINE
Dates available are:
- Wednesday 23rd November 10am-3pm
- Thursday 12th January 10am-3pm
- Wednesday 8th February 10am-3pm
- Tuesday 14th March 10am-3pm
If you are interested in the course please email EHCommissioning@hertfordshire.gov.uk
More Information on the changes that take place in the teen brain is available on our dedicated website www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/myteenbrain.
My Baby's Brain
You can now book onto upcoming My Baby’s Brain (MBB) training. MBB introduces practitioners, who work with children aged 0-3, to the key principals of neuroscience and how they can help parents, children and babies form strong attachments that will encourage healthy development.
My Baby’s Brain has been running in Hertfordshire since 2011. In that time, the challenges that families face have evolved, particularly because of the current pandemic. To ensure parents continue to be supported at the earliest opportunity, Early Help Commissioning have worked with partners KCA to refresh My Baby’s Brain training to allow for a greater depth of learning for professionals with additional focus on resilience and managing toxic stress.
For more information and helpful resources, please see My baby's brain | Hertfordshire County Council. You can also find details on our MBB programme.
Latest news from Step2Skills
Discover an industry with Step2Skills this November
Step2Skills runs a range of career discovery courses which you can join to explore an industry. Find out more about the jobs available, qualifications needed and how best to begin your new career choice.
This November Step2Skills is running two discovery courses, with just a £15 registration fee payable at the time of booking. (Note that if you find yourself struggling to pay this amount, please get in touch as Step2Skills may be able to help).;
Intro to Health & Social Care: Starts 9th November, 10am in Stevenage
Intro to Customer Service: Starts 9th November, 1pm in Stevenage
Browse and book the full range of courses at www.step2skills.org.uk
New accredited qualification courses available with Step2Skills!
? Unlock your potential with a qualification at Step2Skills!
Whether you want to start a new career, progress in your current role or add skills to your CV, as a Herts resident, here is your opportunity.
Step2Skills has just added some additional qualification courses to their website, including another two courses to achieve a Level 3 Diploma in Leadership & Management.
This is in addition to our Essential Digital Skills Qualification (EDSQ), all of which can be booked on our website
Visit their website to see the latest accredited courses; Our courses (hertfordshire.gov.uk)
Inclusive Employment: Hear from a parent
It’s thanks to funding from the European Social Fund that Step2Skills is able to offer a tailored approach to supporting unemployed residents in Hertfordshire who have a diagnosed or undiagnosed disability or barrier(s) such as neurodiversity, mental health conditions, sensory needs or learning and physical disabilities into employment, education or training.
Here, the parents of one participant describe how the Inclusive Employment team have helped their son;
‘From the very first meeting Neil, our son’s Employment Advisor, made every effort to engage with and encourage by alleviating any anxiety, thereby building a trusting working relationship with him, in a relaxed manner which enabled our son to engage in conversation, which normally can be challenging.
Through Neil's professionalism, patience and understanding, he made conversations and the completion of forms more simple by sharing in our son’s sense of humour and interest in football.
It was apparent at each meeting with Neil (I attended each week) that he was enthusiastic to assist our son to obtain paid employment in a sphere of his choosing. The meetings were purposeful with positive outcomes and favourable plans to progress towards that goal.
Neil arranged and kindly attended 4 work taster sessions, giving our son opportunity and support in unfamiliar surroundings.
Our son finally obtained employment at a pub which he particularly enjoys and feedback from the employer has been encouragingly positive. Neil accompanied our son in this new job until he had settled and it was time to transition to Adrian as Job Coach, who is now kindly assisting each week with online training at the pub.
Throughout this whole process with Step2Skills, Neil has clearly and patiently explained the process to our son and myself which has given us all a sense of security as this is a very new venture.
We are a tremendously grateful for the professional provision and assistance given by Neil and Adrian over these past months. Our son is now working confidently and cheerfully as the result of the many hours given by Step2Skills.’
If you're a Hertfordshire resident with a diagnosed OR undiagnosed disability or barrier to work, our team is here and waiting to hear from you.
Apply or refer someone to the Inclusive Employment project: https://surveys.hertfordshire.gov.uk/s/A1SHNA/
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Free training from the Money Advice Unit
Please find attached the Money Advice Unit Training Programme and booking form for Autumn 2022.
All of these courses are free of charge but please note we will only accept bookings from organisations in Hertfordshire.
Please complete a separate booking form for each course you want to book on. If you want to book for more than one course please complete a separate booking form for each course. As usual we only allow a maximum of two participants from each organisation for each course.
Once you return the completed booking form(s) to us, you will receive a booking confirmation email within 5 working days.
Also, please see below, a link and an electronic copy of the new Benefits Rate Card for 2022-23.
MAU Benefit Rates poster 2022/23