The latest news
Help us promote the Families First Website
Our Families First Website is a great central resource for early help support for families and young people, with links to many services such as mental health support, Services for Young People, SEND Local Offer, parenting courses etc along with a link to the Herts Directory and the Families First professionals area.
We would like to encourage all partner agencies to help us promote the Families First website to parents and carers in Hertfordshire.
Campaign Tools:
Please add the web address to your own website:- https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/families-first/families-first.aspx
Or use the QR Code for direct link to the Families First homepage:
Download a QR code
Download a Families First Logo
Social media
Please follow Families First on Facebook and X (Twitter)
Suggested post
Image to post on your own social media channels, with the suggested text:-
"All families need help and support at some point, please visit the Families First Website to find out about support available in your area". https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/.../families-first.aspx
Coming Soon:-
We are in the process of creating a poster for display in public facing spaces - watch this space!
Thank you in advance for your support with this campaign.
Supporting separated parents in Hertfordshire
Reducing parental conflict forms part of our commissioning priorities within Early Help and over the past 6 months we have been running Parenting When Separated. A practical and positive evidence-based course for parents who are preparing for, going through, or have gone through a separation or divorce.
Parenting When Separated is a six-week course that highlights practical steps parents can take to help their children cope and thrive, as well as coping successfully themselves.
Topics include:
- Solving co-parenting problems in a positive way that focus on the needs of children.
- Coping with the emotional impact of separation and learning stress management techniques.
- Helping your children cope with the impact of the separation both emotionally and practically.
- Enhancing communication with their children and with their children's other parent.
The course is free to attend and is open to separated parents from all backgrounds. Both mothers and fathers, resident and non-resident parents. Where both parents wish to attend the course they attend separate courses to allow parents the confidence to explore the emotional impact of separation.
To date we have had 105 referrals for the course with the majority of these referrals being self-referrals following promotion through schools. We have run 4 groups both online and in person and have a further 2 dates planned before Christmas.
- Online on Monday 30th October until 4th December from 6:30-9pm
- Face to Face on Thursday 2nd November to the 7th December at The Shephall Centre from 10am-12:30pm
Make a referral here
The course is a mixed group of up to 12 parents of both resident and non-resident parents ensuring that the group is rich with experience. Parents complete goal setting at the beginning of the course and provide weekly feedback on what they have learnt from the course, anything they would like to cover and how they are achieving against their goals.
Parents have fed back how they find the group ‘non judgemental’ and that the most valuable aspect of the course has been ‘ideas & understanding of other parents viewpoints plus little tips and tricks to ease communication’
Parents advised in their feedback “We have come closer as a group and we will all stay in touch weekly to have that continued safe space between us outside of the formal setting. It’s been brilliant to have met and got to know the guys in the group and I hope we continue to support each other as we work through our situations.”
All participants that completed the course felt that they had improved skills and techniques to feel more confident in supporting their child’s needs as a result of separation and in communication with their child’s other parent.
For more information about relationships support access Relationship support for parents | Hertfordshire County Council
One Minute Guide : Reducing Parental Conflict
Our HCC Commissioning team have created a one minute guide to Reducing Parental Conflict in Hertfordshire. It’s a really ease to digest document which explains what parental conflict is, how to identify it and what to do if you spot it. It also explains the training package available for the workforce.
Please do share with you teams and discuss at your team meetings so we can reduce parental conflict in Herts together.
Download the guide here
Just Talk Week – Back to Basics
Are you someone working with children and young people and looking to help support their mental wellbeing? Look out for the wealth of useful information and resources that we are providing for Just Talk Week 2023.
Monday 20th November marks the start of this year’s Just Talk Week campaign, with the theme ‘Back to Basics’, focusing on strengthening understanding about Just Talk - Hertfordshire’s children and young people’s mental health/emotional wellbeing programme, and expanding its reach across the county.
We will be encouraging children and young people in Hertfordshire to embrace conversations about mental health and showing them where to find support if they need it. Just Talk carries the important message that it’s okay to not be okay and there is help readily available for everyone who needs it.
The Just Talk website is a hub of information and tools for young people, as well as parents, carers and professionals - all with the common goal of enhancing the emotional wellbeing of children and young people. We invite you all to explore our resources and help to spread positive messages about mental health.
Visit Just Talk Week 2023 for helpful resources for children and young people, and support for parents, carers and professionals working with young people.
Check out our social media pages @justtalkherts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular updates.
Help us to explore experiences of food insecurity in Hertfordshire
The Public Health team at Hertfordshire County Council is participating in the Food Insecurity Monitoring at the Local Level (FILL) Project, which aims to gather data on food access, local services, and the impacts of the rising cost of living.
In collaboration with the University of Liverpool, they have created a 15-minute, anonymous survey to understand how access to food is being affected by financial or other reasons. The results of this survey will help to understand where any support needs to be directed for residents, particularly during the rising cost of living.
You can access the survey here
Please help to promote this survey using any of the comms tools included below as this will offer Hertfordshire residents the opportunity to have their say.
- a flyer and social media graphic
- text to share with professionals
- text to share with residents
If you are a Hertfordshire resident, then please do feel free to complete the survey yourself.
The survey closes at midnight on Sunday 5 November.
If you have any questions, please email WholeSystemsObesity@hertfordshire.gov.uk.
Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership Annual Conference 2023
We are delighted to invite you to the Herts Sport & Physical Activity Partnership Annual Conference 2023, set to take place on Wednesday, December 6th, 2023, at the prestigious Fielder Centre in Hatfield.
View the video invitation from our Partnership Director, John O'Callaghan:-
Experience the Power of Our Active Local Approach
This year's conference is about celebrating the achievements and tackling the exciting challenges that have shaped our journey over the past year in our target areas. It's a day dedicated to networking and sharing, learning and upskilling and most importantly the invitation for you to join us on our place-based journey. And we've got an exceptional lineup to make it all happen.
Keynote Speaker: We're honoured to present Adam Rigarlsford, Director of Place Relationships at Sport England, as our keynote speaker—his insights and expertise promise to be a highlight of the day.
SIGN UP NOW
Engaging Workshops: As our esteemed guest, you can attend two workshops during the day. Here's a sneak peek at what's in store:
Workshops - 10:45 AM to 11:45 AM:
- Using Data to Build a Picture of Our Active Local Communities - Led by Scott Hartley, Director of Press Red.
- How We Can Help You Access Funding - Presented by Richard Sutcliffe, Director of Funding4Sport.
- Place-Based Working - What Are We Talking About? - Guided by Chris Perks, former Sport England place-based Lead.
- How to Increase Your Participant Reach - Hosted by Adam, CEO at GHO5T Marketing Agency.
Workshops - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM:
- Using Data to Build a Picture of Our Active Local Communities (Focus on Older Adults) - Led by Scott Hartley, Director of Press Red.
- How We Can Help You Access Funding (Revisited) - Presented by Richard Sutcliffe, Director of Funding4Sport.
- Place-Based Working - What Are We Talking About? (Revisited) - Guided by Chris Perks, former Sport England place-based Lead.
- How to Capture Your Impact and Tell Your Story - Hosted by Adam, CEO at GHO5T Marketing Agency.
We're confident that these workshops will empower you with valuable knowledge and tools to make a real impact in your local communities.
Take advantage of this opportunity to network, learn, and be inspired alongside fellow passionate individuals and organisations.
Sign up now, December 6th, 2023, for a day of innovation, collaboration, and inspiration. Together, we'll shape a stronger future for our communities.
Stay tuned for further updates, and in the meantime, please feel free to reach out with any questions.
We look forward to welcoming you to the HSP Annual Conference 2023.
SIGN UP NOW
Cost of Living Webinars
Whether you interact with the public in your day job or as a volunteer, we understand how important it is that you can direct residents to trusted sources of help and advice in Hertfordshire when needed. Following the success and interest in last years webinar, we have decided to run the webinar again, with the latest updates and developments.
We have 2 dates for the event so please select the one which is best for you.
Supporting with the Cost of Living event - Wednesday 1 November 11am-12pm (hertfordshire.gov.uk)
Supporting with the Cost of Living event - Tuesday 7 November 2 - 3pm (hertfordshire.gov.uk) -
We will also be having a British Sign Language interpreter at this event.
This webinar will help you identify when a resident may need support, be able to signpost them to a trusted source of advice, and know when and how to refer someone who may need more in-depth support from one of our specialist services in the County. You'll hear from services including Citizens Advice, the Money Advice Unit, Age UK and other professionals in Hertfordshire offering support to residents facing an increased cost of living.
Household Support Fund
To further support households with the rising cost of living, the Government allocated £842m to Local Authorities in England to extend the Household Support Fund for a year. The scheme runs from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2024. The Household Support Fund is there to help households most in need with the rising cost of living, including families, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people.
Please help us with the promotion of the Household Support Fund Awareness Week by sharing the infographic below through your social media accounts or other channels, along with the copy:
“The Household Support Fund is there to help households most in need with the rising cost of living. We’ve spent our share of the £842 million funding from @GOVUK helping Hertfordshire communities. Those in need can find out more here: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/householdsupportfund”
Download image
Thank you for your support.
Download your Mental Health Service Directory
This interactive PDF document provides links to services who provide a combination of early intervention and more specialist support for children and young people's mental health.
News from Services for Young People
Work experience placement begins a life-changing journey
SfYP helps a Hertfordshire business develop its workforce and enables a young person to secure their ideal apprenticeship.
A shining example of the life-changing impact our work with Hertfordshire businesses has on the lives of young people is a young person from the East Herts area who successfully secured his ideal apprenticeship with a housing maintenance company following his work experience placement.
Explore More+ programme to raise aspirations of young people across Hertfordshire
The new Services for Young People (SfYP) Explore More+ careers education programme is to be delivered in schools across the county following the success of the pilot programme in Stevenage.
The Explore More pilot programme was for Year 9 students with a Children in Need (CiN) or Child Protection (CP) plan and was successfully trialled in five Stevenage schools during the 2023 spring and summer terms. SfYP is now extending the programme to also include young people in care, who can join the programme from Year 7. The programme is now called Explore More+ and it will be delivered in schools across the whole county from the October 2023 half term.
Celebrating diversity and inclusion at Herts Pride 2023
More than 90 young people visited the Services for Young People stand at the annual Herts Pride community event at Cassiobury Park in Watford this August.
Herts Pride is Hertfordshire’s biggest LGBT+ celebration - a safe, inclusive and fun place for people from all backgrounds to come together and make a positive impact in their local area. The SfYP stand showcased our award-winning work with young LGBT+ people and raised awareness about the support we provide.
More news from SfYP
Do you know someone who needs help improving their maths skills
Step2Skills Multiply workshops aim to help adults improve their number skills through practical activities. The workshops can help with tasks in daily life and also offer the opportunity to gain a qualification to support career progression.
Who is eligible?
Multiply is for people who:
- Live in Hertfordshire
- Are aged 19 or above
- Do not hold a GCSE (Grade C or above) or an equivalent qualification in maths
What is covered?
Examples of topics covered are:
- Money management
- Making sense of numbers in daily life
- Understanding Excel
- Developing numeracy skills for healthcare
- Using numbers while cooking
- Using numbers in music
Interested?
There are 14 learning providers who deliver the Step2Skills Multiply Project in Hertfordshire. To find one running near you, please visit the Services for Young People & Step2Skills website, where you can also find more detail about the project.
Learning & development
HSCP Learning & Development Programme
HSCP provide a wide variety of learning programmes and workshops across Hertfordshire to develop skills for safeguarding children, young people and adults.
We use this page to give you some quick links through to the HSCP learning programmes:-
Recent 7 Minute Briefings
My Baby's Brain courses for professionals
You can now book onto our redesigned ‘My Baby’s Brain’ full day courses for professionals working with young children and parents:
My Baby
’s Brain introduces practitioners, who work with children aged 0-3 years old, 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 redesigned and will now be delivered virtually over one day. We are also offering Deep Dive Webinars to delve into topics such as shame even further! The following trainings are available:
- My Baby’s Brain Universal (Strand A) – 1-day virtual training for practitioners delivering universal support to children and families in the early years e.g., Health Visitors, Midwives & Family Centre workers.
- Thursday the 18th of January 2024 at 9.30am-3pm
- Monday the 5th of February 2024 at 9.30am-3pm
Link to book your place: Strand A Registration Link
- My Baby’s Brain Universal (strand B) – 1-day virtual training for practitioners delivering targeted services to children and families e.g., Family Safeguarding and Specialist Services, Family Centre practitioners & specialist midwives.
- Tuesday the 23rd of January 2024 at 9.30am-3pm
- Monday the 12th of February 2024 at 9.30am-3pm
Link to book your place: Strand B Registration Link
- My Baby’s Brain Deep Dive Webinar: ‘Beyond shame: developing a positive sense of identity’ - for practitioners who work with children aged 0-3 years old and their families that have already completed My Baby’s Brain training (strand A or B).
- Tuesday 14th November 2023 at 11am-12.30pm
- Wednesday the 6th of March 2024 at 11am-12.30pm *Please note, content of this Deep Dive session is to be confirmed.
How to book your place: Those who have previously completed My Baby’s Brain training or are booked to complete strand A or B training will be sent a link via email to book a place on this training.
You can find further information and check out Frequently Asked Questions at My Baby's Brain - for Professionsals (hertfordshire.gov.uk) or email us at ehcommissioning@hertfordshire.gov.uk
FREE My Teen Brain - online training
The Early Help Commissioning Team are pleased to announce the upcoming FREE My Teen Brain Online Training course for Hertfordshire practitioners. This 1-day CPD course is for those working with parents of teenagers and/or working with teenagers 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 Family Links The Centre For Emotional Health.
It you are interested in attending one of the dates later in the year, please email EHcommissioning@hertfordshire.gov.uk
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8th November 23
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10am – 3pm
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6th December 23
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10am – 3pm
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23rd January 24
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10am – 3pm
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29th February 24
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10am – 3pm
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19th March 24
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10am – 3pm
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Money Advice Unit Training Programme, Autumn & Winter 2023
The Money Advice Unit Training Programme and booking form for AUTUMN & WINTER 2023.
All the courses are free of charge but please note we will only accept bookings from organisations in Hertfordshire. Due to demand, we only allow a maximum of two participants from each organisation per course.
If you want to book for more than one person, please complete a separate booking form for each person.
Once you return the completed booking form(s) to us, the attendees will receive a booking confirmation email within 5 working days. Please check your junk folder as sometimes our emails go to the junk folder straight away.
View the latest edition of Herts Adviser.
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
- 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
- Schools Early Years Provsion
- 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)
Suicide Prevention Training
The Suicide Prevention Network involves more than 20 organisations. Our vision is to make Hertfordshire a county where no-one ever gets to a point where they feel suicide is their only option.
Suicide Prevention Training Courses (suicidepreventionherts.org.uk)
Suicide Bereavement support
New upcoming dates for fully funded CDP suicide bereavement training, delivered by Harmless.
Those attending will benefit from the following learning outcomes:
- The magnitude of suicide bereavement
- Suicide loss as a unique form of complex bereavement
- ‘Complicated grief’, trauma, and other individual responses to suicide
- The wider impact of bereavement on those exposed to or affected by suicide
- The stigma and shame associated with suicide and bereavement
- Bereavement by suicide as a unique risk factor for suicide
- Responding to those bereaved by suicide, and how we can help to support them
- Key UK strategic guidance and research on best practice in shaping services to incorporate suicide bereavement support
- Postvention: what is means and why it matters
- A local service perspective: CHUMS work supporting those affected
Click here for more information, dates and booking details
Reducing Parental Conflict - training audit
Hertfordshire County Council are funded by the Department of Work and Pensions to deliver training and resources to practitioners working with families to have the skills, confidence and resources to support parents where parental conflict has been identified to improve outcomes for children.
The Early Help Commissioning team will be evaluating the impact of reducing parental conflict training delivered across teams and partners to understand how many people have accessed training and how confident staff feel in using this training. This will support us to identify any training gaps and address any future commissioning needs.
We invite ALL practitioners working with families to complete the short, 3 minute training survey below.
Training Audit Survey
Survey closing date 17th November 2023
Difference we're making
Families First - Performance Data Report
You may be interested to view our Families First Performance Data report for the period July 2022 - June 2023.
The report looks at Families First Assessments that took place within the period and highlights the presenting needs and outcomes broken down by district along with information about other support for families.
The Families First Pledge
In Hertfordshire we have a shared vision that strong partnership working is a key component to our early help system. Our Early Help Strategy sets out the Pledge which explains Families First partners’ commitment to families and how we will work with them.
You can view or download a copy of our Families First Pledges here and use for discussion in your team meetings or display in your office etc.
Families First Case Studies
Following on from a programme of Celebrating Excellence in Early Help sessions run in Children’s Services, which aimed to highlight the Families First approach and also included contributions from some of our partners, we are sharing some of the recent case below:
Case Study 1 - Intensive Family Support / Local Borough Council
Scene Setting
The Intensive Family Support team (IFST) began supporting this family of nine in Spring 2021.
As support got underway the third youngest child Tia* was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour and the family are struggling coming to terms with Tia’s diagnosis and her life expectancy of one year. Tia is 11 years old.
On learning of Tia’s prognosis and following discussion with Keech Hospice an Occupational Therapist (OT) appointment was arranged for the family’s home. This assessment identified that the three-bedroom home was not suitable for end-of-life care and was not suitable for adaptation as the access was too narrow and steep for a ramp.
The Family Intervention Worker (FIW) made contact with the local Borough Council’s Aids and Adaptions Team for support.
READ MORE
Case Study 2 - Families First Assessment
Scene Setting
This case study provides some insight into the journey of Fran* and her family. Fran is an eight year old girl who worries about her mum, she knows mum is different when she is with her drinking friends. Fran’s Mum has a diagnosis of unstable personality disorder and has previously used drugs and alcohol as coping strategies, she has been in a cycle of poor mental health and whilst their wider family network have been supporting Fran and her mother they sought out some external support via a Families First Assessment.
READ MORE
Case Study 3 - Employment Adviser/IFST
Scene Setting:
This case study provides some insight into the support provided to Sanz* from one of our Employment Advisers. Our Intensive Family Support Teams include Employment Advisers who provide tailored support in areas such as employability; taking time to understand skills and experiences, any barriers or challenges preventing employment, identification of any training to support employability, preparation of supporting statements and CVs and job search support, including mock interviews.
Our Advisers can also provide guidance on how to navigate the benefits system, including benefit entitlements and claims, as well as how changes in circumstances impact benefits.
They work in parallel with Family Intervention Workers. This case study summarises support given to Sanz, the mother, to support with employability and benefits.
READ MORE
Case Study 4 - Local Schools Partnership
Please share anonymised case studies highlighting how early help and partnership working has provided support to local families with us at familiesfirst.support@hertfordshire.gov.uk. Please ensure you have consent from the family.