The latest news
Get Involved with the Herts Young Homeless Sleepover
The Sleepout shines a spotlight on homelessness in our local community, as well as raising vital funds for the five local charities involved.
For 25 years, Herts Young Homeless (hyh) has been proud to prevent youth homelessness, supporting over 26,000 young people. Sadly, our work is not yet done. We have seen increases in demand for our services as life continues to present new challenges for young people - our Advice Line has seen a 50% increase in calls over the last year.
We have an ambitious target to raise £35,000, to help fund our vital services to ensure we can continue to support young people in Hertfordshire who are facing homelessness this winter.
As a close partner and friend of hyh, we would love to have your support. Whether that's rounding up a group of your friends, family or colleagues to take part, donating to our 'Sponsor A Sleeper' page, or helping us advertise the event, we would be grateful for any support you can offer
Find Out More
Prevent and Countering Extremism in Young People
Radicalisation and recruitment of young people to extremist causes is an increasing concern. Any child could be vulnerable to extremist narratives, although there are factors which can make some children more vulnerable than others.
The below text and booklet will help professionals support parents and carers learn more about Prevent.
As a parent, you need to be aware that individuals and groups with extremist views use the internet and social media to spread their ideologies. Children spend a lot of time online, and this has made them more susceptible to extremism, whether from Islamists or the far right.
Extremist groups tap into young people’s insecurities. They often claim to offer answers and promise a sense of identity that vulnerable young people often seek. These feelings of insecurity can become more heightened when a child is feeling:
- Marginalised from society
- Trapped between two cultures
- Excluded from the mainstream
As part of their recruitment strategy, extremist groups also work to undermine the authority of parents. This can be particularly attractive to vulnerable children who don’t have parental guidance, or who come from unstable homes. Extremist groups also use very sophisticated methods to trigger feelings of anger, injustice and shame that a child might feel towards a parent, but it’s important to remember that any child can be affected by extremism. You can play a vital role by providing emotional support that acts as an alternative to the extremist narratives that your child might feel comfortable believing.
It’s not easy to talk to your child about the dangers of extremism, but as with issues such as sex and drugs, it’s necessary. Give your child a safe space where they can talk about difficult subjects. The more you talk, the more confident your child will become in challenging extremist narratives.
Parents can download a very useful Advice and Guidance for Parents and Carers here. This guidance explains the importance and relevance of Prevent, Channel and Counter-Extremism efforts to parents and carers of young people.
News from the Intensive Family Support Teams
IFST Watford and Three Rivers news
Summer fete
Watford and Three Rivers IFST held their annual summer fete on Thursday 17 August; this year’s chosen charity was the Peace Hospice raising a total of £656.43. There was a fantastic turnout on the day with families and the local community attending. We would like to thank the Police, Fire Service, Services for Young People, Ascend, Three Rivers Council and Home-Start amongst others for their support on the day.
Summer holiday activities
We continue to work with the Three Rivers Play Rangers who ran the ‘Hive’ activity programme for our children and families at Leavesden Country Park on Wednesdays during the summer holidays which the children thoroughly enjoyed.
The Team ran additional activity sessions during the holidays for children and their families, including an ‘Under the Sea’ craft morning and lunch, Wacky Races, and a Splash Day, which were all well attended and lots of fun was had by children, parents and staff!
Partners
Watford and Three Rivers continue to liaise with local partners for food donations, this has been popular with families and the local community, particularly with supporting them with the current financial situation.
IFST St Albans & Dacorum news
On the 18th of August, the St Albans & Dacorum Intensive Family Support Team (IFST) hosted a Summer Fete, appealing both to disadvantaged families and the local community, and combining with local businesses and services, we provided the families with a fun-filled, activity- driven event. Lasting from 11 until 3:00pm, the event involved a variety of activities including messy play with sand, glitter tattoos, sand jars, pebble painting, tombola, cake stand, a BBQ, guess the name of the bear/ guess the number of sweets in the jar and a Bric-A-Brac shop made for an action-filled and enjoyable experience. Coupled with this were stalls from our wonderful partners who took the time out their busy days to be there for the families, each bringing their own flair in process. We had the famous smoothie bike from Beezeebodies, activities and information from IAmCherished, Services for Young People and MIND, police gear and information from the local Police services and a real-life fire engine from the fire service to top it all off. In addition, we had some amazing donations from Jarman Park’s Tescos for the tombola as well as a mountain of food (burgers, pizzas, and vegetarian burgers) for the BBQ from TJs Late Shop to make the day that much more special. Despite the questionable weather, St Albans & Dacorum IFST Team made the most of what they had to work with, with families engaging well with all the activities and visibly having fun. Everyone was full of smiles and combined with a good turnout, it made the day even more enjoyable and resulted with the time going like a blur.
IFST East Herts and Broxbourne news
In August the East Herts & Broxbourne IFST hosted Football events at Grundy Park, and some really fun paddle boarding and raft building at the Lea Valley White Water Centre in Waltham Cross. Below are a few photos from a great day.
DHSC Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund for 2023/24 and 2024/25
The Department of Health and Social Care have launched the national £10m funding for VCFSE to promote suicide prevention. I am attaching the form to complete if interested in seeking our advice on your potential idea/application.
Please read the notes on the attached carefully and please look at the guidance below before completing and sending back to us. We are sorry that the deadline is 1st October for submission of your bid to DHSC, which may not be much time and something we have no control over. We will try to support you as best we can with advice, information and linkage to our priorities.
Announcement and How to apply
DHSC has launched a £10m Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund for 2023/24 and 2024/25, to support suicide prevention activities delivered in England by non-profit organisations.
The application period has opened Friday 25th August and remains open until 11:59pm on 1st October. Applications must be made online via the Find a Grant portal Suicide Prevention Grant Fund 2023-2025 - GOV-UK Find a grant (find-government-grants.service.gov.uk) unless exceptional circumstances apply.
Guidance can be found using the link above, providing further details of the objectives of the fund, the eligibility criteria, the objectives, dates, how to apply and other supporting information. DHSC will also be holding ‘Meet the Funder’ webinars for potential applicants to answer any questions. To sign up, please contact the team at SuicidePreventionGrant@dhsc.gov.uk
Free Healthy Lifestyle Courses for Families
The BeeZee Bodies September dates and venues have now been confirmed. Courses are being held free for families across Hertfordshire and you can view the timetable and promote to the families you work with.
You can also view details of the BYouth programme (13-17 years), as well as our Henry programme (0-5 years).
Parenting Courses from SPACE
Looking to increase your understanding of Autism, ADHD or other neurodiverse conditions? Our What is Neurodiversity, Understanding Autism, Understanding ADHD, Understanding Dual Diagnosis and Tourettes workshops are brilliant places to start.
For those of you who have already attended an ‘Understanding Autism’ workshop and would like to explore autism in a bit more depth come along to Autism Plus: Co-occurring conditions and Cognitive Theories.
Our Autistic Girls and ADHD in Girls and Women workshops will help you understand the particular challenges which girls face, including masking, and will help you support them.
We have workshops on PDA, ODD and ADHD You can book onto our always popular Sensory workshop and attend a workshop on Anger and Conflict.
Our Understanding Behaviour as Communication - A therapeutic Approach looks at what lies beneath behaviour and introduces possible strategies to use to help de-escalate situations.
Our Navigating the SEND World workshop helps you unpick the jargon, understand your rights, apply for the right benefits, find out about services and support across health, education and social care and feel confident about what to do next and so much more! We have also launched a Navigating the SEND World - Post 16 to help begin to prepare those of you with young people in their teens.
Supporting our children and young people with emotional regulation is always a priority. In our Understanding and Supporting Emotional Regulation workshop you will learn about arousal levels and anxiety and develop more of an understanding about our own emotional regulation as well as take away practical strategies and approaches to support regulation.
We are running workshops that cover the whole EHCP Process from New Application, what happens in the period from Submission to Finalisation and Annual Reviews.
Our Understanding Specific Literacy Difficulties workshop will provide you with more information about specific literacy difficulties including Dyslexia, unpick the profile of strengths and equip you with strategies and approaches for areas where support is likely to be needed.
We are also running our popular Anxiety and SEND and our Understanding Executive Functioning workshops and have a brand new workshop on Access Arrangements.
Book now for our free Autumn Workshops and Courses. No diagnosis is necessary.
The majority of these workshops are funded by Hertfordshire County Council’s Targeted Parenting Fund.
Parenting Courses from Supporting Links
Once again, Supporting Links are offering some of their Parenting Support Groups countywide and ONLINE for the AUTUMN TERM of 2023.
This is what some parents said who have just completed our summer programmes:
"You helped me and my family more than you could ever know.Thank you from the bottom of my heart"
"Fantastic course with hands-on, practical strategies. Non judgemental and very caring and supportive"
"I didn't think I would learn anything but I am glad I did this. Sometimes you need to hear things from outside your immediate circle. I have learnt so much and the presenters were lovely, very knowledgeable and made it fun"
We are pleased to bring you the details of 10 online courses starting in September and November, as well as 2 Face to Face groups.
Each course runs over 6 weekly sessions and is offered FREE of charge to parents thanks to funding from Herts County Council:
Parents of Children with Additional Needs (2 online / 1 St Albans course)
Parents of Children 0 –12 yrs (2 online / 1 Stevenage courses)
Parents of Children 0 - 19 yrs dealing with Anger (1 online)
Parents of Pre Teens & Teens (3 online courses)
Courses for Dads (2 online courses)
Further information on course content and suitability, along with details on dates and times, and how to refer a family to us, can be found here:-
INFORMATION ON COURSES
Please contact bookings@supportinglinks.co.uk or call us on 07512 709556.
for booking information and individual course posters.
BOOKINGS FOR THESE COURSES ARE OPEN :-Referral form
If you have any queries or need further information do call our booking line on 07512 709556
Parenting Courses from Family Lives
Family Lives are delivering 4 parenting groups and 2 workshops, funded by Hertfordshire County Council, in the Autumn term for targeted parents/carers who live in Hertfordshire or who have a child attending a Hertfordshire school.
All our programmes provide support, information and resources to parents/carers and adult family members so they can help their child reach their full potential as well as access to the wraparound support provided by our helpline, live chat and website.
Bringing Up Confident ADHD/ASD Children (6 weeks) Online group
Tuesday 12 September to 17 October, 7.00pm – 9.00pm Via MS Teams
If your child has ADHD/ASD, or you think they might, join our online 6-week group where you will receive support from other parents and gain a comprehensive understanding of ADHD/ASD and learn strategies to improve life at home and at school.
Sessions will cover :
- ADHD/ ASD - a whole-family issue
- Understanding your child’s behaviour
- Helping your child manage their feelings and outbursts
- Balancing support of siblings
- Learning about structure and routines
- Supporting your child at school
Less Shouting, More Cooperation (6 weeks) Online group
Thursday 5 October to 16 November, 7.00pm – 9.00pm Via MS Teams
Do you feel you are constantly nagging or shouting at your child to get what you need? Are you tired of losing your cool and want a calmer house? Join our free online 6- week group to learn how you can change the way you communicate with your child, respond better and feel more in control
The sessions will cover:-
- Exploring what helpful discipline is
- Recognising the triggers and responding more effectively
- Learning new parenting tools to challenge children’s behaviour
- How to negotiate and implement effective boundaries and family agreements
- How to hold boundaries and gain co-operation
Sorting Out Family Arguments (6 weeks) Online group
Wednesday 8 November to 13 December, 9.30am – 11.30am Via MS Teams
Do you feel everything ends in an argument and you are constantly trying to keep the peace? Join our free online 6-week group to help improve family communication, reduce the reactions which lead to arguments and create a culture of teamwork in your family.
Sessions will cover :
- How parents and children can be affected by conflict
- Strategies in handling and resolving conflict and anger
- Parents’ role when there is sibling rivalry and jealousy, fostering cooperation rather than competition
- Effective communication, implementing boundaries and how to negotiate
Dads Together (6 weeks) Face to Face group
Tuesday 7 November to 12 December, 7.30pm – 9.30pm
Canary Club, Fishponds Road, Hitchin, SG5 1NU
As a dad do you feel you are constantly nagging or shouting at your child to get what you need? Are you tired of losing your cool and want a calmer house? Join our free online 6- week group to learn how you can change the way you communicate with your child, respond better and feel more in control
The sessions will cover:-
- Exploring what helpful discipline is
- Recognising the triggers and responding more effectively
- Learning new parenting tools to challenge children’s behaviour
- How to negotiate and implement effective boundaries and family agreements
- How to hold boundaries and gain co-operation
Anxiety around ADHD Online Workshop
Tuesday 7 November, 9.30am – 11.30am
This 2- hour workshop is for parents and carers who suspect or have received a recent diagnosis that their child has ADHD. The workshop helps parents/carers understand what ADHD is, why it makes sense for a child to be anxious if they have ADHD, strategies to help support you and your child, plus signposting to other support that is available.
Reducing Conflict Online Workshop
Thursday 7 December, 9.30am – 11.30am
Conflicts are regular occurrence within families. It’s often a normal part of everyday life. However, conflict that is frequent, intense, and poorly resolved, has a significant negative impact on children’s mental health and long-term life chances. This 2-hour workshop explores different types of conflict between couples and families. Provides support in understanding the causes and impact of parental and family conflict on children and gives practical steps and strategies that parents can take to help improve their family relationships.
We accept referrals from professionals as well as self-referrals. Please click here referral form for our online referral form
Download the leaflet here
You can also email services@familylives.org.uk or call us on 0204 522 8700 or 0204 522 8701 for more information.
Parenting Courses from Families in Focus
Families and Focus CIC are delighted to be able to offer free courses for parents of children under 11 years old, living in Hertfordshire for another 3 years.
Families in Focus evidence based courses – email bookings@familiesinfocus.co.uk
Handling anger in your family children aged 4-11 years - Thursday mornings 9.30am to 11.30am - September 14,21,28 & October 5,12,19 - limited spaces available
Handling anger of children with ASD or ADHD children aged 4-11 years - Monday lunch & learn 9.30am to 11.30am October 30 November 6,13,20,27 & December 4
Handling anger of children with ASD or ADHD children aged 4-11 years - Tuesday mornings 9.30am to 11.30am - October 31 November 7,14,21,28 & December 5
Handling anger in your family children aged 4-11 years Tuesday evenings 6.30pm to 8.30pm - October 31 November 7,14,21,28 & December 5
Handling anger in your family children aged 4-11 years Thursday mornings 9.30am to 11.30am - November 2,9,16,23,30 & December 7
For all Hertfordshire parents and carers of children aged 0-5
Public Health has developed a short survey to help understand the support that families need from Public Health Nursing, and to gain insights into families’ experiences with the service. It would be very much appreciated if you could please help by sharing the below with families you work with? Deadline is 25 Sept - apologies for the tight deadline.
For all Hertfordshire parents and carers of children aged 0-5:
If you live in Hertfordshire and have a child or children aged 0-5, please complete this short survey to help us to ensure that Public Health Nursing Services meet the needs of Hertfordshire families:
Complete the Survey
The closing date for responses is 25th September 2023.
The Hertfordshire Public Health Nursing service, which includes Health Visiting and School Nursing, is dedicated to providing valuable services to families, children, and young people. The Public Health team have developed a short survey to gain insights into families’ experiences with the current Hertfordshire Public Health Nursing Service and to better understand the support needed by families, children, and young people in Hertfordshire.
Your feedback is crucial in evaluating the effectiveness of the current Hertfordshire Public Health Nursing Contract. This contract has been delivered by Hertfordshire Community Trust under a 5-year contract which began in October 2019.
The results of this anonymous survey will inform the next contract, which will commence in 2024. Thank you so much for your help.
News from Services for Young People
There’s still time to have your say on our future priorities
Services for Young People’s public consultation is open until 9 October 2023.
To support the developing priorities of HCC Children’s Services, and in response to budget challenges, we are looking at ways to redesign some of the services we offer to young people.
We want to hear from parents/carers, young people, professionals and other stakeholders about what they think our priorities should be. There is now a survey especially for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
If you haven’t already done so, please have your say by completing one of the surveys here:
Services for Young People projects restart for the autumn term from 11 September 2023
SfYP projects enable young people in all districts of Hertfordshire to develop their personal and social skills and increase their confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Young people can get involved in exciting activities and discussions, learn new skills and get support from our Youth Workers on any concerns they may have.
Full details of the 2023 autumn term projects for young people are now online.
New ‘Practical Partners’ project will enhance support for care leavers
Practical Partners, a collaboration between Services for Young People and GoVolHerts, will offer a new form of support for care leavers during their transition to independence.
From September 2023, young people in care and care leavers aged 16 to 25 in Hertfordshire, will be offered one-to-one support and guidance from volunteer mentors. The project aims to equip them with important life skills, paving the way for a successful future.
Would you be interested in volunteering to provide practical support to a young person?
Find out more and complete the expression of interest form here:
More news from SfYP