At St. Alban's, we are committed to ensuring that children and families receive the right help at the right time. By identifying needs early and working closely with families and partner agencies, we can provide support before difficulties escalate. Through a child-centred approach, we aim to promote wellbeing, learning, attendance and positive outcomes for every child, helping families access the support they need to thrive. This reflects our commitment to providing help and support as soon as concerns emerge and ensuring that every child feels safe, valued and supported.

Our Family Help Offer

Family Help at St. Alban's:

At St. Alban's, we believe that children and families should receive the right help at the right time. Family Help relies on schools, families, local services and community organisations working together to support children and young people. Everyone may need help at some point in their lives, and we are committed to providing support as soon as concerns emerge to prevent difficulties from escalating.

Family Help can support children and families who may be experiencing:

• Difficulties with routines, boundaries or family relationships
• Challenges in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and emotional wellbeing
• Caring responsibilities within the family, including young carers
• Difficulties attending school, including emotionally based school avoidance
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
• Disability, illness or additional needs within the family
• Mental health or emotional wellbeing concerns
• Friendship difficulties, bullying or social challenges
• Domestic abuse within the home
• Substance misuse by children, parents or carers
• Anti-social behaviour or involvement in criminal activity
• Children who go missing from home or education
• Exploitation, including criminal exploitation and child sexual exploitation
• Online risks and harms
• Radicalisation or exposure to extremist views
• Bereavement, family breakdown or significant life changes
• Private fostering arrangements
• Any circumstance where a child or family may benefit from additional support

How We Identify and Support Families:

Our safeguarding team meets regularly to discuss the wellbeing of our pupils and identify where additional support may be needed. We consider:

• Children's wellbeing, behaviour and attitude to learning
• Attendance and punctuality
• Friendships, relationships and peer interactions
• Family circumstances and any emerging concerns
• SEND and additional needs
• Mental health, emotional wellbeing and anxiety
• Bullying, safeguarding concerns or online safety issues
• The involvement of other professionals or agencies
• Any barriers that may affect a child's learning, development or wellbeing

This child-centred approach enables us to identify needs at the earliest opportunity and work in partnership with families to access appropriate support both within school and through external services. Our aim is to ensure that every child feels safe, valued and supported, enabling them to achieve the best possible outcomes.

As part of our safeguarding responsibilities, we recognise that effective support is based on strong relationships with children and families, early identification of need, and coordinated working with partner agencies to ensure children receive the help and protection they need when they need it.

We can offer support to children in a range of ways:

• 1:1 counselling
• Forest School
• Wellbeing groups
• Wellbeing programmes with the Pastoral Lead e.g. It's good to be me 
• Sensory circuits
• Yoga sessions
• School Dogs - Maggie and Bob
• Wellbeing Wednesday 
• Zones of Regulation support and rooms 
• St. Alban's Anti-bullying programme
• Sessions with Forward Thinking Birmingham - Mental Health, Anxiety, Online Safety (children and parents)
• Compass Birmingham MHST
• Links with PCSOs and talks for children - Prevention of County Lines, Anti-social Behaviour