Local Support
There are a number of local services that can offer you help and advice:
1. Primary Mental Health Workers
The Primary Mental Health Workers offer a signposting service to schools with children and young people who may need targeted help. You can reach them on the following telephone number: 01234 310 800
2. Counselling Services
What do they offer?
These are organisations which offer professional counselling to young people. There are 3 main organisations in Bedford and Central Bedfordshire:
Open Door in BEDFORD
Ages13-25 years
Open access service
Latrobe House
21 St Cuthberts Street
Bedford
01234 360388
Relate in BEDFORD & some satellite sites in CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE
Ages 10 - 21
Open access service and family interventions
St Paul's Square
Bedford
01234 400730
Sorted in DUNSTABLE & HOUGHTON REGIS
Ages 13-25 years
Open access service
The Place
Dunstable
76a High Street North
01582 890295
For children and young people who are dealing with a family bereavement you may be able to access guidance through ‘CHUMS.’ They can be contacted through their website www.chums.info
3. Educational Psychology Service
Who are we?
The Educational Psychology and Learning Support Service offer consultation, assessment, advice and support to parents and teachers where there is concern about development, learning and behaviour of children. The team includes educational psychologists, learning support advisory teachers, advisory teachers for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders.
Every school has a named Educational Psychologist and a Learning Support Advisory Teacher. As a service we work with school staff, with individuals or groups of children and also give training to schools as well as carrying out small research projects.
Our service initially offers consultation to school staff which involves discussing children or young people with their parents, teachers and others who know them well. If Educational Psychologists or Advisory Teachers need to assess a child or young person in school they do this in a number of ways, which may include:
- Observing the child/young person in their setting, classroom or playground
- Reviewing the work they have been doing in class
- Speaking to the child/young person
- Looking at any special provision already made for the child
- Assessing the child's strengths and weaknesses
- Working with school staff on strategies and approaches to help plan a suitable programme
Contact: 01234 228693
4. Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)
Everyone who works with children has a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
The Bedfordshire Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) exists to ensure that organisations work together effectively to safeguard children and promote their welfare. Here is a link to their website which includes the following publication for you to download 'Safeguarding Children: A guide for professionals working with children and young people.'
www.bedfordshirelscb.org.uk
5. Anti Bullying Advice
The Anti-Bullying Consultants are available to work with schools in a range of ways to fight bullying. They can offer help with writing, implementing and evaluating policies as well as other measures to raise the profile of anti-bullying work. They also have access to a range of resources to help in specific areas, for example homophobic bullying or cyber bullying.
Contact: Julia Overton -CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE
01234 836147
Julia.overton@rhouse.co.uk
6. Early Intervention Psychosis Team
The Bedfordshire and Luton Early Intervention Service is a multi-disciplinary team, which aims to provide a range of specialist interventions to people who have recently experienced a first episode of psychotic symptoms between the ages of 14-35.
The service aims to identify those experiencing early psychosis and to provide appropriate care and treatment as soon as possible, thus reducing the duration of untreated psychosis, which is a factor associated with poorer prognosis.
The service aims to work closely with primary care and secondary care services, education and voluntary agencies to identify at an early stage those who are experiencing problems with psychosis. It is advisable that the initial referral is made as soon as possible after psychosis is identified/suspected in order to minimise delays in accessing the full range of appropriate interventions offered by the service.
Read the attached leaflet if you would like further information about this team:
7. Early Intervention and Parenting team
All localities now have access to Parent Support Advisors who will be able to work with children and their families on particular issues. Details will be available through your school, or contact you local Unitary Authority if needed.
8. Extended Schools
What are extended schools?
An extended school works with the local authority, local providers and other schools to provide access to a core offer of integrated services:
- a varied range of activities including study support, sport and music clubs, combined with childcare in primary schools;
- parenting and family support;
- swift and easy access to targeted and specialist services; and
- community access to facilities including adult and family learning, ICT and sports grounds.
These will often be provided beyond the school day but not necessarily by teachers or on the school site.
Early evaluations have found that extended services can help to improve pupil attainment, self confidence, motivation and attendance; reduce exclusion rates; enable teachers to focus.
Your extended schools co-ordinator will be able to offer you support if there is one area you would like to develop to support the Emotional Health work in your school
Bedfordshire Extended Schools www.bedsco.org.uk
9. Sexual Health and teenage pregnancy
For a wide range of advice and resources for professionals in schools on issues connected to sex and relationships as well as teenage pregnancy click on the link for the Undercover website below which is maintained by Befordshire NHS Trust and contains the most up to date information available.
www.under-cover.org.uk
10. Plan B
'Plan B offer support for young people who may be experiencing issues with alcohol and/or drugs.
Click on the following document for details of how to access Plan B services for young people
PLAN B Service information
11. Voluntary Organisations
The 0-19 database contains contact details for a range of voluntary groups in Central Bedford and Bedford that offer support for children, young people and parents, and is regularly updated. You can access it by clicking here
