Studley High School – Supporting Children & Families Offer (SC&FO) (Early Help Offer)
What is SC&FO?
SC&FO is the support offered by the council to potentially vulnerable children, young people and their families.
The purpose of SC&FO is to put in the right support at the right time so that problems are less likely to escalate to a point where the child becomes vulnerable or in need. SF&CO is sustainable so that problems are less likely to re-occur.
It does not always mean early years. While research does show that most impact can be made in those crucial first few years of a child’s life, SC&FO can be needed and put in place at any time and at any age.
SC&FO means offering information, advice, guidance, and support to families as soon as a concern emerges, or seems likely to emerge.
Where to find information on SC&FO:
SC&FO Parent Information (Warwickshire)
Family Information Service (Warwickshire)Early Help Parent Information (Worcestershire)https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/council-services/childrens-services/early-help-family-support/professional-family-support
At Studley High School we recognise the challenges that families face in bringing up Students. There may be times when you need extra help and support. If this is the case, please come and talk to us. There are many ways in which we can help as outlined in this offer of early help. We can also help to plan specific support for families in the form of a Supporting Children and Families Offer Assessment where we can work together to set and achieve outcomes.
Levels of Need
Children may have additional or unmet needs at any age or stage of development (0-18 years). In addition, their circumstances and needs may change over time which means that the process of assessment needs to be a responsive one. An accumulation of a number of these examples could increase a child’s vulnerability and, as such, the type of response required from agencies. It should be noted that the levels of need described in this guidance does not necessarily directly correlate with those applied within individual agencies to their levels of service delivery / provision or response, this is child and young person focused not service specific.
Level 1 Represents children with no identified additional needs. Their needs are met through the routine services they receive from early years services, schools and health services, such as the GP or public health nurses, and hospitals some may also be receiving services from housing and voluntary sector organisations. Most children will successfully develop and thrive at this level of need. These are known as universal services available to all children and young people.
Level 2 Represents children with additional presenting needs which can include parenting support, emotional wellbeing, housing, finances, and vulnerabilities in their community known as contextual safeguarding. These extra needs can be met by a universal service providing single agency additional support and/ or co working with one or more partner or voluntary agencies to address the identified additional needs. An offer of early help and support will build on a family’s existing strengths and focussing on whole family working to respond to the child’s identified needs, safety and wellbeing with a focus on addressing and preventing an escalation of those needs and vulnerabilities.
Level 3 Represents children and young people who have complex needs themselves and/ or their family do, which impacts upon their safety, wellbeing and family life adversely. This may include multiple adverse childhood experiences, risk of family breakdown, poor emotional and mental health, inadequate parenting, domestic and/ or substance misuse. They will require several agencies working together with the family in a coordinated way to help the family make changes and improve the family functioning and outcomes for the children.
Level 4 Represents children who need statutory and/or specialist interventions including: n Children in need, including those in need of protection. n Children Looked After and privately fostered. n Young people who have committed an offence. n Children with acute mental health needs.
The diagram below shows the range of needs at different levels. We use this graduated approach to make sure we provide the best support for different families’ individual situations.
Please add diagrams from the document here
Providing early help to our students and families at Studley High School means we are more effective in promoting support as soon as we can. Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to teenage years.
Please see link below to access our internal and external local offer Early Help (Warwickshire and Worcestershire) at all levels in need.
