What are the advantages of using this service?
Here are just a few benefits of working with one of our Social Workers.
· Having a dedicated Social Worker able to give clear advice and direction in terms of children and families in difficulties.
· Integration with other members of the EIT, to provide multi-faceted support for children and families.
· Support at CAF meetings
· Working with a professional skilled at working with hard to engage families
What are the costs?
Following a reorganisation of Early Intervention services in Bexley, this service will no longer be free to schools from April 2014. As a guide, cost would be £5000 for a service half a day a week for a school year. Combined arrangements for schools who are part of Academy Trusts or Federations can be discussed. For more information please contact Brenda Tubbs
(Head of Early Intervention and Principal Educational Psychologist)
Contact Details
Brenda Tubbs
Principal Educational Psychologist and Head of Early Intervention.
Directorate of Education and Social Care
Bexley Civic Offices
2 Watling Street
Bexleyheath
DA6 7AT
Phone
020 3045 4214
Email:
What is the Early Intervention Team?
The Early Intervention Team (EIT) in Bexley comprises the following professionals.
· Behaviour Support
Partners
· AEN/SEN Partners
· Education Welfare Officers
· Social Workers
· Educational Psychologists.
· SEN Advice and
Moderation Partners
The EIT Social Workers operate within a multi-disciplinary context, complementing and supporting the work taking place within the rest of the team.
There is general understanding that barriers to children’s learning are not related just to issues in school, and there is a strong relationship between social concerns and educational improvement.
Early Intervention Team Social Workers
The EIT Social Workers are all professionally qualified and highly experienced. They have extensive knowledge of Safeguarding, Child Protection and Children in Need, and are able to advise schools on referrals to higher threshold services as well as working directly with identified families.
What do the Social Workers do?
The Social Workers can support in the following ways:-
· Advice to schools regarding potential Child Protection cases and possible courses of action.
· Advocating for families and enabling them to access services
· Signposting families to services
· Direct support to families in difficulties, often coordinated with other members of the EIT.
· Marlborough Family Project
· Supervision of staff (such as learning mentors) who are working with children with severe social emotional needs
· Therapeutic interventions
· Staff training in terms of safeguarding or working with vulnerable children.
· Specific advice to SENCOs, Inclusion Leaders or Designated Child Protection staff.
· Assistance with CAFs/ TAC meetings.
Threshold for referral
Generally, cases that are referred would be at level 2 of the Bexley continuum of need.
There should be no other attached Social Worker to the child or family.
Schools may consult with their attached Social Worker at any time regarding advice on safeguarding or how a family may be supported. At this stage cases may be anonymised.
Generally cases are referred by discussion at an EIT school team meeting, but there is scope for emergency referrals if the following criteria are met:-
· Children whose health suddenly deteriorates.
· Children who are new to the school
· Children who are facing other difficulties such as bereavement, illness or family breakdown.
Assessment
EIT Social Workers have developed an assessment tool based on the Common Assessment Framework. This is used on an ongoing basis until the case is closed. It identifies need, explores the difficulties, sets priorities for support and monitors progress.
The Social Workers have also developed tools to target set and monitor the impact of their work.
Referral to the EIT Social Workers.
Parental permission is required for support from the Social Worker. This is normally via the EIT consent form but may also be by a CAF