Support for Parents and Carers
At Rockliffe Manor, we believe in having a whole-school approach to be able to support parents and carers effectively. We engage widely with members of the local school community and are committed in sharing these links with you.
We understand the importance of building links between home and school, empowering parents to voice their ideas and opinions, and communicating effectively with you to promote your child’s learning and educational experience.
Parent/carer engagement is important because working together has been shown to have a promising impact on the wellbeing, attendance, behaviour, sense of school belonging, intellectual development and attainment of children across a range of social and economic backgrounds.
We aim to strengthen parent/carers’ abilities to build resilience in your children and in yourselves – reducing risks affecting wellbeing and learning. We run programmes for parents/carers which aim to strengthen children mental health or de-escalate common problems.
As well as thinking about the children in your care, it is important to take care of your own mental health and wellbeing. This will help you support yourself and those you care about. Children react, in part, to what they see from the adults around them. When parents and carers deal with a situation calmly and confidently, they can provide the best support for children and young people.
Parental Support services
- Parental support resources – From the Royal Borough of Greenwich
- Mindful Mums – offers free groups for women to learn more about looking after themselves, staying emotionally well, and developing confidence and social connections during pregnancy and in the first year after birth
- Dad.info – A community of men championing fatherhood and exploring what it is to be a dad in twenty-first century Britain. Features latest news, things to help you along the way and online and offline support
- Disabled Parents’ Network – A national organisation that provides support, information and advice to disabled parents and their families
- Encouraging better behaviour – A practical guide to parenting from the NSPCC
- Improve communication with your child – A guide to listening to children from the NSPCC
- Keeping your cool – Advice for parents on managing stress and anger from the NSPCC
- Coping with Crying
- Safer Sleeping – reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome
- Handle with care – A guide to keeping your baby safe from the NSPCC
- All babies count – Support leaflet for parents from the NSPCC
- Out alone – Your guide to keeping your child safe when out alone, out with you or taking part in activities from the NSPCC
- Home alone – Your guide to keeping your child safe at home
Bullying
Visit Kidscape’s website. Kidscape provide children, families, carers and professionals with advice, training and practical tools to prevent bullying and protect young lives.
Visit the GOV.UK website for information and advice on bullying and the law in relation to bullying in schools.
United Response have developed an easy to read leaflet on bullying for children and young people. This can be found on the children and young people page.
Coping with crying
Speak to someone if you need support such as your family, friends, Midwife, GP or Health Visitor.
For more advice and support in relation to copying with crying, visit Keeping Babies Safe webpage.
Children & Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Skybadger contains accessible information on disability rights and the law in relation to children with SEND.
The NSPCC and The National Autistic Society have joined forces and developed an autism-specific version of the popular resource, PANTS. This version of the Underwear Rule provides parents of children on autism the spectrum with additional guidance on how they can keep them safe from abuse. Click here to be redirected. The site also contains easy read documents on the underwear rule for children and young people with learning disabilities.
ARC have developed an easy read booklet for people with a learning disability, families and carers. It is a booklet for people to share and go through together and talk about. This booklet talks about a type of Disability Hate Crime called ‘Mate Crime’ – which means that sometimes friends are fake. Friend-or-Fake-Booklet.
Please also see the Hate Crime Reporting Book.
‘Unprotected, Overprotected: meeting the needs of young people with learning disabilities who experience, or are at risk of, sexual exploitation’ is a report written in 2015. The easy read version of this report is available here: Unprotected Overprotected Easy Read.
Domestic Abuse
Visit the National Domestic Violence Helpline here: http://www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk/
Visit Men’s Advice Line here: http://www.mensadviceline.org.uk
Visit Women’s Aid here: http://womensaid.org.uk
Female Genital Mutilation
Visit the government website here: https://www.gov.uk/female-genital-mutilation-help-advice
Read more about FGM here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/female-genital-mutilation-resource-pack/female-genital-mutilation-resource-pack
Visit Petal here: http://petals.coventry.ac.uk
Gangs, youth crime and antisocial behaviour
Read about Royal Greenwich’s approach to tackling youth crime here.
Visit the NSPCC webpage for information and advice in relation to gangs and young people.
Family Lives provides information and advice on how to recognise a gang and how to protect children from them.
Money Mules/”Squares”
“Squares” is the name given to a way of grooming young people for the purpose of money laundering. Young people are either asked to set up new bank accounts, steal bank cards – including their parents, or use their existing accounts for individuals to deposit large amounts of money accumulated through gang related criminal activity. They promise to pay the young people money in return and either request them to withdraw the cash or the account is used for fraudulent activities. Money is then not paid as promised or the young account holders are taking the money for themselves which is leading to violent incidents and threats of harm.
Anyone allowing criminal funds to go through their bank account is facilitating criminal activity and committing Money Laundering, an offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
View the Money Sense, Money Mules Factsheet and information from the Metropolitan Police for further information and how you can identify the signs.
If you are concerned that a young person is a victim or perpetrator of “squares” please make a referral to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub.
Radicalisation
The Royal Borough of Greenwich has its own dedicated multi agency team Prevent, that helps to safeguard young people and adults from the risk of radicalisation.
• The team perform outreach work to many establishments across the borough including; schools, community centres, faith settings and adult learning centres.
View the RBG Prevent Factsheet and Guide for Parents.
Counter Terrorism Policing have launched a safeguarding website www.actearly.uk. The website aims to increase awareness with concerned family and friends of where to go for further information and support.
The site also raises awareness and understanding of the signs of radicalisation, increases understanding and confidence of the referral process, and develops trust and confidence in the safeguarding role of the police.
Family and friends know when somethings not right. It can feel scary to think someone close could be heading down a path towards extremism. However, it is family and friends who are best placed to spot concerning behaviour at an early stage and can help the person they care about get the support they may need to move away from extremism.
In addition to the launch of the website, a new national Prevent advice helpline has been set-up and is operated by specially trained Prevent Officers whose focus will be on providing reassurance and practical advice, in confidence, to concerned friends and families. The helpline is now live on 0800 011 3764.
Links
National Domestic Violence:
https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/
Domestic abuse: how to get help:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help
Children who have witnessed domestic violence:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/domestic-abuse/
Supporting Children’s mental health:
Mental health and parenting:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/mental-health-parenting/
NSPCC: supporting children with SEND
Coping with bereavement:
http://upload.reactcdn.co.uk/foxfield/uploads/asset_file/3_1297_bereavement20support.pdf
Mind: Mental Health charity
Sexual Health
Visit the Greenwich Sexual Health (GSH) website which is a one stop website. GSH can help you with any of the following: Information about STIs (sexually transmitted infections), chlamydia test and treatment, gonorrhoea test and treatment, HIV test, getting hold of free condoms, booking abortion appointments, obtaining the morning after pill free of charge, contraception advice and information, and locating your nearest sexual health walk-in clinic in Greenwich. GSH offers a wealth of advice to Greenwich residents on all matters relating to sexual health.
Sexual Exploitation
Download a factsheet on sexual exploitation here.
Sexual Abuse
Download the NSPCC’s guide to keeping children safe from sexual abuse here.
Missing
Find out more about missing by reading the GSCP Missing guidance.
Private Fostering
Find out more information about private fostering here.
Self Harm