1. Families First DSL Presentation
All staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn and all staff should be prepared to identify children who may benefit from early help. 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 the teenage years
Keeping Children Safe in Education, DfE, Sept. 2018
Welcome
Give out Feedback forms
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2. Update from Families First
Reshape within Families First - Family Support Workers from Social Care teams now located in Families First Teams in localities, providing intensive support to families at level 3 & 4 (Levels of Intervention Guidance).
Families First developing closer links with colleagues within the Education Inclusion Service – Joint communication to follow.
EHCO’s / CSW’s now have the ability to work within settings – IT now in place to support community working.
Reshape in January to have a focus on both Partnership work and intensive family support. Resulted in each team having Partnership manager to lead on partnership working in localities and support the EHCO service and FSW Managers to focus on intensive family support delivery.

3. Families First Teams Early Help Coordinators Community Social Workers
Offer advice, guidance and support around all aspects of the Graduated Pathway of Early Help and support including supporting with TAF meetings, commissioning and working with settings to develop their Early Help offer/response to children and young people with additional needs.
Community Social Workers
Support practitioners with assessing levels of risk using Gloucestershire Levels of Intervention guidance.
Family Support Workers
FSW’s work directly with children, young people and their families offering support around issues which are impacting on the well-being of the child or young person when those needs sit at level 3 or 4 of the Levels of Intervention Guidance
Take questions about job roles and the functions of the team – remember the CSW role is being looked at later……..
DWP worker
Offer advice to practitioners and families around benefits and back to work issues. They can come into settings to advise staff or visit families at home along with the Lead Practitioner to offer individual support

4. Family Information Service
Talk about support available online through Glos families directory Information for practitioners section
Glos families website live for two years, in process of reviewing the information and how its supporting practitioners within the community. Currently there is a feedback form live on system (and sent via to everyone who is a registered practitioner on FIS website)
Aim is to review and evaluate feedback to develop website and ensure current and practice for practitioners.
EH FREE training available to book through the website.

5. What is the role of the Community Social Worker?
Community Social Worker - Early Help
This specialist role, rather than carry caseloads, instead works in partnership with a wide range of interdisciplinary practitioners in the community. This involves supporting and developing their understanding of their responsibility in relation to safeguarding and identifying and managing risk whilst ensuring that the right services are engaged in supporting children and their families at the earliest opportunity.
The Community Social Worker responds to requests from practitioners in the community for advice and guidance. They will:
Engage with ‘in principle’ case discussions in relation to complex situations and provide a social work perspective to support decision making with regards level of risk
Provide advice and guidance in relation to Gloucestershire’s Levels of Intervention Guidance and Early Help Services
With consent, attend multi-agency meetings to provide a social work perspective
With consent, undertake joint home visits with the lead practitioner to provide a social work perspective
Attend Lead Practitioner Support Groups, Lead Practitioner Forums and other interdisciplinary meetings
Develop and deliver safeguarding training programmes to practitioners who work with children, young people and their families
Support the development of student social workers on placement in Early Help and Social Care Teams
At all times ensure that priority is given to the safeguarding of children and young people