This page will allow you to find support with:
- Bereavement and loss
- Breakfasts
- Early help
- Independent help and advice
- Staying healthy
- Young Carers
Bereavement and Loss
There are very occasionally times of loss and bereavement that come to every family and to every school.
It is our hope and intention that we, as a school, respond with sensitivity and support.
If your family suffers a loss, we would ask that you let us know so that we can play our part in supporting your young person, to begin to understand the meaning of death and over time, come to terms with their loss.
Below, you can read our policy that lays out simply how the school will seek to respond at such a time of sadness and loss.
Attachments
Breakfast
Breakfast at school - it's FREE!
Because our learners come from all over the West Midlands region, many of them set out very early in the morning. Often when they wake up they really don't feel like eating before the taxi or minibus arrives.
That's why Braidwood provides a free breakf
ast to every child that wants one, every morning from 8am - 8.25am.
Toast, vitamin enriched bagels and cereal with fresh juice or a hot drink, while chatting with friends, makes a peaceful and nourishing start to each day and is so important for learning. If your stomach is grumbling, it can be hard to concentrate!
Early Help
What is an Early Help Assessment?
Sometimes children and their families might need some extra help, this might come from a range of different organisations, all working together.
An Early Help Assessment is a way of noting down what is going well in your family, what the worries are and what needs to happen to help things improve. Together you will then agree the best way to make this happen; this will be written into a Family Plan.
You might need help in one or more of the following areas:
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School, education or training
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Home and life relationships
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Health and emotional wellbeing
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Work, finances or housing
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Domestic violence or abuse
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Crime or anti-Social behaviour
If you have worries about your family, then ask Karen Saywood for an Early Help assessment.
We can do this work together to complete an Early Help Assessment to see how your family can be supported.
What will happen?
We will go through these steps with you:
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You and Mrs Saywood will talk about what is going well in your family, what the worries are, and what needs to happen to improve the situation. This will be written into the Early Help Assessment form.
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Mrs Saywood will get a team of people together, you will fill out a My Family Plan, this will remind everyone about what is going to happen, how will be doing it and by when.
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You will choose one person from that team to be your Lead Professional (LP).
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They will support you and make sure the team keeps their promises.
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You will review your plan regularly to make sure that things are improving for your family.
The whole process will take a little time, but we can only do it with your permission.
Independent help and advice
Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) offers impartial information, advice and support to children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities.
The service supports children, young people and their parents, and can:
- provide free, impartial and accessible information and advice on all aspects of the SEND statutory framework (law and the SEND Code of Practice) that covers Education, Health and Social Care.
- provide advocacy support for individual children, young people and parents that empowers them to express their views and wishes and helps them to understand their rights in matters including School Support; EHC Needs Assessments; Exclusions, complaints; SEND Appeals and Personal Budgets.
- provide information in community languages and other formats if appropriate.
- provide training to LA professionals, Health & Social Care professionals, children young people and parents to increase knowledge of SEND law, guidance, local policy and participation.
- assist the city council and schools to develop positive relations and links with parents.
- establish and maintain good links with voluntary and other agencies and services.
- help monitor overall effectiveness and feedback on all aspects of SEND provision and policy with a view to providing information to assist service improvements.
As well as providing advice and casework to individual families, SENDIASS is responsible for helping parents, carers and young people to be kept informed and consulted with on any local SEND policy and practice.
Birmingham: 0121 303 5004
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/xfp/form/859
Sandwell: 0121 569 4914 Monday to Friday 8.30am-4pm.
https://fis.sandwell.gov.uk/kb5/sandwell/directory/service.page?id=fyr0TwXGGiI
Walsall: 01922 612008
https://www.family-action.org.uk/what-we-do/children-families/walsall-sendiass/
Warwickshire: Phone: 024 7636 6054
https://www.kids.org.uk/warwickshire-sendiass-front-page
Worcestershire: Phone: 01905768155
Dudley: Phone: 07824 543233, 07900 161363 or 07929 777744.
https://www.dudley.gov.uk/residents/learning-and-school/information-for-parents/dudley-sendiass/
Staffordshire: Phone: 01785 356921
https://www.staffs-iass.org/Contact-Us.aspx
Wolverhampton: Phone: 01902 556945
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Staying Healthy
Staying healthy in mind and body is important for us all.
The link below is from SignHealth and contains BSL, and subtitled videos that cover a range of needs from First Aid to dealing with physical and mental health problems with useful advice and further links.
Young Carers
What is a ‘young carer’? 
A young carer is under 18 and helps to look after a relative with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem. A young carer may help to look after a parent or care for a brother or sister.
They may do extra jobs in and around the home, such as cooking, cleaning or helping someone get dressed and move around.
They may also give a lot of physical help to a brother or sister who's disabled or ill.
Along with doing things to help a brother or sister, they may be giving emotional support, too.
Your choices about caring
Some people start giving care at a very young age and don't really realise they're carers. Other young people become carers overnight.
If someone in your family needs to be looked after, you may really want to help them. But a young carer, shouldn't be doing the same things as adult carers.
Nor should they be spending a lot of time caring for someone, as this can get in the way of doing well at school and doing the same kinds of things as other children or young people.
Young carers' rights
If you or your parents request it, a social worker from your local council must visit to carry out a young carer's assessment.
This assessment is different from the one adult carers have. It'll decide what kind of help you and your family might need.
Even if the council has already carried out one of these assessments, they must do another if you or your parents feel that your needs or circumstances have changed.
A young carer's assessment can determine whether it's appropriate for you to care for someone else, and takes into account whether you want to be a carer.
The social worker must also look at your education, training, leisure opportunities and views about your future.
For advice and support with care issues, call the Carers Direct helpline on 0300 123 1053.
If you're deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing or have impaired speech, contact the Carers Direct helpline using the textphone or minicom number 0300 123 1004.
Remember, you can always contact school and we can help put you in touch with the right people