The Brigshaw Cluster Team work with our local schools and partners to provide a comprehensive package of targeted and universal support for local children, young people and families experiencing social, emotional and/ or behavioural difficulties.
Our aim is to identify those families, children and young people most in need of help and to ensure they are offered the right intervention at the right time, by the right people as early as possible in the life of a problem.
Brigshaw Cluster has established working partnerships with a range of services, including, Children's Social Work Services, health services, police, youth services, housing, intensive family support services and the voluntary sector. The Cluster Guidance and Support Team provide EarlyHelp and targeted support to children, young people and families across the seven schools in the Brigshaw Learning partnership and our two partner schools; Great Preston Primary and Lady Elizabeth Hastings Primary in Ledston.
The team, which is based at Brigshaw High School, offer support services, including:
- 1:1 short-term counselling for children and young people covering issues such as; anxiety, low mood, self-harming behaviours, bereavement, anger and relationship difficulties.
- 1:1 early intervention support family support for parents and carers
- Delivery of evidence-based parenting groups,
- Attendance improvement,
- Targeted interventions,
- SEMH support (Social Emotional, and Mental Health) and safeguarding.
- Advice, guidance and consultation for schools and partners
- Strategic links to Leeds City Council, NHS and the third sector
Requests for support from our Cluster schools and partners are discussed and allocated services at our monthly Guidance and Support meetings.
Please speak to your child's school or your GP in the first instance if you have any support needs of your own that you would like to discuss.
Here are some examples of the feedback received after working with us:
"Family support has given me a good insight into how xxx's brain works and her behaviour which has helped me change my response to her."
"I know this will be a long-term process but yyy's behaviour has improved so much already; the support has been amazing. I have even been sharing the strategies with my friends."
"I got to talk about how I was feeling and get my tears out. I loved doing the session on Thursdays, I will miss coming."
"Just being able to talk about things going on and to get outside advice for them."
Meet the team
Adele Dempster, Cluster and Targeted Services Leader
- Coordinate targeted support- MindMate SPA referrals, CSWS Front Door, Families First, Guidance & Support
- Promoting collaboration- improved information sharing and a unified approach between schools, Children's Services and external agencies, e.g. police, health and third sector organisations.
- Coordinate packages of support for families at greatest risk of poor outcomes. CSWS- Close working to prevent escalation of cases & manage the safe de-escalation of cases, safeguarding support for schools,
- Line management of the cluster team, management of commissioned contracts and the cluster budget.
Maria Milner, Guidance and Support Team Manager
- Cluster Guidance and Support team- operational management, including safeguarding supervision for C&FP
- Referrals- management of referrals from Cluster schools, MindMate SPA, CSWS and other partner agencies
- Family Support- providing extra capacity to support complex family support interventions
- Cluster CLA Champion- supporting schools with all CLA, including advice and guidance, attendance at PEPs where appropriate, liaison with other agencies and supervision for nominated staff.
- Cluster data management- operational management of records, spreadsheets and databases and Cluster data for schools
Debbie Oldroyd, Family Practitioner
- Family Support focusing on the needs of the whole family
- Wellbeing support for children and young people maximum of 6-month support with a minimum of one home visit every two weeks and telephone contact in between.
- 1:1 CYP support Ensuring the voice of the C/YP is at the heart of all support and interventions and offering wellbeing support where appropriate.
- Early Help Assessments and Plans to ensure coordination and communication between the family and professionals/agencies working with them.
