Birmingham Children’s Partnership – Resources
Families are telling us about the many challenges they face, and their concerns as a direct result of Coronavirus. So as partners across Birmingham we are connecting together to support families who want early help.
The following sectors are connecting together in ten localities: community, voluntary and faith sectors, health, family support, social work, police, schools, further education, nurseries, children’s centres, health visitors and GPs.
Emergency food and fuel assistance for families
Emergency food and fuel assistance and early help is available for families you are working with. The grant limit has now been raised to £100.
A reminder that Birmingham City Council has announced £100k to be distributed in localities, and free school meals vouchers that are being sent direct to schools by Sodexo.
How to access the assistance:
If you are working with a vulnerable family that requires some extra help or has complex needs, then please get in touch with your Locality Lead (see our list of the ten Locality Leads) who will help.
Birmingham Children’s Partners are grateful for your help to support families through these difficult times, we are all part of the early help system for families.
COVID-19 support in ten localities
Each area has a voluntary sector Locality Lead and staff from a range of services, see our list of the ten Locality Leads.
The ten Locality Leads have close relationships with partners and communities, so they can help the whole family.
For example: provide family support, give advice and guidance including linking to food banks, connect families to the professionals who can support them and coordinate the help, support early help assessments, connect families into the local community resources to help families to be more resilient, and give small grants for emergency food assistance.
Family Connect
Some families need support from more than one professional. We no longer make referrals for early help, but connect and work together to support families, continuing to build relationships and supporting a range of needs of all family members.
To get support for a child, young people or a family, please complete the Family Connect form for Professionals.
Family Connect Form – for Professionals
Family Connect Form – for Professionals (If you cannot download the form you may need to contact your own IT admin for permission to gain access or remove firewalls).
If you are a parent then please complete the Family Connect form for self-identification.
Family Connect Form – Self Identification
Emergency Resilience Funding (now closed to new applications)
The Resilience Funding is now closed to new applications. Since April we have supported over 7,500 families through this funding, which also provides families with additional support from our Early Help Locality Teams.
This additional support remains available for families and it can be accessed via the Family Connect Form.
Available Funding
Birmingham’s Local Welfare Provision scheme helps vulnerable people in short-term crisis with food and essential items. It is grant-based, which means people who receive help from it will not have to repay anything. It is not intended to replace the councils’ statutory duties.
The scheme is funded on an annual basis and once the fund has been exhausted for that financial year, there will be no further awards.
The scheme is purely discretionary and people have no statutory right to an award.
COVID-19 Community Grants
The Community Grants for 2020 to 2021 have now been awarded, with more than 140 new services and support in localities for families.
New grass-roots level grants are planned for April 2021.
From Birmingham with Love
For a simple list of universal early help that is available from partners for all families go to the From Birmingham with Love page. This includes a flyer or poster that can be handed to families and translated versions.
Government vision for Early Help
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government recently published a vision and toolkit for early help.
Troubled Families: early help system guide – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
| Area | Voluntary sector local lead | Contact number(s) | Email address |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgbaston | Katherine Hewitt | 0121 456 7821 | EarlyHelpEdgbaston@gatewayfs.org |
| Erdington | Lisa Martinali | 0121 748 8199 | ErdingtonFamilies@compass-support.org.uk |
| Hall Green | Caroline Woulhuter | 07570 953519 (9:30am to 4:30pm) | HallGreen.Families@accordgroup.org.uk |
| Hodge Hill | Alice Bath | 07976 199894 | EarlyHelp-Hodgehill@family-action.org.uk |
| Ladywood | Maxine Reid | 07764 977636 | childrenandfamilies@bsettlement.org.uk |
| Northfield | Becky Debenham | 07516 918 133 (Mon to Wed, 9am to 4pm)and07951 346 327 (Thurs to Fri, 9am to 4pm) | NorthfieldFamilies@northfieldcommunity.org |
| Perry Barr | Kelly Bagnall | 0121 752 1900 | PerrybarrEHnetwork@spurgeons.org |
| Selly Oak | Gordon Lee | 0121 441 4556and07544 772064 | EarlyHelp.Billesley@gmail.com |
| Sutton Coldfield | Kelly Bagnall | 0121 752 1860 | SuttonEHnetwork@spurgeons.org |
| Yardley | Adam Cooper | 0121 289 4875 | EarlyHelpYardley@barnardos.org.uk |
Creative Action in Sutton Coldfield
We have been delighted to be part of the Early Help Partnership and bring about such positive change in our locality. We have linked different organisations and been able to diversify into the third sector through our network. Working with partner charities means we can not only consult and implement conscious environmental change in practical terms, we can also share the benefit of the arts amongst a huge amount of people already identified as needing it and perhaps those who would not buy a sewing kit otherwise.
The government is keen to call the link, ‘Troubled’ families. We reject this term, but support all our beneficiaries proactively.
Any one person or family unit can demonstrate the need for extra support, that’s why we originally started UP, Because we wanted to create a community where we could help one another for no toer reason that we enjoyed it and to show our babies that you need a village in this individualistic world. Together we have created a community where there was not a force for positive engagement and social conscience. We welcome everyone to join, share and create!