Family Support

Hello everyone, I am Ms Eve  Taylor and I am the Family Support Officer At Old Park Primary we understand that many children and families experience difficult times which can make a happy, successful school and home life a struggle. If you have worries or concerns about your child, you can always talk to their class teacher and the Head Teacher as they know your child and can work with you to address any issues.  However, for whatever reason, you might not feel able to or there may be other problems which parents/carers need some help with.  One of the roles of a Family Liaison Officer is to work closely with children and families who may be experiencing difficulties, this could be as simple as a misunderstanding with friends or it could be a more complex issue such as bereavement or a change in family circumstance. It may be that the support is needed for a short while or it could be a longer process. At Old Park Primary School the emotional welfare of our pupils (and families!) is of the greatest importance and having a dedicated Family Liaison Officer enables these issues to be given the time and care needed to be sensitively and compassionately worked through together. We seek to break down the barriers to learning and help you to deal with challenges in a positive way so that all children can be successful and make good progress. I listen without judgement and appreciate parents/carers issues and offer suggestions and advice for individuals and families on behaviour management, boundaries, routines, school attendance, punctuality, healthy eating to name a few.  I can also refer and signpost to other services available within Sandwell to help you find solutions. I work with families who are going through difficult times including relationship breakdown, bereavement, mental well-being and financial hardship. In consultation with parents/carers we can put in place in school to work through issues your child(ren) may face such as anger management and control, key school transitions, development of pupil self-esteem and confidence, friendship issues, family issues: bereavement, new baby in the family, parent’s separation/divorce Would you like a friendly chat? Do you know where to go for any advice/support? Do you know what’s going in your area? Please contact me to make an appointment on 0121 526 2669 or email etaylor@oldparkprimary.com Here are a few support documents available for you to download

• Changes
• Who you can speak to in school

Family and Play Therapy – Now available

Christian Dixon, a trained therapist for drama and art therapy, is now part of our pastoral team.  Christian comes into school once a fortnight to offer family therapy, drama and play therapy to children and their families.  For more information, please pop in and speak to either Eve Taylor or Sam Pearce. Here are some useful contacts which are generally free of charge, please come and see me if you need support in accessing there services:

Alternatively a search engine: www.askade.org can help you access a number of extra services