Family Support

Stephanie King is our dedicated Family Support Worker.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us on 0207 708 6790 or the Family Support mobile number (07511849450). Alternatively, you can email familysupport@highshore.southwark.sch.uk.

Family Support Worker

At Highshore, we aim to build positive relationships with all our families, so that we can provide practical and emotional support to help parents navigate the challenges of raising children with additional needs.  We believe that relationships are the means through which we can work collaboratively with families to establish a shared understanding of what needs to be done, and by whom, in order to achieve positive change.

At Highshore School, we are working towards becoming a Trauma Informed School, which means recognising the profound, long-term impact that trauma can have individuals, groups and communities, as well as their ability to feel safe or develop trusting relationships with support services. A trauma informed approach means working in collaboration and partnership with families so that they can feel empowered to make positive choices to best meet their child’s needs.

Our Family Support Worker is trained in systemic, relationship-based work with children and families. Systemic practitioners consider the uniqueness of each individual’s circumstance and work to gain a greater understanding of how people may be affected by their surroundings, relationships and community, which helps them develop interventions that can have a positive impact.

The Family Support Worker provides help though a variety of activities and interventions including training for parents via our Parent Coffee Mornings and SaLT and OT Surgeries, signposting to partner agencies such as Southwark’s Local Offer, CAMHS and Early Help, support managing transitions, targeted one to one support for individual children and their families, home visits and practical support accessing services (for example, by helping parents to complete application forms for DLA, PIP and transport). The FSW also provide support in regards to pupil attendance as, as Highshore, we resolutely believe in the power of education, and we know that regular school attendance is a key indicator in terms of children’s learning and development, as well as their social and emotional outcomes.

At Highshore we always aim to:

• Recognise and respect the unique challenges and needs of every family, and take time to truly understand your concerns and perspectives
• Work collaboratively with families: Establishing strong, respectful relationships through consistent and honest communication
• Work from a child-centred perspective
• Uphold the perspective that you are the expert in your child’s life
• Be empathetic and compassionate
• Respect diversity: Valuing and honouring diverse family structures, cultures, and backgrounds
• Empower families to build their own skills and confidence in managing their child’s needs
• Maintain trust by ensuring all information shared is kept confidential and secure unless there is a safeguarding issue which requires escalation
• Provide support without bias or judgement, respecting each family’s situation and decisions
• Take a holistic approach to our work with families, considering the whole family’s needs and circumstances, not just the child’s educational requirements
• To be advocates for the families we work wit: Standing up for the rights and needs of children and families, ensuring they receive appropriate resources and support
• Offer training and resources so that families have the tools and knowledge they need to support their child effectively
• Celebrate success by recognising and acknowledging achievements and progress, no matter how small

During the 2024/5 Academic Year, we will offer the following support sessions:

• 05.02.24, 9:30am-11:00am: Parenting Coffee Morning – Positive Behaviour Management
• 27.03.24, 9:30am-11:00am: Parent Coffee Morning - Puberty (understanding your child’s changing body, and mind!)
• 29.04.25, 9:30am-11:00am: Parent Coffee Morning – Trauma and Attachment
• 15.05.24, 9:30am-11:00am: Parent Coffee Morning – Morning Routines
• 03.07.24, 9:30am-11:00am: TBC

For details of additional events coordinated by the Family Support Service, please see the weekly Newsletter.