Early Help

What is Early Help?

At Teignmouth Primary School, we know that being a parent is one of the most important and sometimes most challenging jobs there is. Families can face all sorts of ups and downs and sometimes a little extra support can make a big difference.

Early Help is the name we give to the support available for children, young people, and their families when things start to feel difficult. It’s about offering help as soon as a problem starts to show, rather than waiting until things get worse.

👨‍👩‍👧 How does it work?

You can ask for help at any time by speaking to a teacher, our pastoral team or another trusted adult in school. Together, we will listen and work with you to understand what’s going well and where extra support might be helpful. If needed, we can complete an Early Help Assessment (EHA). This is a simple form that helps us and you see the bigger picture. It is not about blaming or judging, but about finding solutions together. With your permission, we may bring together the right people (for example health, housing, or support workers) to create a plan that works best for your family.

💡 What sort of things can Early Help support with?

  • Routines, behaviour, or school attendance
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Parenting advice and guidance
  • Money worries, food, or housing
  • Relationship breakdown or family conflict
  • Support for children with additional needs
  • Confidence, courses, and employment

✅ Why Early Help?

  • It’s voluntary – you choose to be involved.
  • It’s supportive, not judgmental, we want to help, not criticise!
  • It’s about making sure children are safe, happy and able to learn.
  • It often prevents small issues becoming bigger problems.

📌 If you feel your family would benefit from more structured support, please talk to your child’s teacher or a member of the pastoral team about an Early Help Assessment. This is not about telling you what to do, it’s about listening and working with you to get the right support at the right time.

 

🌟 Family Support & Signposting

At Teignmouth Primary School, we understand that family life can sometimes be challenging and we are here to support you.  Below you’ll find information about local and national services that can help with a wide range of needs.

If you would like to talk through anything in confidence, please speak to a member of our Early Help team – Claire Fleming and Casmine Wilde. 

  • Family Hubs Advice Line – Sometimes family life can feel challenging, and it’s not always easy to know where to go for support. Devon’sFamily Hubs Advice Line is here to help.

📞 0800 538 5458 (Freephone)

🕙 Monday to Friday, 10am–4pm

Friendly advisors can:

  • Offer practical parenting tips around behaviour, routines and sleep.
  • Support you with family relationships, separation and stress.
  • Talk through worries about your child’s wellbeing or your own.
  • Signpost you to local services such as foodbanks, childcare, courses and health visitors.
  • Simply listen if you need someone to talk to.

This service is free, confidential, and available to all parents and carers in Devon.

👉 Find out more here: https://www.devon.gov.uk/children-families-education/child-family-support/family-support/family-hubs/contact-family-hubs/

  • School Nurse – School nurses can provide support about a range of health and wellbeing issues. There is a list of categories to choose from but there is an option to select ‘other’ if you feel the options don’t best describe the need that you want support with. These include:
  • Going to the toilet or having toileting accidents (bladder and bowel).
  • Healthy eating, exercise or growth or both (including weight).
  • Medical condition or worry about health.
  • Feelings and emotions.
  • Feeling safe or unsafe around family or friends at home or in the community.
  • Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
  • Sexual health and relationships (including gender and identity).
  • Sleep.
  • Smoking, alcohol or drugs (or both).
  • Moving school, changes at school, or not attending school.

🔗 request for school nurse support form

🥫 Food Support

  • Teignmouth Food Bank – Emergency food parcels for families in crisis.
    📞 07561 898354 | 📍 Riviera Life Church, Teignmouth
  • Community Fridges & Pantries – Affordable food locally.
    🔗 devon.cc/food-support

 

🧒 Support for Children with Additional Needs

  • Devon Information, Advice & Support (DIAS) – Independent advice for parents of children with SEND.
    🔗 devonias.org.uk | 📞 01392 383080
  • Parent Carer Forum Devon – Support and peer connection for parents of neurodivergent children.
    🔗 devonparentcarersvoice.org
  • Neuro Navigators – A free, confidential wellbeing service supporting children, young people and their families navigating neurodiversity.

🔗 livewell.devonndnavigators@nhs.net

 

👨‍👩‍👧 Behaviour Support

  • Babcock LDP Parent Support Advisors – Advice on managing behaviour, routines, and parenting strategies.
    🔗 babcockldp.co.uk
  • Family Intervention Workers (via Early Help) – Work with families to improve routines, boundaries, and behaviour.

 

 🌈 Mental Health & Wellbeing

  • Kooth – Free, safe online counselling for young people.
    🔗 kooth.com
  • NHS Every Mind Matters – Practical tips for managing wellbeing.
    🔗 nhs.uk/every-mind-matters
  • CAMHS (Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services) – Specialist NHS service for young people with significant mental health needs.
    🔗 childrenandfamilyhealthdevon.nhs.uk
  • Talkworks (NHS Devon) – Free talking therapies for adults with low mood, anxiety, or stress.
    🔗 talkworks.dpt.nhs.uk

 

💰 Help with Money, Debt & Benefits

  • Citizen’s Advice Teignbridge – Free, confidential advice on debt, benefits, housing, and employment.
    🔗 citizensadvice.org.uk | 📞 0808 278 7997
  • Turn2Us – Online benefits calculator and grants search.
    🔗 turn2us.org.uk

 

🏡 Housing & Wellbeing

  • Teignbridge District Council – Housing advice and support.
    🔗 teignbridge.gov.uk
  • Young Devon – Support for young people with wellbeing, skills, and housing.
    🔗 youngdevon.org

 

📚 Courses, Skills & Employment

  • Learn Devon – Free or low-cost adult learning courses, including English, maths, digital skills, and wellbeing.
    🔗 learndevon.co.uk
  • CSW Group – Support for young people not in education, training, or employment.
    🔗 cswgroup.co.uk
  • National Careers Service – Advice on skills, training, and job applications.
    🔗 nationalcareers.service.gov.uk

 

💼 Job Centre Plus

  • Help with job searches, benefits, Universal Credit, and training opportunities.
    📍 Jobcentre Plus, Newton Abbot (nearest branch to Teignmouth)
    🔗 gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-plus

 

 Mediation & Support for Separation or Contact Disputes

These services focus more on resolving disputes (child contact, arrangements, separation etc).

  • UK Family Mediation Service, Teignmouth –Offers professional mediators for family disputes including child access/contact, financial mediation, parenting plans. They also provideLegal Aid mediation for those eligible.

🔗 https://teignmouth.ukfamilymediationservice.co.uk/

  • Pathways Family Mediation – They have anEarly Intervention Service which helps with reducing parental conflict, resolving family time / contact arrangements.

🔗 https://www.pathwaysfamilymediation.co.uk/early-intervention-service/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

  • Devon Mediation Service – A charity-based service resolving interpersonal, family or community disputes in Mid, East & South Devon. They may help with family contact and conflict resolution, depending on the case.

🔗https://advicefinder.turn2us.org.uk/Home/Details/7589?utm_source=chatgpt.com

 

🎒 Uniform Support