Parenting Support - Specialist Services
Specialist services are those where there is a specific criteria that you will need to meet in order to use the services. This may be when you are really struggling with the demands of being a parent and can be for a variety of reasons. At this level you will need some specialist advice and support
- Bracknell Family Centre
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Children's Social Care
- Disabled Children's Team
- Education Welfare Service
- Family Group Conferences
- Larchwood Short Break Unit
- Solution Focused Therapy and Signs of Safety
- Webster-Stratton Parenting Programme
- Youth Offending Service
Bracknell Family Centre
Bracknell Family Centre provides support for families who are experiencing difficulties and where there is a risk of breakdown in family relationships. Support includes a general session for families, parent groups, individual work, intensive programmes for families, counselling and play therapy. If the family includes a child with a disability, there is a range of facilities and resources available, including a sensory unit.
All referrals must go through the Children’s Services duty team at Time Square for an initial assessment to ensure that families meet the appropriate criteria. (See Children’s Social Care)
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
Provides a specialist mental health service for children and young people. They are based at Church Hill House. The team is made up of practitioners who practice psychiatry, clinical psychology and family therapy. Practitioners from the team run Webster-Stratton parenting classes and also systemic family therapy clinics in partnership with professionals from the social care teams.
Children’s Social Care
The Children’s Social Care Branch is responsible for assessing the help and support needed for children and their families, including Child Protection and Youth Offending. They decide if a child 'is in need' as defined in the Children Act 1989 and make arrangements to provide services appropriate to meet those needs. It is also responsible for planning and developing and commissioning new services to meet changing needs
All referrals must go through the Children’s Services duty team at Time Square for an initial assessment to ensure that families meet the appropriate criteria.
Disabled Children’s Team
The Disabled Children’s Team and Special Educational Needs Team work closely together as part of the Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Service within Children’s Social Care. The Disabled Children’s Team respond to children with complex needs working closely with other agencies to minimise the effects of a child’s disability and to give them the opportunity to lead lives that are as normal as possible.
Education Welfare Service
The Education Welfare Service (EWS) works with schools, parents/carers and their children who are experiencing difficulties in school. Children and young people are supported and helped to maximize their educational opportunities. The EWS endeavours to provide a caring, supportive and effective service.
For Education Welfare Services in Bracknell Forest, telephone 01344 464720.
Family Group Conferences
Family group conferences are a way of giving families the chance to get together to try and make the best plan possible for children.
The decision makers at a family group conference are the family members, and not the professionals. It is here that the mother or father or aunt or grandfather gets together with the child or young person and the rest of the family to talk, make plans and decide how to resolve the situation. In Bracknell, Family Group conferences are arranged through Children’s Social Care.
Larchwood Short Break Unit
Larchwood is a short break unit, offering breaks for children and young people with learning disabilities. These 'breaks' can be in the form of overnights or after school and weekend groups and school holiday play-schemes. Referrals are through Children’s social care teams after an assessment has identified a need for a ‘break’.
Solution Focused Therapy and Signs of Safety
These therapeutic approaches are offered by the Family and Adolescent Support Team to families with teenagers who are experiencing difficulties in an attempt to avert a crisis situation developing. Access is through Children's Social Care Duty and Assessment Team.
Webster-Stratton Parenting Programme
The Webster-Stratton is a 10 week structured parenting programme. It uses a variety of methods to help parents deal with problem behaviour, such as group discussion, videos which show the experiences of other parents, role play, books for children, homework activities and cue cards with pictures of key concepts. In Bracknell it is delivered by practitioners from the Behaviour Support Team, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and from Social Care. It can be accessed through referral to any of these agencies.
Youth Offending Service
This team, working in partnership with Solutions Together, a private organisation, provide parenting services for parents of young offenders and those who are at risk of offending. They run a rolling programme of parenting groups and also work with families on an individual basis.
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