Parent Support

Family Support Worker

At Sarum St Paul's, we know that family life can sometimes be challenging. Whether you have a small concern or are facing more significant difficulties, you do not have to manage them alone.

Our Family Support Worker, Debbie Newman, is here to provide practical advice, emotional support and a friendly listening ear. Debbie works closely with families and school staff to help children thrive both at home and at school.

Support is available to all families, and you do not need to be in crisis to ask for help. Sometimes a conversation at the right time can make all the difference.

Did You Know?

Every family at Sarum St Paul's can access support from our Family Support Worker.
You do not need a referral to speak to Debbie.
Support is confidential, free and available before worries become bigger.
Debbie can arrange to meet with you at school or, if you would prefer, visit you at home.
Debbie can help you access support from a wide range of local services and organisations.

How Debbie can help

Debbie can support families in many different ways, including:

Providing a confidential, non-judgemental listening ear.
Helping with worries about your child's behaviour, emotions or wellbeing.
Supporting communication between home and school.
Offering advice on routines, boundaries and parenting strategies.
Supporting children starting school or moving on to secondary school.
Helping you access local services and community support.
Signposting to organisations that can help with finances, housing, relationships, health or other family concerns.
Helping with forms and applications where needed.
Accompanying parents to school meetings if this would be helpful.
Offering home visits where appropriate.
Running parent workshops and parenting courses throughout the year.

If Debbie doesn't know the answer, she will help you find someone who does.

Early Help for families

Sometimes families benefit from a little extra support before problems become more difficult. This is known as Early Help.

Early Help is about working together with families to identify what is going well, what support may be helpful and how we can work together to achieve the best outcomes for children.

Debbie can talk through any concerns you may have and help you decide what support would be most appropriate. This might involve support from school or, with your agreement, accessing services from other organisations.

Confidentiality

We understand that asking for support can feel daunting. Conversations with Debbie are treated sensitively and respectfully.

Information shared will remain confidential unless there is a safeguarding concern or someone is at risk of harm. If this were ever necessary, Debbie would always aim to discuss this with you first wherever possible.

When is Debbie available?

Debbie is based at Sarum St Paul's:

Tuesday: All day
Wednesday: Morning

As Debbie works across a cluster of schools, she is not always on site. However, she can be contacted Monday to Thursday between 8.30am and 3.30pm.

Telephone: 07752 158827

Email: dnewman@sarum-st-pauls.wilts.sch.uk

If you would like to speak to Debbie, you can also contact the school office, who will be happy to arrange for her to get in touch.

Parent workshops and courses

Throughout the year Debbie runs a range of parent information sessions and parenting courses, covering topics such as children's wellbeing, behaviour, emotional development and supporting learning at home.

Details of upcoming sessions will be shared through our newsletters and parent communications.