A CHILDREN’S charity is making ‘life-changing improvements’ to vulnerable families in Malvern.
That is the view of bosses at Worcestershire County Council who have commissioned an early help provider for each of the districts.
Action for Children has been selected to deliver early help to families with children aged up to 19 in Worcester and Malvern.
The county council revealed they were ‘starting to notice some life-changing improvements’, with efforts from the charity helping to ‘nip problems in the bud’ before they get worse.
One example revealed by the local authority was of a parent from Malvern who made a referral through their GP to find support for her child that had been self-harming and missing school.
From initial conversations with the parent, the early help worker identified a number of issues within the family home including problems with the parent’s son.
He had outbursts of unpredictable and volatile behaviour so was provided with a post 16 team worker to act as a mentor and support him to enrol on a college course.
On a one-to-one basis, an early help worker supported the parent and the other child to improve relationships, while providing techniques to give the child ways to manage her emotions to reduce self-harming.
When speaking about the support she received, the unnamed parent said: “Justine, my worker, is my saviour. The work she has done with me in a couple of months is like she has been there for 12. Early help are my saviours.”
Hannah Needham, strategic commissioner for early help and partnerships said: “Hearing the support that each service has given to so many families across Worcestershire was wonderful.
“We have worked hard over the past two years to develop early help services in each district area and I am pleased that they are making a positive difference to people’s lives.”
Coun John Campion, county council’s cabinet member for children and families, added: “Improving our early help services is an important strand to help us reduce the demand on specialist services such a social care.
“If families can get the help they need early on there will be less need for intensive support as well as improving outcomes for the children and families in Worcestershire.”
