Parent Resources
On this page you will find online resources or contacts that are available for parents and carers including:
Parenting
Education & Schooling
Early Help Access Point
Families Information Service
Service Information Directory
SEND Support
See webpage:
https://www.tameside.gov.uk/coronavirus/wellbeing/children
For information about:
- Explaining Covid-19 to children
- Working from home with young children
- Staying safe online and social media
- Food, healthy eating and free school meals
- Healthy Start Vouchers
- Breastfeeding
- Formula Feeding
- Pregnancy
- Being Active
- Coping with Stress
Parenting
Parenting can be challenging during our normal lives, but additional pressures have been brought about with coronavirus closing schools, restricting our movements, additional financial pressures or balancing working from home with childcare for families. There are a number of webpages that will support you with parenting advice during this challenging time including:
Unicef - Tips for parenting during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
World Health Organisation - Parenting in the time of COVID-19
Parenting Helpline - the Parenting Team have opened a Parenting Helpline, available 3 days a week, 9-11am. If you have any struggles, worries or concerns in relation to parenting in this difficult time, please contact the team on the numbers available
here or email
parentingreferrals@tameside.gov.uk
You can access a
free online parenting course to support you in understanding your child’s behaviour and development.
Understanding your child’s behaviour / development
Additional Information
Education and Schooling
Government information about
school closures, education and childcare
All children and family circumstances will be different and there is no definitive government information about how to support your child’s learning at home during the school closures, but general advice includes:
- Establishing a daily routine – plan out times for learning, playing and taking a break
- Consider reasonable boundaries
- Consider a range of activities that don’t involve just being in front of a screen
- Ensure you keep active
- Consider wellbeing
Some schools are forwarding suggested learning materials to children but not all families will be able to undertake these learning tasks, but if you have an opportunity they will help you to support your child’s learning.
A listing of some of the educational webpages is available here that can help support your child’s learning. This list is not comprehensive and further resources are becoming available and the list will be updated from time to time.
For those parents that have a child who was due to undertake GSCEs or A Levels in 2020, there is a letter to students from the Government about how this year’s grades will be awarded.
For support with pre-school children’s learning, follow the ‘Grow in Tameside’ Facebook page which has activity ideas and on line sessions from children’s centre staff or visit the national webpages:
Tiny Happy People from the BBC
Additional Information
READING packs have been created to support parents in helping younger children acquire the phonics skills they need to be successful in school. While useful at any time, they are particularly beneficial during the coronavirus restrictions with most children unable to attend school or having their education disrupted.
The resources include four booklets, three of which support phonics and are sequential:
Tameside Council would like to thank Twinkl for allowing use of their sound mat and flash cards to demonstrate to families the sequence of sounds during this COVID-19 period. Twinkl is an educational website that has an abundance of resources for families and schools to use.
Early Help Access Point
Tameside Early Help Access Point can provide you and your family with help and support, advice and guidance about lots of child related subjects including:
- Sign posting to other support services as appropriate
- Early Help Assessment (EHA Advisors are available to speak to you).
The Team Around Approach - (Neighbourhood Coordinators are available to speak to you).
- If your family needs help from a keyworker, with your permission your family will be discussed at a panel which is attended by professionals from other support services. You will be notified if a keyworker is allocated.
Please ring our Early Help Access Point and speak to our friendly and helpful staff who will listen to you and take some details and where necessary gain your consent to share information if it’s appropriate to do so. Self-referrals can be made by contacting The Early Help Access Point on 0161 342 4260. It’s ok to ask for help.
Family Information Service
Call 0161 342 4260 for information, impartial advice and general information on:
- child care provision including childminders
- free child related activities
- choosing childcare
- listings of Ofsted registered childcare in your area
- advice on how child care is regulated and the best options for you and your child
- finding access to childcare that suits your needs
- Free Entitlement Funding (FEF) - free 15 hours childcare places for all 2, 3 & 4 year olds
- Completing an application form to apply for the free 2 year old funding
- 30 hours free childcare funding for 3 & 4 year olds including advice on how to apply via HMRC & criteria
- activities and groups for families including pre-school playgroups, toddler groups
- Children’s Centre activities
- Signposting to services both local and national organisations including information relating to SEND
SID brings together information about services for children, young people, their parents and carers. It tells you who a service is aimed at, where you can find it.
SEND Support
The SEND Support Service is now operating a Parent/Carer Helpline. This service is for the parents/carers of children with EHCPs, currently not in school. The service will offer support and guidance to parents/carers with SEND children at home, and who are currently struggling to support, engage and/or manage their SEND needs. Whilst the SEND team may be able to offer strategies to help a child engage with school work set by the child/ young person’s school, they cannot set a curriculum for your child. This will continue to be provided by school. The helpline will be available to parents/carers from Monday 30th March, and will operate between the hours of 9am-1pm. Helpline details is available Monday – Friday, 9 am – 11 am on
0161 3438381 and 11 am – 1 pm on 0797 1132375
Reuben’s Retreat -
Continuing to walk side by side with families
Additional Information
Good practice in autism education
Free online course over
four weeks from Bath University commenced on 30 March for parents and professionals. It begins with a forum for people to share tips on being at home with a child, in light of our current situation.
Register for a place