Signposts to External Support

If you or your child/family need support there are a range of external services available to suit your needs. Should your child need additional support in school please visit our dedicated Support in School page.

Early Intervention Team (Attendance Advice)

It is essential that your child makes a positive and consistent start to school life. To enable this to happen, regular attendance is required. If your child is experiencing difficulties with his/her attendance it may be helpful to contact your child’s Student Support Leader or Alison Foster, our Attendance Intervention & Support Officer, at the earliest opportunity so that we can offer you support.

Additionally, the Early Intervention Team offers parents support around attendance issues. The primary role of this service is to provide advice, information and support to schools, children and families to raise levels of attendance. This team is located at: The Base, Marsden Road, Bolton BL2 2JW and can be reached on 01204 338173. For more information visit their website: School attendance – Bolton Council

Parent Partnership

Bolton Information and Advisory Service provides support and advice to parents whose children have special educational needs. They provide accurate and neutral information on the full range of options available to parents.

Bolton Information and Advisory Service (Previously Bolton Parent Partnership Service) – Local Directory of services, activities and events in Bolton (mylifeinbolton.org.uk)

School Nursing Team – Health Issues

School nurses promote and maintain the good health of all school age children and enable them to reach their full potential. The school nurse works in partnership with parents, children and young people, school staff and other professionals. The School Nursing team can offer advice and support on a range of issues and has links to other services that work with children and families. Our school nurse is Alison Clarke. You can contact Alison on 01204 463307.

Runa Project (missing from home)

RUNA (pronounced “runner”) works with children and young people who have been reported missing from home. RUNA works in partnership with Greater Manchester Police, Bolton Council and school.

The RUNA project provides contact with every child who is reported missing to the Police in Bolton. The project workers meet with children and young people once they have returned home. They discuss the dangers and address the problems which cause them to run away. RUNA liaises with other organisations that can support both the individual and family in order to prevent future running away. The project has preventative work programmes which operate in school.

Contact RUNA on: 01204 385848 or see their website: RUNA – Urban Outreach

Behaviour Support Service – Advice on Positive Parenting Approaches

Bolton Behaviour Support Service provides a team of specialised behaviour workers who work with young people in schools. The school allocates students as appropriate to their need. The service also offers advice on aspects of positive parenting. Please contact: Miss R Beattie at school on 01942 814122.

Fortalice

Fortalice are a Bolton based charity providing frontline services for people who are, or have been, affected by domestic abuse and violence. Domestic abuse can have a lasting impact on young peoples’ lives. Feelings of guilt, anxiety, anger, isolation, fear for personal safety and difficulty sleeping are all common.

We offer a range of support for children and young people who have witnessed domestic abuse or who are in an unhealthy relationship of their own. We’ve helped hundreds of young people tackle issues like skipping school, self-harming, choosing bad relationships, taking unnecessary risks, and challenging behaviours. https://fortalice.org.uk/

Endeavour

Endeavour provide a range of domestic abuse services for people and their pets. We are a registered charity offering a wide range of services including front line community based support, group work and counselling for those affected by domestic abuse. All our projects are accessible to anyone who is affected by domestic abuse and we encourage male and LGBTQI+ victims and survivors to access our support.

We were the first domestic abuse charity in the UK to offer an in-house pet fostering service to enable those with pets to flee an abusive household without surrendering or leaving their animals. Whole family support is at the heart of what we do and we believe, ‘no one gets left behind’ https://www.endeavourproject.org.uk/

Phoenix EXIT Team (Children at Risk of Exploitation)

Child Sexual Exploitation is the sexual abuse of children and young people by adults in order to obtain sexual acts. It can happen to both girls and boys of any age and from any background. It can take the form of informal exchanges of sex for favours, money, drugs, accommodation or other commodities; more ‘formal’ forms of exploitation involving groups of organised abuse and trafficking.

Exploitation commonly happens when children and young people are ‘groomed’ and manipulated by adults in order to gain trust and make young people feel they are safe and loved. Child sexual exploitation can happen in different ways. It can involve an older adult exerting financial, emotional or physical control over a young person to involve them in sexual activity. It can involve other young people manipulating or forcing other children into sexual activity with adults. Exploitation can also involve opportunistic or organised networks of perpetrators who may profit financially from trafficking young victims between different locations to engage in sexual activity with multiple men.

Technology is widely used by perpetrators as a method of grooming and coercing victims, often through social networking sites, such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, BBM (Blackberry Messenger) and mobile devices.

If you are worried that a child or young person you know may be being sexually exploited you should speak to PHOENIX EXIT, Bolton’s Child Sexual Exploitation Team for advice on 01204 337195 or email Phoenix.ExitTeam@gmp.pnn.police.uk or contact Debbie Arstall at school for more information on 01942 814122.

Bolton Council offer a wide range of support for families and local activities to take part in. Here are some useful Bolton Council links for support:

Framework for action https://www.boltonsafeguardingchildren.org.uk/downloads/file/36/framework-for-action-threshold-document
Financial support https://www.bolton.gov.uk/benefits
Health Support https://www.bolton.gov.uk/health-care
Libraries and Leisure https://www.bolton.gov.uk/libraries-leisure
School & Children https://www.bolton.gov.uk/schools-children
Jobs skills & Training https://www.bolton.gov.uk/jobs-skills-training
Welfare advice https://www.boltonathome.org.uk/benefits-advice/

Travel Costs and Information about Free School Meals

Bolton Council has a duty to provide free schools meals, which comply with national nutritional standards, to eligible students. The Council also has a scheme to help families buy essential school clothing. If for some reason you feel you do not qualify but still have remaining concerns or difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact us in confidence. Ask to speak to Debbie Arstall at school on 01942 814122.

Eligibility

You can get free school meals and school clothing allowance if your child attends a local authority maintained school (not private) and you receive one of the following:

Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
Income Related Employment Support Allowance
Income Support
Universal Credit
Child Tax Credit only with an annual income of less than £16,190
Pension Credit – Guarantee Credit
Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

To be eligible for school clothing allowance the child must be in year seven or nine.

For further information about free school meals, uniform or travel assistance: Tel: 01204 331 590. Alternatively see the website: http://www.bolton.gov.uk/website/pages/Freeschoolmealsandschoolclothingallowance.aspx

Children’s Social Care

If you are worried about a child that lives in Bolton, you can contact the Integrated Front Door service and speak to a social worker by calling 01204 331500 and pressing option 2. The phone lines are open Monday to Friday – 8.45am to 5pm. For you-of-hours or bank holidays, [lease call the Emergency Duty Team on 01204 337777.

Worried about a child https://www.bolton.gov.uk/safeguarding-protecting-children/reporting-child-abuse/1

If you believe there in an emergency and a child is at immediate risk or significant harm, you must contact the Police on 999.

Citizen’s Welfare Rights Family Finance

Bolton and Bury Citizens Advice Bureau (CABB) provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. Bolton CAB can help with welfare and benefit issues and will deal with queries about community care. Bolton’s CAB is a not-for-profit charity. They have trained professional advisors assisted by trained volunteers able to help with issues such as:

Welfare benefits and tax credits
Money advice
Community care
Housing
Immigration & asylum

You can contact CAB at: 1 Victoria Plaza, Oxford Street, Bolton, BL1 1RD or Tel.0808 278 7804 or see their website link: www.cabb.org.uk

Financial Advice and Guidance (Manchester Central Food Bank)
Support for our parents/carers and families on how to manage funds when money is tight. This will include advice on how to fill out paperwork and forms, helping to identify what benefits you may be entitled to and how to apply for these benefits. If families are in need of support with utilities, IT equipment, appliances or other day-to-day items, Manchester Central Food Bank can also help. For more information, please use the link: https://manchestercentral.foodbank.org.uk/

Drink and Drug related help and advice

Bolton Integrated Drug and Alcohol Services (BIDAS)
Bolton has number of services that help support individuals or concerned others with drug or alcohol problems. Each service has a specialist remit and collectively they make up the whole service known as BIDAS.

“BIDAS are an integrated Drug and Alcohol service across Bolton enabling and empowering individuals and their families to achieve their full potential, positive outcomes and improved Health and Wellbeing”.

Contact BIDAS on: 01204 557 997 or email them on info@boltondrinkanddrugs.org or speak in confidence to Debbie Arstall at school on 01942 814122 for further information and support.

360° Substance Misuse Service
Our 360° Substance Misuse Service provides specialist advice and support to children and young people (under 19 years old) with problematic substance and/or alcohol misuse. Whether you’re looking for advice for yourself, or for someone else, we work with you to make sure you get the right support. 01204 462444

Achieve Recovery Services
Achieve Bolton, Bury, Salford and Trafford aims to provide a service which has a sustainable impact on the health and wellbeing of the residents of Bolton, Bury, Salford and Trafford which will reduce the impact of alcohol and drug misuse on children, young people and families.