SILC Cluster

The SILC cluster is unbale to accept direct self-referrals for support from children, young people, parents or carers. Referrals for SILC cluster support come from our schools, Mindmate SPA, social care front door or individual social workers.

Mindmate single point of access 

When a referral is made to Mindmate Spa this is triaged by a mental health practitioner. If the referral is assessed as not meeting the requirements for a referral, Mindmate spa may allocate the referral to the SILC cluster if your child attends one of our partner schools. This will be done in partnership with the family and consent must be sought.

Social care front door

When a referral is made to social care this is screened by a social worker or early help practitioner. If it is assessed that a referral to social care is not needed but there is still a need the worker will discuss the referral been allocated to the SILC cluster if your child attends one of our schools. This will be done in partnership with the family and consent must be sought.

Schools 

Each of our cluster partnership schools has a pastoral officer. Pastoral staff may initiate an early help plan to assess and support your family. As part of this plan school staff may speak with you about a referral to the SILC cluster for additional support. This will be done in partnership with the family and consent must be sought.

Social worker 

An allocated social worker may discuss a referral to the SILC cluster for support as part of the child’s plan. The social worker will need to submit a SILC cluster referral form, with your consent.

To access our cluster services Mindmate SPA or social care will share the referral they have received, this will then be shared with our team.

If the referral is from school or a social worker, we require a completed referral form.

Either forms provide details on what is the need and what is been requested. This helps the cluster to allocate the right services at the right time.

Each referral will be discussed at our monthly support and guidance meeting, term time only. The SILC cluster team and partners from our cluster schools attend and each case is discussed and outcomes recorded. Each family should be aware that the referral will be discussed and must have shared consent for this to happen. Families will be notified of the outcome of the Support and guidance meeting.

If you would like a referral to the SILC cluster please discuss this with your schools pastoral staff. 

If you are unsure who this is please contact school directly or email the SILC cluster team at email Cluster@westsilc.org.uk with your general enquiry. 

We are unable to accept referrals or discuss individual cases.

Outreach staff provide support to families and schools to assess, plan and respond to a child’s current needs. This can include direct work with children, family members and other involved agencies. Support will be focused on gathering information, recognising and building on strengths, filling skills gaps/ learning needs and signposting/ referral to other services/ agencies as appropriate. We offer both practical and emotional support to empower children and the adults around them to address current needs, identify their own goals and take manageable steps to achieve them. 

School attendance means our children make the most of their education, improve their skills both social and physical. They enjoy friendships and develop through experiences, allowing them to reach their full potential in life.

Parents and carers have a responsibility to ensure any child or young person attends school regularly and on time. Occasionally attendance can fall for many reasons. Attendance support from the SILC cluster aims to assess how attendance can be improved by working with the child, family and school.

The approach is flexible and personal to the individual child’s needs, the work is carried out with the family’s consent. A wide range of interventions are available and tailored to the unique situation present when a child is not attending school as expected. A package of support from the cluster is a possibility or signposting to appropriate agencies who can assist the child and family.

Schools can refer directly to attendance support at the SILC Cluster or via the Support and Guidance Panel. Intervention is important at any time where a child is absent from school, but prompt action is beneficial, we therefore encourage anyone with concerns to contact attendance support for advice at an early stage if possible.

If you have concerns regarding attendance, please speak directly to school in the first instance.

We are keen to work with families and develop our cluster service in partnership with families and colleagues. Please find attached the outcome of our parent carer survey from 2021. This is something that we are keen to redo but also looking at strengthening our parent carer input by creating a parent carer forum.

If you would be interested in having your say on our services, working in partnership or finding out more please contact us at Cluster@westsilc.org.uk

Throughout the SILC clusters involvement consent is required. The SILC cluster is not a statutory service and you do not need to accept what support is offered. Consent is required to share information which is required to achieve the best outcomes.

Information sharing is a large part of our support offer. By providing consent you are agreeing for the information provided to be shared within the SILC cluster team and wider relevant partners. All information is stored electronically and in line with the GDPR requirements for storage and retention.

Northpoint Wellbeing Limited is a charitable provider of a range of services to promote emotional wellbeing. North Point are commissioned by Leeds NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and a number of schools in Leeds to provide school therapy services.

Therapy is a private space and time where you can talk about what is going on for you or about anything that is worrying you. A therapist is someone who will listen to you; they will not judge you or tell you what to do. It’s your time and space to be with someone who is there for you.

If you would like to speak to North Point or see a therapist speak to a teacher or staff member at school and ask them to refer you to the service. There may be a wait to see the therapist, but you should be told how long you might have to wait.

There may also be things you can do to help yourself by visiting the North Point website. This site has useful information on a range of subjects, lots of tips, advice and ideas.

If you would like any more information about the service offered by North Point you can email the SILC Cluster at Cluster@westsilc.org.uk