The role of the Home School Link Worker is to:

• Support parents, families and pupils on a wide range of issues.
• Help children and families to increase school attendance and punctuality.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships between the home and school and act as a link between home and school.

How can we help you?

The Home School Link Worker role is tailored to support the needs of your family and your circumstances; The Home School Link Worker can help in many ways including:

• Enabling parents and children to discuss concerns or worries in a safe and secure environment.
• Supporting families reacting to change such as parental separation or bereavement.
• Assisting parents / carers whose children are reluctant to attend school or have been excluded.
• Helping parents / carers who may need support on a wide range of issues or difficulties impacting on their family life eg illness, domestic abuse, disability or financial difficulties.
• Offering parenting guidance and support and courses.
• Helping families and children to access services, resources and local community information.
• Offering support in school meetings.
• Liaising with outside agencies (school nurse, CAHMS, health visitors, GPs) and signpost parents.
• Help to fill out forms such as: Free School meals, Education Maintained Allowance (EMA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

How to contact the Home School Link Worker?

You can complete a support request form found on the link below and email it to: 

Hslw1@stmarys-byfleet.surrey.sch.uk

You will also find these in the leaflet dispenser on the small table in St Mary’s School office reception area. Please hand the completed form in to the school office in a sealed envelope addressed ‘HSLW Confidential’. 

Support request forms will be reviewed and discussed with the Headteacher every two weeks and then you will be contacted about what support can be offered to you. If your referral falls under the HSLW umbrella, we will be in contact to make the necessary arrangements to meet. When we meet we will explore with you the difficulties your child or family is experiencing and together we can try to find the best way forward. 

Where it is considered that you could be best supported via the class teacher or SENCo your request for support will be passed on and they will be in contact with you.

Why you may be contacted

Staff at school can also complete a support request form to ask for involvement from the Home School Link Worker.

Confidentiality

The Home School Link Worker offers a confidential service regarding personal issues. However, all information is shared with the Senior Leadership Team as part of our confidentiality policy. If necessary, The Home School Link Worker would seek your permission to also share the information with other staff members within school or outside agencies. Should a safeguarding issue be identified, we are legally bound to follow Government guidelines.

Many thanks