Family Support

Welcome to the Family Team page!

We are:

Our aim is to support children and families across our school. We work alongside class-based staff and other professionals within the school and from our local authority to ensure that children and young people are safe, happy and able to make progress and do well. Our support depends upon the needs of each child and family but may include:

Work with children

We are able to work with children in the classroom, in small groups or on a one to one basis depending upon their needs. We welcome the opportunity to meet with parents and carers to discuss the support which we can offer.

Family support and keeping children safe

Safeguarding and children’s well-being is paramount at St Matthew’s and we aim to offer Early Help in order to ensure that all our children achieve the best possible outcomes. We can meet with you at school or visit you at home if this is more convenient.

As a team we also work in conjunction with professionals from the local authority such as the school nurse and social workers to offer multi agency support where this is required.

At St Matthew’s, Miss Lynton leads our work on safeguarding, along with Miss Tyrer, who is our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and Ms Roberts who is our Family Support Officer.

At St Matthew’s CE we believe that for our children to thrive, we must work closely with our families. We see parents and carers as partners in their child success.

Parent Support includes: 

– home visits

– weekly catch-ups

– emotional support 

– advice 

– help to access outside services (SEND / domestic violence / HomeStart and more)

– help to access parent support groups 

– help to access courses, training and volunteering 

– help to access support with benefits advice / housing 

– support through family changes / bereavement 

– support with parenting / behaviour management 

– confidence building – to make plans, set targets, attend appointments, access new courses

– help to access food bank support 

– and much more.  

We are here to help!

If you are struggling in any way and feel you would benefit from some support, please let us know by calling school.

Here are details of some of the support we offer:

Mental Health and Well-being 

Parenting Smart Articles

Practical tips to support children’s wellbeing and behaviour, developed with child mentla health specialists.

https://parentingsmart.place2be.org.uk

Trafford Sunrise

https://www.justpsychology.co.uk/pages/28-trafford-sunrise

Parent workshops offering online sessions if you have concerns about your child’s mental health and well-being. Drop in weekly sessions about behavioural difficulties, anxiety and online safety.  

Calm Connections

https://calmconnections.org/  or email rachelle@calmconnections.org
Offers mentor schemes and emotional/ practical support for parents and carers to improve and maintain well-being.

Young Minds

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/ or call 0808 802 5544
Advice and guidance on how to help you support your child’s mental health. Free online parents/carers helpline.

Kooth

https://www.kooth.com
An online counselling service for 11-18 year olds struggling with mental health. Also, emotional well being resources available online.

Engage Trafford

Mentoring service for children 8+ that are struggling with managing emotions/ anger/ raising aspirations/ motivation.

Referral through school; email m.roberts@stmatthewsce.co.uk

Bereavement Support

Greater Manchester Bereavement Service 

Find local support for anyone who has been bereaved or affected by a death. No one needs to feel alone with their grief. 

Housing, Financial and Food Support

Main Trafford Helpline (Community hub)

0300 330 9073 – option 4 and hold the line. If you are living along, struggling to make ends meet, are self-isolating without friends or family who can help, or generally in need of advice or support, call this number between 8:30am – 5:30pm. 

The Globe

79 Cornbrook Street, Old Trafford, M16 7QB
Food pantry on Fridays between 2-4pm  – anyone is welcome, regardless of circumstances. 
Call 0161 868 0266 between 10am – 12pm on a Friday if you are struggling to get to the pantry.

The Bread and Butter Thing 

https://www.stjohnscentre.org/the-bread-and-butter-thing/ 
every Monday at St John’s Centre 2-2:30pm collection.    Must register and arrange pick up. 

Trafford Domestic Abuse

https://www.tdas.org.uk or call 07534 066 029
Emergency grab bags and support are being created and supplied for people that are fleeing Domestic Abuse. 

South Manchester Food Bank

If you are in need of food parcels, email referrals@manchestersouthcentral.foodbank.org.uk

Financial support 

Let us know if you are struggling financially, we might be able to help. Email for support, or for more information office@seymourpark.com

Uniform Support

Please email lynn.shuttleworth@seymourpark.com if you need support with providing your child with uniform. 

Well-being Support and Activities for You and Your Family!

Connect with Nature 

Fun activities that provide opportunities for families to learn together, while encouraging love for nature and the environment.
https://kidsgardening.org/garden-activities/
https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-families/family-wild-challenge/

Get Creative

Activities to create and connect with loved ones, friends and the community. 
https://www.childhood.org.au/app/uploads/2020/04/hug_HR.pdfhttps://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/kindness-rocks/

Stay Active

A playful and energetic Yoga class for all ages. 

Calm your Mind 

Try some of these breathing exercises, activities, games and videos to help let go of stress and find your inner peace.https://www.childline.org.uk/toolbox/calm-zone/

Useful Information and Contacts

St Matthew’s is not responsible for the content of any external websites

E-safety Information

We run regular workshops and evening meetings for parents about how to keep children safe online. These are advertised for all parents and are free to attend.

Please follow the links below or download the documents to access information about keeping your child safe online:

Useful Websites

Useful Downloads