What Team Around the School (TAS) is and what it does, information about TAS for professionals.
What Team Around the School is
Team Around the School (TAS) describes Families in Focus support provided to primary and secondary schools to talk about children, young people and families who:
- may need extra help and support
- are not already being supported by Families in Focus or social work
What Team Around the School does
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or another person at the school setting, such as the pastoral lead, will talk to you (the child's parent or carer) and get your permission to consult with an early help social worker to talk about how the school can support you and your child.
The school will talk to you about what you and they are worried about, and what's going well. They may do a Signs of Safety mapping with you to take to the Team Around the School meeting. Signs of Safety is a way to think about:
- what's going well in your family
- what's difficult to manage
- what might happen if you don't get the help you need
The school will meet with the early help social worker to talk about what's going well and what they're worried about. They'll agree a support plan for the school to implement.
If you're a professional
There are several roles that provide support to schools in Bristol as part of the Families in Focus service and Team Around the School (TAS).
Families in Focus social workers provide early help to children and young people in their education settings through TAS:
- online advice surgeries and meetings
- access to non urgent telephone advice and guidance
Education Inclusion Managers liaise with:
- education providers
- Bristol City Council safeguarding and early help services
- the Education Directorate
- the Youth Justice Service
- the police
They aim to improve education outcomes for young people at risk of suspension and permanent exclusion, specifically those affected by:
- child criminal exploitation
- child sexual exploitation
- serious youth violence
Partnership Managers visit schools yearly or on request to tell them about:
- early help provision available in the community
- helpful links with other services, such as mental health in schools teams
They can provide training or workshops on the role of Families in Focus and the support on offer. They also run Multi-Agency Network meetings (MANS) 3 times a year and provide a termly bulletin for professionals and families about the support services available for children and families.
Team Around the School (TAS) meetings and advice surgeries
All primary, secondary and specialist education settings will be provided with a TAS offer.
TAS surgeries are held weekly or fortnightly, depending on the area and demand. They're held online on Microsoft Teams. Schools can book:
- a discussion about one or more families in advance
- on to multiple advice surgeries through the school term, there's no limit
TAS surgeries dates and times
- South Bristol: weekly on Tuesdays, from 9.30am to 12.30pm
- North Bristol: weekly on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10am to 1pm
- East Central Bristol: fortnightly on Tuesdays, from 9.30am to 12.30pm
To book a slot, email:
- TASsouth@bristol.gov.uk for south Bristol
- TASnorth@bristol.gov.uk for north Bristol
- TASeastcentral@bristol.gov.uk for east central Bristol
Families in Focus will confirm your slot and the Teams link to join the meeting by email.
Face to face meetings
If your school would prefer a face to face meeting to discuss a group of children (minimum 3), email the relevant TAS email address.
More information
For more information about TAS meetings and the full terms of reference, email:
- TASsouth@bristol.gov.uk for south Bristol
- TASNorth@bristol.gov.uk for north Bristol
- TASeastcentral@bristol.gov.uk for east central Bristol
Families in Focus also offers telephone advice and guidance for non urgent safeguarding advice and signposting in your locality. Call:
- 0117 352 1499 for north Bristol
- 0117 9037770 for south Bristol
- 0117 357 6460 for east central Bristol