YOU ARE HERE: Parents and carers – Welcome and introduction to Connexions Birmingham
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We are here to give your teenager the information, advice or help they may need with a wide range of things
What is Connexions Birmingham?
It’s a free and friendly support service providing advice, information and guidance for young people aged from 13 to 19 – even if they have already left school or college. If a young person has a learning difficulty and/or disability then we can help them until they are 25. We are part of Birmingham City Council and we work alongside other local services for Children, Young People and Families.
What can Connexions Birmingham do for my son/daughter?
During their teenage years, young people face some important decisions that can affect their whole future: choosing their Options during Year 9, deciding what to do once they reach school leaving age, how to choose a suitable career path, what to do if they have personal problems or worries.
We’re here to help them with all of that – to make sure young people always have someone they can turn to for impartial advice, information and guidance.
How does this fit with my role as a Parent/Carer?
We don’t seek to replace the support you can give. We aim to work with you, for example at parents evening in school, to support your son/daughter to make positive choices about their future. As a parent or carer, you have a considerable influence over your son/daughter and they will naturally look to you for advice and guidance. For most young people, their families are the initial source of this help and information, although as children get older they rely on more and varied sources. As a parent or carer, it will help if you understand about the ways in which Connexions tries to help young people, to help them to get the best possible start in life.
How does Connexions Birmingham provide this help to young people?
The Connexions Birmingham service is actually delivered by Personal Advisers (PAs) who are based in schools, colleges, youth clubs and other community venues as well as our own Connexions Centres.
What is a Personal Adviser (PA)?
PAs give information, advice and help with all sorts of things – choosing courses, looking at training opportunities, thinking about career options, dealing with issues relating to finance, health or relationships, helping young people use their time in a positive way. PAs will help with any issues that young people raise, whether to do with school, college, work or their personal or family life. They are highly trained and qualified to work with young people.
Most schools and colleges have PAs linked to them, getting to know the young people. PAs can also be seen at our Connexions Centres. We also have PAs working in various community settings across the area, so there are a number of ways in which young people can get hold of advice or support that they might need.
Is it a confidential service?
Yes. We gather and process information about young people to ensure that they are provided with the help and support they need.
The information held is confidential and this means we will not pass it on without the consent of the young person in question. Please note that this includes you as a parent or carer – you cannot access our records without the consent of the young person.
The only exception to confidentiality is where we consider the young person is at serious risk of harm.
How can my son/daughter get in touch with Connexions Birmingham?
All young people have to do is contact a PA – they should ask at their school/college or contact their local Connexions Centre. If you want to get in touch with Connexions yourself, contact your local Connexions Centre.
Where can I find out more about what Connexions Birmingham does?
This Parents and Carers area of our website will help you find out much more, including particular help about choosing Options in Year 9, and helping young people make choices about what they can do after Year 11. You can also download copies of parent newsletters as well as copies of the publications we produce for young people. This enables you to see the information, advice and guidance that we are providing and which your son or daughter may have been given in school/college or picked up at a Connexions Centre.
What is Connexions Direct?
This is a national confidential phone and web based service. It can get young people in touch with PAs for advice on a whole range of things. It’s open between 8am and 2am, so they can get the information they want when they need it.
Freefone: 080 800 13 2 19
Text: 07766 4 13 2 19
www.connexions-direct.com
