We support Gypsy and Roma Traveller families with children aged 0-19 in Leeds. Please note, this account is monitored Monday-Friday between 9-5 What is the Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) Outreach and Inclusion Team? The GRT Outreach and Inclusion team supports families from our Gypsy, Roma and
Traveller (GRT) communities in Leeds to achieve their potential by providing bespoke
specialist support and i
nterventions. The team consists of family outreach workers and
school inclusion workers and sits within Early Help services, but are able to support
families open to the Children’s Social Work Service (CSWS) as well as universal services. The team also support workforce development by offering cultural briefings to the wider
workforce. Which children, young people and families does the team work with? The team can work with any GRT family with children and young people aged 0-19
years. Families do not need to define themselves by the term ‘GRT’ to seek the support
of the GRT Outreach & Inclusion Team. Our Gypsy Roma Traveller communities in Leeds are not one homogeneous group. The
term Gypsy Roma Traveller may include families identifying as: Romany Gypsy; Irish
Traveller; Central and Eastern European, from countries including Czech Republic (or
Czechia), Slovakia, Romania, Poland and others (please note this is not an exhaustive
list). What support does the GRT Outreach and Inclusion Team offer to
families? The team offers a range of support to children, young people and their families,
including:
• Weekly universal drop-ins across the City;
• Time-limited family support;
• ‘Fresh Start’ groupwork programme delivered to school-age children;
• Advocacy or mediation support;
• Support with immigration applications;
• Supporting families to access universal provision such as Childrens Centres and
Health services;
• Supporting families to make positive changes and integrate with services within
their community;
• Provide opportunities to access Health provisions & promote health and wellbeing;
• Supporting families to access employment, training and ESOL (English for
Speakers of Other Languages) opportunities;
• Support to access benefits; and
• Housing support. What do the family outreach workers and inclusion support workers do? Family Outreach Workers offer time-limited outreach support to children and their
families. This may include parenting, engaging with employment, education and
training or supporting families to engage with universal services such as children’s
centres and 0-19 Public Health Integrated Nursing. Inclusion Support Workers work predominantly with school-aged children. They support
families to successfully navigate statutory processes such as school admissions, identify and address potential barriers to learning for children and young people from GRT
communities, and offer individual and group work programmes for children and young
people. How can practitioners refer a family for support from the team? Families’ engagement with the GRT Outreach and Inclusion Team is voluntary, so
referrals must be discussed and agreed with the family in advance. If you would like to find out more information about what the team offer or discuss a
potential referral please contact the GRT Outreach and Inclusion Team at
[email protected]. Please note that the GRT Outreach and Inclusion team do not accept referrals where
the primary reason is for translation. If you would like to speak to the team about what they can offer in terms of
workforce development and cultural awareness briefings, please use the same email
address.
