What is TASS

Team Around the School and Settings, or TASS, is a collaborative way of working across services, schools and settings with children and young people at the centre of all we do.

What is TASS

Team Around the School and Settings is a collaborative way of working across services, schools, colleges, and early years settings with children and young people at the centre of all we do.

This multi-agency approach brings together key partners who have the skills and expertise to help address the priorities identified in each locality.

The TASS geographical areas with their allocated Education Partnership Officers (EPOs) are detailed on our web site.

The LA strategic lead for TASS is Aby Hardy (Head of Service for Education Improvement), the EPO line manager is Suzanne Fish, the EPOs work to deliver the TASS way of working in their area.

EPO role

The role of Education Partnership Officers (EPOs) is to:

  • build effective relationships with schools and settings, services, and key partners in their locality
  • co-ordinate a multi-agency response to a locally raised issue that requires a TASS response (this will often be led by a partner such as health, early help, police)
  • support key partners and their agendas to avoid duplication of work and link services and agencies together to ensure effective and timely outcomes
  • collaborate with the right people who can make a difference to the outcomes for children
  • encourage partners to 'think school/college/early years' in terms of their service delivery
  • listen and act as a conduit to support connectivity and coproduction between settings and partners
  • serve as the deputy to the Children and Family Wellbeing Integrated Service Manager who is the lead for the Family Hubs roll out for their area
  • engage with the Community of Practice (SLACK) to aid communication between partner agencies

Role of Locality Group

Each Locality Group meets half termly. They provide a forum for schools, settings and partners to raise local issues where a co-ordinated response from key partners is required.

Locality Groups foster effective collaboration with partners to drive progress and secure sustainable working solutions that sit with the right services and partners in the long term, aligning with existing priorities and workstreams where possible.

They ensure effective communication between schools and settings and key partners so that everyone is aware of what support is available locally.

Locality Groups will monitor the progress of current priorities and agree robust exit strategies for those closing.

The work of the Locality Groups is then reported to the Lancashire Education Partnership Board who are the governance board for TASS.

Communication

We update our web site half termly with:

  • A new TASS in Action per area – examples of when a TASS response was coordinated and the outcome of that piece of work, including feedback from partners.
  • Our Highlight Reports – summary documents of the Locality Group meeting held that half term
  • Our EPOs attend LASSH, PHIL, cluster meetings and wider partnership forums including but not limited to:
    • Community Safety Partnership
    • Health and Wellbeing Board
    • District and City Council Forum
    • Voluntary and Faith Sector meetings

Contribution to the Education Strategy

Our work contributes to improving outcomes for children without being specifically aligned to an individual priority.

Each of the five priorities in the Education Strategy has an action plan and lead services have detailed service delivery plans. We will engage as required by the lead service.

Where an issue is shared that does not require a TASS response, we will signpost schools to the relevant team or strategy.

Key partners

  • Schools, colleges, early years settings
  • Children and Family Well Being
  • Children's Social Care
  • Health
  • Police
  • District and City Councils
  • SEND and Inclusion Service
  • Equalities Team
  • Virtual School
  • Early Years Team
  • Targeted Youth Support
  • Violence Reduction Network
  • Attendance Team