7. South Petherton and Somerton Neighbourhood Team

South Petherton and Somerton are rural communities with an older population which are at the southern end of the Somerset Levels.

About our neighbourhood

Welcome to the South Petherton and Somerton Neighbourhood Team page. My name is Alexander Priest, and I’m the Connect Somerset Champion for South Petherton and Somerton. I work with Mind in Somerset, a charity that supports mental health, and as a non-Executive Director of the NHS Trust in Somerset.

South Petherton and Somerton are rural communities with an older population. We are at the southern end of the Somerset Levels, which used to be an inland sea and often gets cut off due to flooding. Most people here (98%) are white British and live in their own homes. There are thriving market villages, excellent village schools, and many high-skilled trades.

Contact your Connect Somerset Champion: Alexander Priest

As a professional, you can contact the Champion in your neighbourhood. They can help you understand the local early help offer, improve local processes, increase early help and plan for the future based on local needs.

Email Alexander Priest

Phone: 07813833563

Neighbourhood Profile and Staff Directory

Neighbourhood profile

The Neighbourhood Profile Transform Strategic Insight Report (TSIR) will offer highly customizable views of areas in Somerset, covering various geographies and attributes over time. It is being designed to provide insights into the populations known to Somerset Council.

Launching June 2025

Neighbourhood Staff Directory

The Neighbourhood Staff Directory provides you with the contact details of those professional colleagues working within each neighbourhood.

Launching June 2025

 

Success Stories

Transform Family View

Connect Somerset Champion Alex highlights how the new joined up digital platform, Transform Family View, helped support a young person in South Somerset.

We were made aware of a young person with low school attendance. By using the Transform Family View, the school could see that this individual had a complex family life and reduced, missing episodes in recent months. With this information, a Parent and Family Support Advisor (PFSA) was able to visit the young person at home to offer support and help to stabilise life at home. This support ensured that the young person was able to focus on their education – the missing episodes have reduced and school attendance increased.

Transform Family View displays a single view of a child and their family’s vulnerabilities, involvements, assessments and education information. The platform is highly secure and can only be accessed by DBS-cleared named professionals. It has had a positive impact on the joining up the early help system by providing contact details of professionals involved with the child and their family to other professionals working with them.

Designated Safeguarding Leads in Schools and PSFAs can access the Transform platform by emailing transform@somerset.gov.uk.

South Petherton and Somerton Neighbourhood Meetings

Neighbourhood Meetings are designed to provide valuable insights and updates on various topics relevant to the community.

View all Neighbourhood Meetings

Community hubs in South Petherton and Somerton

The community hubs offer support to families and residents. To find out the locations of the hubs in South Petherton and Somerton, please take a look at our directory.

View all South Petherton and Somerton hubs