Early Help
The sooner we can help families, the most likely it is they can achieve positive futures.
Children and families need to have the skills to adjust to challenging experiences. We know resillient families can thrive despite the challenges they face.
That's why Early Help is so vital for improving children's life chances.
Our aim for young people and their families is to be confident and independent through their own ability to recover. We know this isn't always possible without some external help.
This help is delivered by a range of partners. It is available to everyone including early years, health services, education, play and youth provision.
By providing the right support, at the right time, in the right place, we will help keep young people safe within their families and communities.
A guide for families
What is Early Help?
Early help is there to find out what is working well in your family and to build on your family’s strengths and achievements. Early help is a way of getting extra support for your family as soon as possible when things happen. It is for any family with children and young people up to the age of 19. The types of things that early help can support you with include:
not having a job
• if you’re struggling to get your kids to school on time
• helping you deal with their behaviour – things like setting them boundaries, getting them to bed on time
• if you’re feeling you just can’t cope and it’s all getting too much – so feeling overwhelmed
• if you are in a relationship that is making you unhappy or scared
• if any of your family are involved in crime or anti-social behaviour – and maybe you’re at risk of losing your home
• anything really, that is affecting your ability to deal with everything family life throws at you
What is the Early Help Assessment and how will it help my family?
The Early Help Assessment is there to find out your family’s strengths and any issues you or a professional might be worried about.
The Early Help Assessment makes sure that everyone who is involved with your family, such as teachers and health visitors, all work together to support you and your family.
How does the Early Help Assessment work?
A worker will meet with your family to agree how best to support you. They might just point you to the right services for your family. If it’s a bit more complicated, the lead worker will complete an Early Help Assessment with you.
You will be fully involved and we will listen to you and your family. This helps the lead worker understand more about what your family needs and who can support you.
What happens next?
Once the Early Help Assessment is completed, a ‘Team around the Family’ meeting will be held to look at who can help you and your family. You will all agree a plan and you will receive a copy of this as well as a copy of the Early Help Assessment.
Who is the lead worker?
If a number of people are providing support to your family, one of these people will be your lead worker. This person will agree with you what’s happening, listen to you and support you in many ways
Why am I being asked to give consent?
We ask for your permission to gather and share information about you. This is called informed consent. There may be times when the workers in your ‘team around the family’ need to share information to make sure you get the right help and support from the right people at the right time. This is all explained in the ‘Early Help – Sharing Your Information’ leaflet, which your lead worker will share with you