What is early help?
Every family faces difficult times now and then. Early help is about working together with you and your family to prevent small issues from turning into bigger ones, providing a supportive foundation for success.
Early help is available to all families, no matter the age of your children or young people. And it’s entirely up to you whether you choose to access this support.
Why might I want early help?
There are many reasons why families seek early help. You might be concerned about your child’s health, development, or behavior, or how they’re performing at school. You may be facing financial difficulties or housing issues that are impacting your family. It could be that your family is affected by domestic abuse, drugs, alcohol, or crime. Maybe your child is caring for a sibling with special educational needs, or perhaps you’ve experienced a loss in the family that’s making things harder. Whatever the challenge, early help can provide the support you need.
Where can I get early help?
If you feel that you and your family could benefit from support to address any challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s school. They can help connect you with the right resources and support.
What will happen when I ask for early help?
When you reach out for early help, Mrs Hardy (Family Support Worker) will give you a call to arrange either a home visit or an in-school meeting to talk about the challenges you’re facing. We’ll discuss what help and support you think you might need. This is called an early help assessment.
An early help assessment is nothing to worry about—it’s simply a conversation to figure out what support would be most helpful for you and how to make that happen. You’ll have the chance to talk about what’s going well, things you’re proud of, as well as the areas where you’re facing challenges.
We’ll also talk about your child or children to understand how they’re feeling and if there’s anything they might need help with.
What happens next will vary for each family. If an early help assessment is done and actions are identified, we’ll hold Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings. There’s no need to be concerned about these—they’re just regular meetings with all the professionals involved to ensure the best outcome for your family. You’ll have control over what happens next and can share your preferences.
Everything is consent-based. IF CONSENT IS WITHDRAWN, THE PROCESS STOPS.
If you decide you’d like some help, the person you spoke with will ask if they can share details of your conversation. You need to be comfortable with this and give your permission, so those supporting you can do their best to understand your family’s needs and provide the right assistance.
Sharing Information
There may be times when the person you speak with needs to share information. This could happen in the following situations:
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If they believe a child is at risk of harm
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If they believe an adult is at risk of harm
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If they believe sharing the information could help prevent or detect a serious crime
Children’s Social Care will only get involved if one of these situations occurs, or if your family’s circumstances become more serious.
Remember, choosing Early Help is completely up to you. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs Hardy (Family Support Worker).
A copy of the Children and Family Wellbeing Service document and a copy of the Parent and Carer Consent Guide for Support are available here for you to read through.
Useful Websites
