Early Help: Universal Services
The terms Early Help and Early Intervention are often used interchangeably, but the NSPCC differentiates between the two. Firstly and most simply, Early Help refers to the universal support that is provided for all families and children at any stage of a child’s life. This includes the support, advice and guidance provided by education and health professionals or the support that can be accessed through the child’s education provider.
For education providers this includes extra-curricular activities, breakfast clubs, social and emotional support groups for children. It also includes vouchers for food during school holidays and spare school uniform. The list is endless, and we do not always recognise the support and help we already provide. There are also external agencies such as the GP, Health Visitors, among many others.
Whilst it’s not uncommon to group Early Help and Early Interventions under the same umbrella, Early Help interventions are usually coordinated by the Local Authority and are more targeted towards the particular needs of a child, children, and their families.
Early Help Intervention
Early Help Interventions use strength-based conversations, voice of the child and family, team around the child meetings and scaling questions to help families and practitioners understand what support is required and to implement the most appropriate and effective way of moving forward. Empowering a family to access support early on creates a sense of ownership and has shown to improve family’s relationships with agencies and ability to create sustained and effective change.
Using an Early Help assessment, what can sometimes appear to be an isolated concern, can often show that there are more complex needs. Some can be dealt with by one agency alongside the family and sometimes a multi-agency approach is required. Using a strength-based model ensures the family and young person remains at the heart of the support.
All practitioners have a responsibility to ensure they are aware of their local Authorities Early Help offer.
Who may need Early Help?
Whilst many children and families may never require structured support or interventions, there are some circumstances whereby families may need a little extra support or a more targeted offer.
Families may benefit from early help for a wide range of concerns, including but not exclusive to: housing issues, finances and poverty, child’s behaviours, child or adult mental health, family and relationship breakdown, poor attendance, missing from home episodes, alcohol or drug misuse, at risk of exclusion, young carers, home conditions and poor health. Early Help can also support families who have children are risk of FGM, becoming NEET, radicalisation, CSE, CCE, modern slavery, sexual harassment, and county lines.
Other indicators that may identify the need for Early Help support include: children who go missing from home or care; those with additional/special educational needs; young carers; a child who is privately fostered; and especially those who are impacted by parental poor mental health or are suffering mental health difficulties themselves.
Having an in-depth knowledge of these issues is vital in ensuring you can quickly and confidently identify families who may require support.
Where to start: Strengths-Based Assessment
An Early Help assessment is not an assessment which is completed for, or done to, a child or family. The assessment should be conducted with the family with the support of a professional.
It is important that there is no stigma and judgement and not completed as a paper exercise. By starting with what is going right for the family enables children and families to recognise their strengths and builds confidence. With this increased confidence, there is more likely to be a positive long-term outcome for the child at the centre of the intervention.
The benefits of Early Help
As a school, finding capacity to support families is an ever-increasing pressure but one which is vitally important. Getting the Early Help offer right with families, can ensure that the right support can be offered much quicker, thus ensuring schools are dealing with less attendance concerns, mental health worries, child protection and child in need interventions, and families and children are kept safe and are able to thrive in and out of school.
Support with Early Help Assessments
We have advisers experienced in Early Help who can work with schools to complete their assessments with families. Please get in touch if you would like to know more information of how we can support your school.
Useful Links
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023)
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
The Early Intervention Foundation – What is Early Help?
Manchester City Council Early Help Offer
Manchester City Council Early Help Assessment Journey
Barnsley Council – Engaging Families toolkit
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