Early Help
What is Early Help?
Early Help is taking action early to provide support where problems are emerging for children, young people and their families. Early help support may be provided at any point in a child or young person’s life. The sooner the family receives the support, the sooner they are able to improve their situation and prevent the need for prolonged support.
Early Help is here to find out what is working well for families and what areas they might be worried about; it can help to build on families’ strengths and identify any needs where support might be needed. It is an approach that brings people together from different teams and services who work together with the whole family. The main focus is to improve outcomes for children.
Why would I need Early Help?
The type of things that Early Help can support you with include:
- Worries about your child’s health development or behaviour.
- You might be worried about how they are doing at school.
- You might have worries about money or housing and how that is affecting you.
- Your child and family may be affected by domestic abuse, drugs, alcohol, ill health or crime.
Early Help can give you the tools to solve challenges or problems you are experiencing with help from others where needed.
Who do I ask for help?
You can talk with someone who you’re familiar with - a teacher, Senior Leader, Assistant Principal, Principal, health professional or support worker who might be able to help.
You can also contact your local Family Centre and ask to speak to a Duty Worker who will be able to provide lots of advice around Early Help and how it might be able to support you.
What might we offer in response to your concerns?
- Senior Mental Health Lead
- After School Clubs
- Termly open lessons in school
- SAS
- Reading Plus Programme
- Mathletics
- Homework Clubs
- Bespoke learning interventions e.g. reading, maths, phonics
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Parent Information Sessions (academic and pastoral, eg Phonics workshops, County Lines workshops)
- SEND half termly Parent Drop ins with class teachers & SEND half termly telephone conversations with the SENDCO
- Outdoor Learning
- A plethora of after school extra curricular activities
- Pupil Voice Opportunities
- Gym Trail
- Government Fruit and Vegetable Scheme
- Use of washing machine
- Pre loved Uniform
- Curriculum provision and additional work from outside agencies support our children in learning how to keep themselves safe.
Who might the school refer to?
- The Early Help Team
- Children and Young People's Services
- County Inclusive Support Service
- Counselling Services
- School Nurse
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Educational Psychologist
- Young Carers
- SENDAT
- SENDIAS
- Local Authority Family Services team.
If early help is appropriate, the DSL will lead on liaising with other agencies and setting up an inter-agency assessment as appropriate. Staff may be required to support other agencies and professionals in an early help assessment.
The DSL will keep the case under constant review and the school will consider a referral to local authority children’s social care if the situation does not seem to be improving. Timelines of interventions will be monitored and reviewed.
Follow the link below for the most up to date procedure for Early Help Assessments In Dudley.
