What is Early Help?
Early help means providing support to children and families as soon as problems emerge. It's about preventing escalation to statutory intervention through coordinated, multi-agency support at an earlier stage.
Working Together 2023 emphasises the importance of early help and the role of all agencies in identifying and responding to emerging needs.
Levels of Need
Universal Services
- Available to all children and families
- Schools, GPs, health visitors
- No additional assessment needed
Early Help/Targeted
- Additional needs identified
- Multi-agency assessment and support
- Lead professional coordinates
- Voluntary engagement
Child in Need (Section 17)
- More complex needs
- Social worker led assessment
- Multi-agency input
- Statutory but usually voluntary
Child Protection (Section 47)
- Significant harm threshold met
- Statutory intervention
- Child protection plan
- Can be involuntary
Key principle: The right level of support at the right time. Early help can prevent the need for more intensive intervention, but must not delay statutory action when needed.
Early Help Assessment
What It Involves
- Holistic assessment of child and family needs
- Completed by any trained professional
- Identifies strengths and difficulties
- Involves family in developing support plan
When to Use
- Child has additional needs not met by universal services
- Multiple agencies involved or needed
- Family agree to assessment and support
- Needs are below social care threshold
Document Family Needs
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Key Responsibilities
- Single point of contact for family
- Coordinate multi-agency support
- Chair Team Around meetings
- Monitor progress on the plan
- Ensure actions are completed
Who Can Be Lead Professional
- Any professional with appropriate training
- Often whoever has best relationship with family
- Schools, health visitors, family workers common
- Not usually social workers at this level
Step Up and Step Down
Step Up to Statutory Services
Early help should escalate when:
- Safeguarding concerns emerge
- Family not engaging
- Needs not reducing despite support
- Complexity increases
- Risk factors emerge
Step Down from Statutory
Cases can step down to early help when:
- Risks reduced below threshold
- Family engaging well
- Support needs continue but not at statutory level
- Clear handover plan in place
Social Worker Role in Early Help
At Referral Stage
- Assess whether referral meets threshold
- Signpost to early help if appropriate
- Provide information to referrer
- Ensure family knows about early help
Step Down Process
- Complete final assessment
- Handover to lead professional
- Share relevant information
- Attend initial TAF meeting
- Be available for consultation
Consultation
Social workers may provide consultation to early help:
- Advice on threshold decisions
- Guidance on managing risk
- Support with complex situations
- Helping decide when to step up
Multi-Agency Early Help Teams
Typical Services
- Family support workers
- Parenting programmes
- Youth services
- School-based support
- Domestic abuse services
- Substance misuse services
Locality Working
Many areas have locality-based early help:
- Closer to communities
- Better knowledge of local resources
- Stronger relationships with schools
- More accessible to families
Challenges
Capacity
- Early help services often stretched
- Waiting lists can develop
- Families may fall between gaps
Engagement
- Early help is voluntary
- Some families don't engage
- May need to step up if risks emerge
Information Sharing
- Clear protocols needed
- Consent usually required
- Safeguarding overrides consent
Conclusion
Early help is most effective when it's truly multi-agency and well-coordinated. As a social worker, support early help through good threshold decisions, effective step-down processes, and ongoing consultation. Prevention is always better than crisis intervention.