Introduction
Everyone knows that a little bit of help at the right time can make all the difference. Early help is all about providing that help to families who, for whatever reason, find that they’re struggling. It’s important that families know that it’s ok to ask for help. Raising a family is a difficult job and it’s a sign of strength, not weakness, to look for help to get back on track.
Providing help as soon as a problem emerges, at any stage of a child or young person’s life, stops that problem from escalating and is much more effective than reacting to it later on.
Early help applies to the period from before a baby is born right up to age 25, and that help could be related to any aspect of life. That help might take the form of simply sign-posting information and advice. Or, it might mean organising some more practical help, whether that’s parenting support, help with benefits or housing.
Organisations involved in Early Help
Somerset Council, together with the voluntary community has launched Connect Somerset and community champions. Connect Somerset support professionals and community groups working together to help families and residents to improve their lives through early help. Find out more in the video below.
There are all sorts of organisations and agencies involved in early help, including Somerset NHS, Early Years settings, Schools, Colleges and the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprises.
It works best when all those organisations are working together with families. The first step is often when a professional identify a young person who may benefit from some support. But more and more we want to encourage families to approach professions themselves when they think there’s a need, whether that’s a teacher, a GP or a youth worker.
#Help4All
Everyone goes through tough times, which puts extra pressure on families and residents.
There’s lots that can help, but often people who need help do not know what is available. They don’t know how to connect to their communities. Or how to access support.
We’ve listed some of the services and support that may be useful for professionals to know about and talk about. This is called #Help4All and more information can be found on Connect Somerset website.
Early Help Assessments
Early Help Assessment documentation is shared across all the agencies, meaning that people shouldn’t have to tell their stories more than once. The whole process starts with a conversation that aims to capture what’s going well, what could be going better, and what issues are most important to you and your family. The resulting early help plan should be coordinated across all those involved and help families and communities develop the capabilities to prevent and resolve problems themselves. It applies as much to a child with SEND as it does to a child with welfare concerns, and may help shape the SEN Support arrangements for a child as part of a school’s graduated response and review process.
You can find more information on Early Help Assessments and supporting documents here