What is Early Help?

 

Every family has its ups and downs. Being a parent is hard work and there are no instructions. Sometimes, you or your children may need some extra support. This may be before your children are born, when they are very young, or throughout their school years. There is nothing to be ashamed of in asking for help. Early Help helps you recognise what's going well for you, where you may benefit from extra help, and who is the best person to work with you and you family to make this happen.

 

Early Help is available for children and young people up to the age of 18 and their families and is entirely voluntary, so if you don't think it is right for your child, then you don't have to consent to Early Help.

 

Early Help support may include parenting, education, employment, healthy living and emotional well being, managing finances, High Impact Family services, as well as preventing anti social behaviour.  

 

If you need any additional support, please come and have a chat with us here at school. You can speak to Vicky Dupras (Head), Hannah Jones (SENDCo) or either of our two Pupil and Family Support Workers, Carrie Buck and Sheryl Smith.

 

Alternatively, you can phone the Early Help Advice Line on 01934 426 329

 

What will happen if I want Early Help Support?

 

Step one - Talking to a known professional about Early Help, who might become your Early Help Co-ordinator

 

Step two - Listening and talking with you and your family to complete an Early Help Assessment.  This is a whole family assessment and is about having a meaningful conversation with you and your family about yours and their strengths and challenges, working out what you and your family need and pulling in the right people to provide support.

 

Step three - Meeting.  Following an Early Help assessment, you will be invited for a meeting with different people who could help your family. This is called Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting.  At the meeting you and other professionals will create a plan with goals and actions and what support is available to you to achieve them.  A plan will be agreed saying who is going to do what and when.

 

Step four - Delivery of Early Help.  Agencies will work together to deliver actions which have been put in the plan.

 

Step five - Review/closure.  You will be invited for another TAF meeting to review the progress.  It may be decided that you have completed the plan and do not need any further support then you case will be closed. If you still need support, this will continue.

 

If you feel that you and your family would benefit from Early Help, please come and talk to us in school and we will be very happy to help.