Where can I get help for a child, young person or family?

1. Where can I get help for a child, young person or family?

2. When should I get help?

3. What happens after you get in touch for Early Help Support?

4. How we use your information

Where can I get help for a child, young person or family?

You can seek help either for yourself or on behalf of somebody else.

If you are part of a family who wants more help with children and young people from 0-19 years old up to 25 for those with Special  Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), you may speak to somebody who already knows or works with your family.

This could include:

1. A member of staff at your child’s school
2.  Children and Family Centre staff
3.   Youth Centre worker
4. Health workers
5. People from voluntary or community organisations

These professionals should be able to explore what support is needed and take the appropriate action.

However, if you don't want to talk to somebody you already know or if you are a professional looking for advice or support for a family - please complete the enquiry form providing as much information as you can.

Complete the enquiry form

You can also call the Early Help Hub on 020 7364 5006 (Option 2). The line is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (excluding public holidays). The team can give advice and guidance, can identify appropriate support and refer you on to other services where applicable.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you think that a child is at risk of significant harm or that a child is already experiencing harm, please contact the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Team.

Call 020 7364 5006 (select option 3). The line is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

For out of office hours please call the Emergency Duty Team on 020 7364 4079. Find out more about the Early Help Hub.

When should I get help?

Early Help can offer advice and recommend support for a range of issues which include:

1. Family breakdown
2. Housing problems
3. Emotional health and well-being
4. Money troubles        
5. Children’s and young people’s behaviour
6. Parenting
7. Drug or alcohol addiction

What happens after you get in touch for Early Help Support?

Families

From your contact with an Early Help Practitioner, you will usually be given information about services that you or others in your family can access directly.

However, in some cases it may be helpful to explore things more fully. If this is the case an Early Help Assessment (EHA) may be completed with you. This will usually involve more discussions between you, other members of your family (if you agree) and relevant professionals to think about how you can best be supported.

If there is more than one professional that is working with you and your family, a lead contact person will be agreed (a Lead Professional). The Lead Professional will help co-ordinate the support provided to your family so that different services are not duplicating the work.

It may also be helpful to have a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting with you and those involved in supporting you and your family, to agree face to face, the support needed to help you with the things you are finding hard. This will be written up, so you have a copy of the plan.

After an agreed period, the Lead Professional will get in touch with your family to check how things are going and review what is happening. If you are happy with the progress you are making and the input of professionals is no longer required, their involvement will end.

If you feel that your family still needs support from Early Help services, the original plan may be revised according to your family’s needs. The professionals' involvement will continue until a point where you are able to manage the areas of difficulty without the support.

Consent

An EHA will only be carried out if you give consent. If you do not wish to have an assessment or take up support available, you do not have to. However, if the situation gets worse and a child or young person is likely to be at risk of significant harm, we may have to inform the Children’s Social Care Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (more commonly known as the MASH).

Professionals

If you contact the Early Help Hub regarding a family you are working with you must have the consent of the family. The response you receive will depend upon your role, the needs of the family and the help already being provided. You will be given advice on support available and/or actions to be taken which may include further direct work. An EHA or TAF may be recommended. General advice and guidance can be given without consent if no family names are given and the family is not identified in any way.

How we use your information

When you contact us to request help or if someone contacts us on your behalf with your consent, we will store information about you in order to provide information, advice and support. We may also need to share your information with other organisations.

Please see full details of how we will store and share your information on our privacy notice under 'Early Help services'.