Early Help

Early Help is the response made when a professional identifies unmet needs with a child/family and works with other agencies to meet those needs. At this level of need an Early Help Assessment - Signs of Well-being and Success (EHA) should be completed with the child and family to identify, what is working well, what the worries are and what wellbeing and success would look like?  A clear plan will be developed by the agencies with the family that is SMART and is focused on what success will look like for the child/ren.

Any professional from a service that supports families can initiate an Early Help Assessment - Signs of Well-being and Success (EHA) and can be carried out with any child or young person from pre-birth up to age 19 (up to the age of 25 if the young person has a learning difficulty or disability).

The completion of an EHA would trigger a response from different agencies.  A date should be set for a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting, in order to identify a coordinator, agree the plan and which agency would work to achieve each of the wellbeing goals.

Early Help Officers provide Early Help consultancy to support any agency undertaking Early Help work. Early Help consultancy includes:

• Be the first point of contact for advice and guidance, when an agency is unclear if a contact needs to be made to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub
• Advise if the child or family is already open to a children and families services
• Support others to complete an Early Help Assessment Signs of Wellbeing and Success
• Support Early Help coordinators across the partnership around our strengths based approach to the effective delivery of Early Help through briefings, workforce development, information, advice and guidance 
• Provide support and challenge to agencies completing Early Help Assessment Signs of Wellbeing and Success, to ensure that the work they are completing, alongside children and families, has significant and sustained impact
• Identify and address any drift and delay in Early Help cases coordinated by partner agencies

When an agency or TAF are concerned about how to deliver the plan or are unable to identify an appropriate coordinator, the case should be taken to the Early Help and Family Support Panel.

There is a named Early Help Officer (EHO) for every Team around the School.  The EHO's are the district officers, you can find their contact details below and here 

Karen Ross (Allerdale & Copeland) Karen.Ross@cumbria.gov.uk 07885 405708 (Microsoft Teams Calling telephone number Whitehaven 01946 383698)

Nicola Jackson (temporary cover - Furness & South Lakes) Nicola.Jackson@cumbria.gov.uk 07825 011005 (Microsoft Teams Calling telephone number Barrow 01229 327277)

Rosamund Rowcroft (Carlisle &N Eden) Rosamund.Rowcroft@cumbria.gov.uk 07920 296122 (Microsoft Teams Calling telephone number Carlisle 01228 934845)

Steven Kemp (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) Steven.Kemp@cumbria.gov.uk 07557 210979 (Microsoft Teams Calling telephone number Penrith 01768 206015)