1. Early Help
Early help is an umbrella term for a range of services, programmes or interventions which share an underlying rationale: to provide support to tackle problems before they become more difficult to reverse, and thereby maximise the chances of happy, safe and fulfilling lives for families in the community.

2. Our Responsibility
Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE, 2015) provides the statutory framework for early help provision. Local agencies are required to work together to identify children and families who would benefit from early help; assess and address identified needs with a view to significantly improving outcomes.
DfE, 2015

3. Early Help within the Threshold Model
Whilst the Continuum of Need (windscreen model) has clearly defined levels, early help is wide ranging and straddles levels 1 to 3
Agencies delivering universal services will offer early help to children and families on a daily basis as part of their everyday activities (level 1)
Many children, young people and families are signposted to single agencies for additional support or refer themselves (level 2)
Where needs become more complex and a number of agencies are involved with an individual or a single family a co-ordinated multi-agency response is required (level 3)

4. The Child’s Journey
For children, young people and families who have received interventions at level 4, there should be a seamless de-escalation of support down through the levels of need
The needs of children and families cannot be neatly pigeon-holed. Ever child’s journey will be unique and together we must ensure that our services respond to their needs rather than expecting them to fit into our service models

5. It’s Not Rocket Science…

6. Developing Early Help
Aligning with changes at the Integrated Front Door and MASH
Temporary relocation of the Early Help & CAF Team
Development of a new delivery model for Early Help
Early Help- Delivering it Differently Event 16th February (invitations to follow)

7. Early Help Case Study Instructions
The case study leads you to answer a question at the end of the text. You need to decide on an answer and a rationale for that answer. In addition to this, you have a number of ‘tokens’ you can insert throughout the case study. This includes: 
‘De-escalate to single agency (level 2)’
  ‘Continue with TAF (level 3)’
  ‘Refer to Children’s Social Care (level 4)’
  ‘Consult with the Locality Social Worker for Early Help’
‘Gold Star for a good decision/action’
‘Turn back time and do it differently’
You can insert these ‘tokens’ where you think they are relevant. You do not need to use them all.
At the end of the exercise we will be asking for groups to reveal what outcome they decided on and give examples as to where they used the different tokens and why.