Being a parent is rewarding. Whether you are a mum, dad, or carer, we want you to know that it can also be challenging. It’s normal to need extra support. Families face many pressures that make everyday life feel overwhelming. This includes:
- concerns about your child’s development
- health
- learning
- finances
- difficulties at home or in the community
You don’t have to deal with these challenges alone.
What is Early Help?
Early Help is a way of working with you and your family to offer support before small worries become bigger problems. It helps children, young people and families by bringing together different professionals who will listen, help to share information safely, and work alongside families to make positive changes.
By working together early, we can help you to reduce pressure, find practical solutions, and feel more confident, supported, and able to thrive.
Is Early Help right for your family?
You don’t need to be in crisis to need help. Support will always be based on your family’s individual needs. If your family is experiencing any of the challenges below, Early Help maybe able to support you..
- you are unsure what support your child needs
- your child needs support from multiple services
- change in your child’s behaviour, mood, health, or how they present themselves
- your child is not meeting expected developmental milestones or is finding learning difficult
- health concerns, including disability, physical or mental health issues, missed appointments, or sudden changes in your child’s health
- your child's behaviour is challenging or aggressive
- your child is using substances
- your child is at risk of getting into trouble with the law
- your child is regularly missing school or at risk of being permanently excluded
- your child has experienced a significant life event, such as a bereavement, separation, or family breakdown
- your child has caring responsibilities for a family member
- worries about home life or how you are coping
- parental challenges such as relationship conflict, substance misuse, domestic abuse, physical or mental health difficulties, or criminal involvement (where there is no immediate safeguarding risk)
How to get support with Early Help?
To access Early Support help, speak to your child's school, nursery or pre school, your Health Visitor, a professional that you trust or our Family Hubs team. The professional will require you to give consent to record and share details of your conversation. This is so that that anyone supporting you and your family as part of the Early Help support can understand your circumstance.
The professional will ask you about what life is like for your child and your family, any extra support you might need and advise what is available. This is called an Early Help Assessment.
Early Help Assessment and targeted support
An Early Help Assessment (EHA) is a simple way for you, your child and the professionals supporting your family to work together to identify what is going well, any challenges you may be facing, and the support that could help. By understanding your family's needs early, we can create a plan that builds on your strengths. It brings the right services together, and helps you get the right support at the right time.