What is Early Help?

Early Help means providing help for children, young people and families as soon as problems start to emerge, or when there is a strong likelihood that problems will develop in the future. 

Early Help:

• is for children of all ages and not just the very young;
• can be very effective in supporting a child, young person and/or their family to step down from statutory services as well as preventing the escalation of issues; and
• is important because there is clear evidence that it results in better outcomes for children.

Why would I want Early Help intervention?    

At St Catherine Catholic Primary School we understand that family life can, at times, be difficult and complicated and we recognise that there may be situations where you need extra help and support.

Sometimes families need support from a wide range of agencies or people, for example, health services, housing services, family support workers, social workers and local police.  As a school, we may be able to signpost a range of services to support families beyond the educational setting.   

It could be that you are worried about your child’s health, development or behaviour. It might be linked to money or housing. It could also be linked to domestic abuse, drugs, alcohol, or crime. 

Where can I get Early Help intervention?

If you feel you and your family might need support to solve some problems, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Bryant our welfare officer  (welfare@stcatherine.co.uk)

Mrs Bryant will meet informally with you in the first instance and this can be followed by an Early Help Assessment to Stronger Families.   

What is an Early Help Assessment?

Children and families will be supported through the Early Help Assessment process by the school. 

What happens following an Early Help Assessment will be different for every family.  The level of need is assessed on an individual basis and different levels of services can be accessed as a result.  This may include support from a range of professionals from within and beyond the school.   

  Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings may be held in school to identify what is working well, what needs to change and to agree actions to help and support families. This ensures that we work together and meet regularly with professionals to get the best outcome for the family.    

The Early Help Assessment is a voluntary process. You choose whether to be involved and can withdraw from the process at any time.