The Early Help strategy is currently in a draft format being consulted on with all partners until 16 October with a planned launch on 10 November 2020. The strategy builds on the previous AfC led Early Help Strategy, the early help review and feedback that we have had from the partnership over the past year.
Please read the draft Early Help strategy here.
The Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership (KRSCP) has a clear priority to champion early and preventive interventions with children and young people across the multi-agency group, supporting families where there are parental vulnerabilities or where children have caring responsibilities.
Early Help is significant at every stage of the child’s journey from unborn baby to young person at risk of criminal exploitation and missing education, to the Care Leaver and young adult.
“Working together in Kingston and Richmond to keep children’s safety and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do” is our local vision and multi-agency working is key to prevention and Early Help. The resilience networks in each borough will support individual, family and community strengths to lead to improved community resilience, increased safety and improved wellbeing.
Why is Early Help so important?
Early Help is all about identifying needs within families early and providing coordinated support to build resilience before problems become complex.
‘Providing Early Help is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than reacting later. Early Help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years. Early Help can also prevent further problems arising.’ (Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018)
Early Help is a non-statutory service area that supports children, young people and families to improve their outcomes and reach their goals and aspirations. It does this through positive engagements, sustaining their power, finding out more about the power they have, exploring with them their needs and helping them to identify the things that they would want to change in order to be the person and/ parent they want to be.
Note The existing Early Help assessment resources are still in use and should be used by all partners, is available to download and submit on the AFC website https://www.achievingforchildren.org.uk/early-help-assessment/
AfC (Achieving for Children) has information on local services, activities and support available for families including children and young people aged 0 - 25 years with special educational needs or disabilities. There is also information for Carers and education support post 16 years of age, training and employment and short breaks.
Please click here to view the Local Offer.
Useful resources: