Early Help Support and Referral Policy

The agencies in North East Lincolnshire have agreements in place such as the Thresholds of Need Document and the Local Protocol for Assessment (see Thresholds of Need Document) which provides effective ways to identify emerging problems and potential unmet needs for individual children and families as well as clear guidance and procedures for all professionals, including those in universal services and those providing services to adults with children. For more information, see the Thresholds of Need.

The local Thresholds of Need document includes information as follows:

The criteria, including the level of need, for when a child should be referred to children’s social care for assessment and for statutory services under:

• Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (children in need).
• Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 (safeguarding).
• Section 3 [1] of the Children Act 1989 (care proceedings).
• Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 (duty to accommodate a child).

The Local Authority and partners are committed to supporting the delivery of a comprehensive range of prevention and early help services to improve the life chances and outcomes for all families in North East Lincolnshire.

The North East Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership have supported the development of a Prevention and Early Help strategy which sets out principles and priorities for early help. The plan identifies a holistic, early help approach to enhance outcomes for families and to reduce the need for costly, specialist services. The plan focuses on developing an integrated workforce that will support families in their local communities.

Early help is a core cross-cutting theme within the work of the Partnership and links directly to other overarching strategies and plans to ensure a cohesive approach.

Families must consent to a referral being made and the sharing of information with relevant agencies but once this has been done agencies involved can share information to improve integrated working thus making life easier for families.

Information to support the Early Help Assessment and Plan:

• Early Help Assessment and Plan Practice Guidance;
• Early Help Assessment Form.

The Prevention and Early Help strategy sets out how we aim to support families at all levels of need and incorporates North East Lincolnshire’s response to the Government’s Troubled Families Programme. At all levels of need families will be asked to sign up to the process to enable integrated support. The additional funding attached to the Troubled Families programme will be used locally by partners to enhance and accelerate progress of the strategy.

We want to ensure the right intervention is being delivered to families, children and young people by the right service/agency.

A professional advice line has been established for our partners to call if they need advice to prevent escalation of worries in children and families, Early help practitioners are also available to go out to schools to support them with advice, writing early help assessments and creating a team around the family at the right level for the family at that time. This is to provide a solution focused approach to draw on our collective skills, experience and knowledge to ensure we intervene early and preventatively.

For guidance on when a young person is competent to make their own decision about receiving services without their parents’ consent use the Fraser Competency Checklist.