Early Help is about engaging with children, young people, their families and communities at the first point of need and maximising opportunities for them to achieve their potential without the need for long term support or intervention
For those working with children, young people and their families, the four priority outcomes for Early Help in Norfolk are:
- Children and Young People are Healthy and Resilient
- Children and Young People are Safe and Well Cared For
- Children and Young People Develop, Learn and Achieve
- Children and Young People are ready for Adult Life
What is early help?
Early Help is about partnership working to engage with children, young people, their families and communities at the earliest opportunity. Our aim is to work with the whole family and other professionals to identify and address any issues to prevent them from escalating into social care level.
Early Help services are provided by a range of agencies including Early Help and Family Focus; this could be any service or organisation that is working with a child, young person or family that provides support to the family. For example, children’s centres, early years settings, schools, health services, local district councils, voluntary sector agencies, CAMHS, MAP, housing associations and many more.
What does Norfolk Early Help and Family Focus offer to families?
To work with families we need their consent, agreement and their willingness to engage with our service and with other professionals who can offer support.
Our Early Help Family Practitioners will work with families, children and young people to assess areas of need and enable them to access the right support for their family.
Examples include but are not limited to:
Family and Environmental
Family History & Functioning
Finance including budgeting, benefits, managing debt.
Youth Crime & Anti-Social Behaviour
Domestic Abuse, Violence, Honour based & Violence/ Stalking
Community Relationships and Resources
Wellbeing & Mental Health
Housing: working together with housing associations.
Supporting family members who are in prison, on probation or on license
Support to return to work or training
Parenting
Guidance and Boundaries
Emotional Warmth
Stability
Substance misuse (drugs & alcohol)
Safety
Stimulation
Basic Care
Wellbeing/Mental Health
Health (including obesity, diabetes & malnutrition)
Young Parent/ Pregnancy (Under 16)
Communication
Routines
Support with disabilities
Children & Young People
Family and Social relationships
Self-care skills
Behavioural development
Substance misuse (drugs & alcohol)
Pre 16 Education Issues (attendance, exclusions, short stay schools, child missing education)
Post 16 Education, Employment & Training
Wellbeing & Mental Health
Caring Responsibilities
Special Educational Needs
Supporting Transitions
Using the “Signs of Safety” model we work alongsidethe family, to identify the next steps to support them to address their areas of need, whilst ensuring we highlight what is working well for the family.
We can provide support with existing FamilySupportPlans (previously CAF):
- By being the lead professional
- By being one of the nominated professionals on the plan to work with the family
- By supporting an organisation (e.g. preschool, school) to set up aFamily Support Plan
- By supporting an organisation to complete a Family Support Plan assessment
Or set up a Family Support Plan (previously CAF) if there isn’t one, and help the family choose who they would like to lead it.
What can we offer to you?
- Free training to support organisations i.e. with the Family Support Planprocess
- A Duty line open during office working hours to offer advice around Early Help, Referral process and a Family Support Plan process.
- Providing support with existing Family Support Plans (previously CAF):
- By supporting an organisation (e.g. preschool, school) to set up a Family Support Plan
- By supporting an organisation to complete a Family Support Plan assessment
- Encouraging families to register with their local children’s centre
- Through gaining an in depth understanding of the local children’s centre, agencies and services available to families and their target groups, engaging families with your services and activities.
- Information sharing and partnership working around families.
- As our team covers the age range 0-19, together we can work in partnership to provide holistic support for the family.
How to refer a family into our service
Please ensure you have gained the family’s written consent before making a referral
Early Help and Family Focus are a consent based service. If a family do not wish for us to support them, or be part of their Family Support Process, then we cannot be involved
If there is not already a Family Support Process in place for this family:
- Complete part 1 of the Family Support Process form. (Please see form attached or follow this link: )
- Once each family member (if applicable) has signed the form, or if consent is verbal, you have signed to show you have gained their consent, send the form to the address shown.
- If you are familiar with the a Family Support Plan process and feel confident to gather the information required in part 2, then you can also send this in with part 1. If not, then we can gather this alongside you once we have received the referral.
If there is a Family Support Process in place for this family:
- Complete part 1 of the Family Support Process form. (Please see form attached or follow this link: )
- Once each family member (if applicable) has signed the form, or if consent is verbal you have signed to show you have gained their consent, send the form along with your most recent Family Support Process Assessment and Delivery Plan to:
It can take up to a month for us to receive your referral. We will be in touch with you once we have received it to let you know who will be working with the family.
If you contact MASH with concerns about a child, young person or family, using an NSCB1 form and it does not meet the threshold for social care, MASH will automatically send this to us as a referral for Early Help to work with the family if the NSCB1 form shows that the family have given consent.
Contact Details for Norfolk Early Help and Family Focus:
Duty number: 01553 669276 (open from 9am -5pm to offer advice around Early Help, referral process and a Family Support Plan process)
Central Team Tel: 01603 223 161
Secure inbox: (for sending in referrals)
Email enquiries (non-confidential information only; please send referrals to the above, secure email address):
Your local early help team
Head of Services and Partnership: Carol Manning
Early Help Managers: Teresa Frost and Robert Cole
Senior Family Practitioners: Ashley Yallop and Sarah Mace
Family Practitioners: Dawn Robertson, Darren Turney, Margaret Chase, Natasha West, Mary Moat, Zelah Riley and Vicki Downing
Early Years Family Practitioners (specialising in 0-5): Jayne Boxall and Alison Webb
Outreach Practitioners (specialising in 11-19): Sarah Coote and Lynn Haycock
Domestic Abuse Change Coordinator: Zoe Harding
Assessment and Training Officer: Nikki King
Early Help Process Manager: Rebecca Brown
Commissioning Partnerships Community Capacity Manger: Kate Taylor
Community Capacity Coordinators: Jane Hallwood and Lynn Cook
Partnership Officer – Vacant post
Commissioning Officer: Kerry Robertson
PCSO: Jane Edwards
For more information…
see pg12-17 for information on early help