Leicester City Council Early Help and Prevention Protocol

Jackie Difolco: Head of Service (0 – 19 Targeted Services) March 2015

Aims • EHA criteria, Pathway and Support for

professionals

• Performance

• What does good look like and how do we get there

• Role of LSCB to provide challenge and scrutiny

Leicester City Council’s Early Help Offer

Targeted Services Specialist Services

Childcare Learning Targeted Youth Support

Family Support Education Welfare Service

Parent and Community Engagement Youth Offending Service

Children Centre Teachers MST

Pre School Settings Connexions

Early Help Assessment Young Carers

Early Help Assessment

Definitions and Eligibility Early Help

Help and support provided at the right time for the right child, young person and their family to prevent issues from escalating.

Unmet Need

An unmet need is a need that cannot be met by an agency in terms of not having the ability to respond to the particular need

(Refer to the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Thresholds document for examples of presenting needs)

Single Agency Response

Two or less unmet needs that can be met with a single agency response working alongside universal services.

Early Help Assessment

A co-ordinated multi agency response led by an identified practitioner working with the family using a team around the family (TAF) approach.

Eligibly Criteria for an Early Help Assessment

The eligibility criteria for an Early Help Assessment are defined as:

• A family has 3 or more needs that are likely to impact on outcomes for children and young people

• These needs are complex and are beyond the remit and capacity of a single agency response

• A co-ordinated multi agency response is required working alongside universal services.

Processes in Place

Priority Children

0 -5 Early Help

Locality

Partnerships

Thresholds

15 Workshops/ Training and

Materials

Early Help and Prevention Protocol

Locality Advice Points

Liquid Logic

MASP

www.leicester.gov.uk/earlyhelp

Support for Lead Practitioners

Liquid Logic

• Training

• Champion role – navigation around the system

Advice and Referrals

• Advice Points, signposting, short term work

• One referral screened through one route

EHA Meetings

• Setting up meetings, booking venues, completing closure forms

• Tracking of action planning

• Typing up of minutes and action plans

Support

• Workshops

• Promotional materials and templates: www.leicester.gov.uk/earlyhelp

There will be no admin support at EHA Team Around the Family meetings

Until external partners are trained on Liquid Logic, LCC staff only will be LP’s

Performance

Getting to Good

‘Making sense of Early Intervention’

• A commitment to prevention

• Priority focus on the early years

• Continuing early intervention in later years

• A mutli systems approach

• High quality workforce

• Investment in programmes that work (Centre for social justice 2011)

Local Authorities with good early help have……..

Good arrangements for the co-ordinating the work of a wide range of agencies

Effective performance monitoring and quality assurance

Collect user feedback that informs assessment of success of support and planning for future services

Clear agreed thresholds with partners that are applied and understood

Effective information sharing between professionals

A single assessment process used by all agencies

Clear step up and step down procedures

An early help workforce that has the appropriate skills and confidence and is supported by children’s social care

Invested in early help and given it the same value as social care

A local authority is likely to be judge good if……

Children, young people and families are offered effective early help when needs or concerns are first identified

The interface between early help and statutory child protection work is clearly and effectively differentiated

For children and young people who need help and protection, assessments including early help assessments are timely and result in direct work with families

Leadership, Management and governance arrangements deliver strong, strategic local leadership that measurable improves outcomes for vulnerable children. The LA works with partners to plan and deliver early help, to protect children and young people, to improve educational attainment and narrow the gap for the most disadvantage

Role of the Early Help Stay Safe Board/ LSCB/ Children’s Trust

• Ensure Early Help is integral to safeguarding • Embed Early Help within a ‘Neglect’ Strategy • Provide challenge and scrutiny • Evaluate impact and outcomes • Develop a shared ownership and hold LSCB

partners to account

Statistics (July – February)

10,434 cyp and families accessing CYPF Centre’s 1,058 cyp receiving targeted early help 723 Family Support cases 323 referrals to Early Help in DAS (14 stepped up to social care/ 37 awaiting allocation)

500 contacts through the Advice Point

Workshops and Materials January – March

Early help Assessment February

MASP March

Thresholds Training March – September

EHA and Lead Practitioner Training March – September

Liquid Logic for LCC staff May - September

Merge the EHA and Single Assessment June

Liquid Logic for external partners September - March

Merge the Early Help Assessment, and the Single Assessment into one

form that is completed at various stages of the child and young

person(s) journey.

To develop one Family Support offer using a whole family approach which

includes the current Think Family programme

Early Help assessment and Lead Practitioner Training

Timescales and Next Steps

Contact Details

Locality Advice Points

NORTH WEST: 0116 3737350 NORTH: 0116 2924580

WEST: 0116 3737150 EAST : 0116 2924590

CENTRAL : 0116 2426370 SOUTH: 0116 2221810

Early Help in Duty and Advice Service (EHinDAS)

Tel: 0116 454 5956

Email: Early-Help@leicester.gov.uk

Lead Practitioner Support

Tel: 0116 4541694

Email: early.help.queries@leicester.gov.uk

To seek advice, signposting or low level and short term support without having to undertake an early help assessment.

To make an Early Help Assessment Referral

• Support with completing an EHA • Support with Liquid Logic • Support with setting up and

co-ordination of EHA meetings • Support with distribution of

minutes

Early Help: Service Managers

Service Managers : Early Help Targeted (Children Centres & Family Support) Penny Brown – Email: Penny.Brown@leicester.gov.uk Tel: 0116 4541681 Julia Pilsbury – Email: Julia.Pilsbury@leicester.gov.uk Tel: 0116 4541663

Service Managers : Early Help Specialist (Education Welfare, Youth Offending, Connexions & Youth Service) Ellen Collier – Email: Ellen.Collier@leicester.gov.uk Tel: 0116 454 5510 Julia Conlon – Email: Julia.Conlon@leicester.gov.uk Tel: 0116 4541777 Karen Manville – Email: Karen.Manville@leicester.gov.uk Tel: 0116 4544614

Questions?

Jackie Difolco – Head of Service (Targeted Services)

Children Centres and Family Support

Email: jackie.difolco@leicester.gov.uk

Tel: 0116 4546106