Prevention & Early HelpPhase 2 Implementation Date

2nd November 2015

What is Prevention and Early Help?• Prevention (upstream): preventing, or minimising

the risk, of problems arising – usually through universal policies like health promotion.

• Early intervention/help (midstream): targeting individuals or groups at high risk or showing early signs of a particular problem to try to stop it occurring.

• Early treatment (downstream): intervening once there is a problem, to stop it getting worse and redress the situation

Why Families First?

• Children and Young People thrive best in their own family networks and should stay together except where there is a detrimental impact on their welfare

• North East Lincolnshire should be a child friendly place in which Children and Young People are safe from harm in their families, communities and neighbourhoods

Who does this impact upon?

• Early help is everyone’s business! It is something we do, not somewhere we go!

• All practitioners that work directly with children, young people and families– Recognises that all practitioners have a

collective responsibility• Children, young people and families in

need of support

What has already changed?

• Children’s Centres have become Family Hubs within 5 geographical cluster areas remaining at the heart of every community, offering information, advice and guidance and bringing together services from pre-birth to adulthood (0-19yrs)

• Implementation of multi-agency cluster area single assessment meetings to offer support and advice for all families

• Youth Offending Service merged Young and Safe with an emphasis on prevention and early intervention

The Clusters

1. East Marsh and Central2. Immingham and the Wolds3. West Marsh, Queensway and

Riverside4. Nunsthorpe, Scartho, Park and

Broadway5. Reynolds and Highgate

What’s not changing?

• Family hubs continue to deliver the Sure Start children’s centre 0-5 offer as part of their 0-19 offer

• The troubled families offer continues• Continuing to deliver a family information

service (to be re-named families first information service)

Creating Strong CommunitiesFamily Group Conferencing

A facilitation tool where families are supported to address their issues via dialogue

and manage their own situations

Signs of Safety A tool to communicate effectively with

children and families in relation to identifying and managing risk

Restorative Practice An approach focusing on resolving conflicts

via challenge and support at the earliest stage

Outcome Based AccountabilityA thinking process which focuses the whole

organisation on outcomes, as opposed to process

Creating Strong Communities

Family Group Conferencing• What is it and how does it work?

– The family group conference process aims to empower families and to acknowledge and respect their strengths

• When should it be used?– In those cases where the CIN plan is not having the desired

impact and a step up to CP is being considered– Potential 2nd time entrants into CP, where a decision has been

made at strategy meeting to give the family the opportunity to work with the FGC team rather than go to CP.

– CAFCASS referral for Section 7 reports which family breakdown is having a detrimental impact on the children’s well-being.

What changed from 2nd Nov?• The process for assessing and responding to the

needs of children changed from Mon 2nd Nov 15• Including:

– The introduction of an additional threshold of need (called Universal Plus) to support families earlier

– A new Family Support Pathway / Threshold of need document

– The introduction of a single assessment and plan

Early Help,

Troubled Families & Targeted

Support

Statutory Services

Universal Offer and Universal Pathway 0-19

Integrated services with multi agency, multi-disciplinary teams in each cluster, who know their community and who to support

Targeted services are based on local need with the key aim of building resilient families

Multi-agency joint decision making at weekly allocations in each cluster, deciding who and how to best support families

Cluster 2Immingham

and the Wolds

Cluster 1East

Marsh and Central

Cluster 3West Marsh, Queensway

and Riverside

Cluster 4 Nunsthorpe, Scartho, Park

and Broadway

Cluster 5Reynolds

and Highgate

Family Support Pathway, Single Assessment and Plan

Universal Universal Plus Vulnerable Complex / Severe

Level 0 Universal

Level 1Universal

Plus

Level 2 Vulnerable

Level 3Complex

Level 4Severe

Universal services to all for example family hubs, GPs, hospitals, schools

Includes universal contacts 0-19 to which all children and young people are entitled e.g. year 1 phonics screening check or year 8 and 9 immunisations

Universal Plus focuses on children and families that need targeted help and support to get back on track before problems escalate

This refers to children, young people and families who have been assessed as having additional needs which cannot be provided for by universal or universal plus provisionWhen a multi agency response is required the Early Help process will be initiated

The threshold for statutory involvementThis group is often referred to as “children in need”.

Children’s Assessment and Safeguarding Service (CASS)/Children’s Disability Service (CDS) will allocate a social worker

Children protection

Looked after children

Children with severe and complex SEN / disabilities / health / mental health needs

Young offenders involved with the Youth Justice Services

Single Assessment and Plan

• Replaces CAF but uses a different approach and spans the entire journey of the child

• Based on simple “signs of safety” questioning• Accompanied by practitioners guidance• Single document builds as the family progresses on

their journey • Evidences all interventions and outcomes• Acts as a referral to MASH (or Children’s Disability

Service) if needed

• Weekly multi-agency meeting per cluster for case allocation (is appropriate) and review

• Allows appropriate identification of level of need Universal Plus or Early Help

• All single assessment meetings are multi-agency ideally with author in attendance

• All case history checked prior to meeting• Step-up, step-down process through

challenge meetings• Siblings flagged in all other allocation

meetings can be referred to Cluster meeting for support

• SingleAssessment@nelincs.gcsx.gov.uk

Cluster Single Assessment Meetings

Single Assessment

Build on assessment for

each intervention

Universal Plus Allocation

Universal

Universal Plus

VulnerableCom

plexSevere

Build on assessment for each pathway

MASH Referral

Early Help Allocation

The Roll Out• As of 2nd Nov CAFs ceased and are no longer accepted, and

the Single Assessment is now in place• Training is rolling out as per table• In the interim family hubs and integrated family services are

operating a duty rota to support practitioners on the single assessment

Cluster Area Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3 Cluster 4 Cluster 5Dates 2nd Nov – 13th

Nov16th Nov – 27th Nov

30th Nov – 11th Dec

14th Dec – 21st Dec

4th Jan – 11th Jan

Training Presentations

3rd Nov 10th Nov

17th Nov24th Nov

8th Dec10th Dec

15th Dec22nd Dec

5th Jan 1613th Jan 16

Workshops – Delivered by Practice Leads

Danger/Worry StatementsMappingSafety Planning Family Network Meeting

Families First Access Point (FFAP)

• Provide information, advice and guidance to vulnerable children, young people and families, with difficulties they're experiencing at an early stage

• Co-ordinate requests for support received and ensures families are supported by the right agency at the right time

• Signpost requests for support based on professional assessment of level of need

• Provide advice and support to school, community based practitioners and other professionals working with children and families

The Future• In 3 months:

– Further develop information, advice and guidance for children, young people and families (including the local offer) – promoting self-help and improving resilience

– Development of a Families First Access Point (FFAP)

• In 6 months:– The development of 0-19 Cluster Self Evaluation Forms and Scorecards

for key issues– The introduction of PEI Champions to act at key liaison points with

schools and academies– Development and roll out of NEL Children’s Workforce Development

Strategy

– In 12 months:– Integration with Statutory Single Assessment