Early help is about agencies working together to prevent need rising. It's about giving help at the right time with the right level of service.
It aims to prevent or reduce the need for specialist help. Examples of this are child protection and intensive physical and mental health services.
Our approach
All the agencies in the Barnsley are committed to improving the lives of children and young people in the borough.
By working together and sharing details, they can ensure the best outcomes for all our youngsters. Whatever their background, they'll have the help they need to:
- be healthy - enjoy good physical and mental health and live a healthy lifestyle
- stay safe - be protected from harm and neglect
- enjoy and achieve - get the most out of life and develop the skills for adulthood
- be an active citizen - be involved with their community and society
- earn a good living - be able to reach their full potential in life.
At the heart of this multi agency approach to offer early help to families is working together. It brings together people from different areas of the workforce, working together to provide a more holistic approach. We're making sure it's at an early stage when help is most crucial.
It's also supported by common language, processes, and tools. You can find these common resources in our Early Help Toolkit.
Keeping children safe - statutory guidance
- Working together to safeguard children including the need to offer an early help assessment to families where needed. This enables details sharing, effective planning for families and a coordinated service response.
- What to do if you're worried a child is being abused
- Keeping children safe in education