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Finding the right level of support for children and young people

There are lots of ways we can give support to children, young people and their families.

To get the right help at the right time, we've split different needs into 4 levels.

You won't always need to complete a request for support form to get help.

Level 1: universal services

No additional support required. The child or young person's needs are met through open-access services and their parents or carers, and they are making good progress.

Level 2: additional support and early help

Some additional support needed. One or more services provide voluntary support with the aim of preventing the need for higher level referrals.

This might include:

help with school
support parents or carers to improve children's behaviour
meet specific health or emotional needs of the child and/or parent
improve the child's material situation
respond to a short-term crisis such as bereavement or parental separation

You don't need to make a request for support at this level, but you can get help by:

arranging a team around the family meeting
completing an Early Help Plan (EHP)
talking to a Team Around the Family Support Officer
finding help in the directory of services

Find out more about level 2 additional support

Level 3: multi-disciplinary support and Family Solutions

You've already had an Early Help Plan meeting, but the child or young person's needs are more complex, especially around behaviour and parenting. More agencies are needed to work together, in a more intensive way to avoid a statutory intervention. This could include Family Solutions.

This might include children or families who:

have a disability resulting in complex needs
exhibit anti-social or challenging behaviour
suffer neglect or poor family relationships
have poor engagement with key services such as school and health
are not in education or work long-term

You can get help by:

completing a request for support form

Find out more about level 3 multidisciplinary support and Family Solutions

Level 4: specialist intervention

Children are likely to suffer significant harm, lasting impairment or be removed from home without specialist intervention.

This might include children:

suffering significant harm from abuse or neglect
who have significant impairment of function or learning or life limiting illness
whose parents and wider family are unable to care for them

It could also include families:

involved in crime or the misuse of drugs at a significant level
with significant mental or physical health needs

You can get help by:

completing a request for support form

Find out more about level 4 specialist intervention

Get advice from our consultation line

If you're not sure about the level of support that's needed, you can call one of our social workers at the Children and Families Hub for a consultation:

Call: 0345 603 7627 and ask for the consultation line.

If the child is at significant risk of harm, ask for the priority line.

You can find out more about calling the Hub on our What happens when you call the Children and Families Hub page.

Effective support windscreen

You can find out more about the levels of support using the effective support windscreen on the Essex Safeguarding Children Board website.

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