Early help resources
Early help aims to give children, young people and families the right support at the right time, to reduce the need for higher level interventions.
These resources will help you understand the level of need and how an early help approach could help and provide templates to help you get started.
Templates
Early help plan template (DOCX, 50.99 KB)
You can see how a completed plan might look in our:
- example template from an early help plan discussion (DOC, 38.93KB)
- example template from a team around the family (TAF) meeting (DOC, 39.08KB)
You can print and share this Early help leaflet (PDF, 155KB) with parents to help them understand the Team Around the Family process.
Guides for practitioners
These guides will help you through the early help process and include:
- Capturing the child's voice (PDF, 379.05 KB)
- Understanding the needs of a family, child or young person
- Essex Safeguarding Children Board website
- Putting together an Early Help Plan
- What is a Team Around the Family (TAF)?
- How to hold a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting
- How to hold a virtual Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting
Presentations
These presentations have been developed as tools for safeguarding leads to help their organisations get a better understanding about what early help means for them and the children and young people they work with.
- Understanding need presentation (PPTX, 919kB)
- Early help approaches presentation PPTX, 219kB)
- Introduction to the Children and Families Hub presentation (PPTX, 324kB)
- Requesting support at levels 3 and 4 presentation (PPTX, 257kB)
Posters to print and display
You might find it helpful to print and display these posters:
Team Around the Family Support Officer (TAFSO) poster (PDF, 283kB)
Contact a Team Around the Family Support Officer
If you are a practitioner, please contact our Team Around the Family Support Officers (TAFSO). TAFSOs can support practitioners to feel confident holding Team Around the Family Meetings and completing Early Help Plans.
Practitioners can email their Team around the Family Support Officer asking for contact to be made with you: TAFSO@essex.gov.uk
If you are a parent or carer, contact someone at your children's school, nursery or college, or a practitioner you are working with, to discuss having a Team Around the Family meeting.