Early Help in Sandwell

Defining Early Help

• Early Help a core part of the Sandwell Improvement Plan.

Delivering services at the right time and in the right way to help families help themselves to meet the needs of their children.

• This definition to be used by all staff across all partners

• This means working with, children and families who are below the threshold of social care, that stops problems emerging and supports families to improve their situation.

• Work in neighbourhoods

• Share information

• Work within the planned resource base

• Help families improve their daily lives

= KEEP IT SIMPLE

Our Sandwell solution

Four very basic principles

Intervene early to prevent escalation of needs

Social Care/ Statutory

interventionEarly Help

Section 17 Assessment(Children In Need)

Early Help Assessment (CAF)

Universal services meeting needs

Lead professional co-ordinating necessary

support

Key Worker delivering intensive interventions

Social Worker managing the case

Build resilience in families and de-escalate needs

‘Early Help’ refers to needs and services before statutory interventionThe entire model is designed to de-escalate and prevent escalation of need

Children’s Services Prevention Model

Questions and Answers

What is a COG?

• Assist the Early Help Family Support (Tiers 1-3) by helping to resolve issues and frustrations

• Ensure the right partners are engaged, the appropriate Lead Professional is identified and supported and action plans completed

• Monitor performance, feed into corporate scorecard and provide data for partners

• To spot purchase support and inform commissioning

A Community Operating Group is a multi agency meetingwhich will:

Practical details

• Seven COGs, based on the learning communities - 1 per town, 2 for West Bromwich

• Meet monthly

• Chaired by Senior Early Help Coordinator

• Admin support from Family Services Team

• Paperwork and details available electronically via Early Help Information System (eCAF)

• Twelve cases per meeting/10 minutes per case

When to refer to a COG

• The family are not engaging

• A new Lead Professional is required or one cannot be identified (responsible for monitoring the action plan, coordinating partners and acting as the family’s point of contact)

• Needs are escalating

• There are gaps in service provision

• A partner is not engaging properly

Multi‑Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

Partners signed up …West Midlands Police

Local Police Units

Public Protection Units

Health

Safeguarding nurse

Adult mental health

Sandwell & W Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust – Health Visitor

Children’s Social Care

Adult’s Social Care

Public Health

Education

Housing

Probation

Youth Offending Services

Family Support Services (inc. CAF)

Domestic Violence

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub

• Combined high-level information sharing, early help and child in need screening, and DV screening team

• Continuing to develop Multi-Agency Enquiry Team model with Police (note MAET not MAIT)

• Sandwell MASH and MAET now being considered as a pilot within a regional model

SMBC Contact Centre

Multi Agency Referral Form

Early Help Assessment

Part 1

WMP

Domestic Violence

Notification

Multi-Agency Safeguarding

Hub

Multi-Agency

Enquiry Team

SMBC Children’s Social Care

Sandwell Early Help Services

Sandwell Early Help Services

COG

Questions and Answers