North Tyneside Council, working closely with partners, is transforming the way that children, young people and their families can access ‘early help’.
Early help just means trying to get things sorted as quickly as possible for families when things happen. The idea is that working with families in this way can save both time and money for everyone, as well as being less stressful for families.
Early help also keeps children safe because support is provided as soon as something is identified as going wrong – whether that be by a teacher or health visitor, GP, or the family themselves.
Fo example, one family was referred for support around school attendance and child mental health following the death of the children’s father. The children suffered mentally and emotionally as a result of losing their father to suicide and were struggling to attend school.
With support from the early help team, the children accessed bereavement counselling, dedicated mental health support and plans to return to education. The team also helped them to identify family and friends to build a safe and supportive network.
The family feels they have been listened to and support is being provided by professionals, family and friends. They had been greatly affected by the death of their father, but the support around the family has empowered them to make choices to improve family life and prepare them for the future.
For further information about Early Help, please telephone the Front Door service on 0345 2000 109.