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.
Our Sandwell solution
Four very basic principles
•
•
•
•
Work in neighbourhoods
Share information
Work within the planned resource base
Help families improve their daily lives
= KEEP IT SIMPLE
Children’s Services Prevention Model
Lead professional coordinating necessary
support
Universal services
meeting needs
Key Worker delivering
intensive interventions
Social Worker
managing the case
Social Care/ Statutory
intervention
Early Help
Build resilience in families and de-escalate needs
Intervene early to prevent escalation of needs
Early Help Assessment
(CAF)
Section 17 Assessment
(Children In Need)
‘Early Help’ refers to needs and services before statutory intervention
The entire model is designed to de-escalate and prevent escalation of need
Questions and Answers
What is a COG?
A Community Operating Group is a multi agency meeting
which will:
• 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
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
SMBC Contact
Centre
Multi-Agency
Enquiry Team
SMBC Children’s
Social Care
Multi Agency
Referral Form
Early Help
Assessment
Multi-Agency
Safeguarding
Hub
Part 1
WMP
Sandwell Early Help Services
Domestic
Violence
Notification
COG
Sandwell Early Help Services
• Combined highlevel information
sharing, early help
and child in need
screening, and DV
screening team
• Continuing to
develop MultiAgency Enquiry
Team model with
Police (note MAET
not MAIT)
• Sandwell MASH
and MAET now
being considered
as a pilot within a
regional model
Questions and Answers