Providing Early Help is more effective in promoting the welfare of children and of their families than reacting later when problems have become embedded.
Early Help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, beginning with the health and wellbeing of the mother and her partner, and extending through adolescence to life as an adult.
The effectiveness of an Early Help service is underpinned by the responsibility of practitioners engaging with the child and the family to ensure that if a family does not reach the threshold for a specific service, nevertheless the issue needs to be prevented from escalating.
This plan sets out the actions we are going to take to improve and develop the existing Early Help arrangements in Devon.
The 16 objectives cover:

Governance

Infrastructure

Commissioning and provision of services

Communications and engagement

Workforce development
We need to be joint commissioning across the life course, making sure that in times of financial constraint we are commissioning coherently together along a clear and joined-up pathway. We must continue to use needs assessment and the evidence base about what works, taking a strengthbased approach with families to facilitate ownership and self-solutions. We need to ensure we measure impact and constantly review the quality and the effectiveness of our Early Help offer from the child and family’s perspective as well as ours. Can service users actively influence services? Is our Early Help offer truly centred on families and not around service providers?
It is the responsibility of all practitioners, irrespective of whether they are working with children or adults, to identify emerging problems and potential unmet need. Those practitioners working in universal services are best placed to identify children, or their families, who are at risk of poor outcomes – especially health visitors, school nurses, Children’s Centre staff, GPs or teachers.
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These high-level objectives will be developed into an action plan which assigns responsibility to individual managers to ensure implementation and which will be reported on regularly to the Devon
Safeguarding Children Board.
Objective 1
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Create a strategic partnership for Children, Young People and Families
(based on the existing “Alliance” model and supported by an executive group) reporting to the Devon Health and Wellbeing Board.
Undertake a review of all existing planning groups for children, young people and families.
Create the MASH and Early Help Strategy Group to support changes to the MASH as a result of the implementation of the Early Help Strategy.
Establish a working group to develop a multi-agency Children, Young
People and Families Plan.
Ensure that VCS involvement and representation is enabled.
Enable beneficiaries’/service users’ involvement in the evaluation of drafts of plans and priorities from these groups.
The Devon Children, Young People and Families Plan (including an implementation plan and performance framework).
A single strategic approach to planning, monitoring progress and assuring quality.
Evidence of improved health, wellbeing and safety of children and young people in Devon.
Devon County Council
Terms of reference and multi-agency membership agreed.
Regular reports to the Devon Health and Wellbeing Board, linked to safeguarding children reporting.
By April 2014
Objective 2
Actions
Potential outputs
Create a new Early Help system for Devon, comprising an Early Help
Co-ordination Centre, working alongside the Multi-Agency safeguarding Hub, supporting four Area Early Help Advisers to work with localities and local learning communities across Devon.
Strategy to describe proposed working model.
Strategy to be approved by Devon Safeguarding Children Board.
Consideration of results of beneficiaries’ engagement and resulting recommendations.
Early Help system guidance and access to professional advice.
Alignment with the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) pathway.
Quality assurance and performance management framework.
Intelligence for commissioners about service gaps.
Earlier and increased identification of areas of current under-reporting
(for example child sexual exploitation and abuse).
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Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Promote stronger links with schools.
Escalation point for issues or problems.
Ensure children and families receive appropriate help at the right time and prevent the requirement for statutory services from Children’s
Social Care.
Improved quality of, and access to, Early Help.
MASH is able to respond timely to children & families when threshold for their service is met.
Consistency of response across Devon measured by performance and quality assurance system.
VCS training, engagement and inclusion in the new Early Help system to support statutory services.
Devon County Council
Monitor workload closely during first year of operation as a “test of change” to ensure capacity matches need.
New performance and quality assurance system to be implemented by
Early Help Co-ordination Centre.
MASH activity in response to creation of Early Help Co-ordination
Centre.
Service user / beneficiaries’ assessment and evaluation of Early Help systems and services.
By April 2014
Objective 3
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Establish common geographies for Early Help areas and localities.
All agencies to define services within common geographical areas, as far as possible, taking account of the lack of co-terminosity in some areas.
Common understanding of areas.
Description of areas promoted in all multi-agency working.
Stronger working relationships between agencies, with their staff working increasingly as multi-agency teams in the Early Help system.
Improved continuity of relationship with children and families reflected in higher satisfaction ratings.
All agencies
Agreement noted at Devon Safeguarding Children Board.
Directory of Services to relate to common geographies.
By April 2014
Objective 4
Actions
Potential outputs
Publish an Early Help Directory of Services.
Following the outcome of service consultations, publish and keep updated a Directory of Services which defines what Early Help is, the
Early Help offer, linked to Early Help areas and localities.
Common understanding of what’s available locally and when.
Easy access to information, differentiated and co-designed by service users, and kept up-to-date.
A new Youth Offer and Children’s Centres Offer which enables the delivery of our Early Help strategy.
Partnership working / multi-agency working with the voluntary and
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Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale community sector to enable the best possible offer across the four areas.
Children and Families better informed of services available.
Improved offer to children and families reflected in higher satisfaction ratings.
More choice of services and of Lead Professional.
Greater engagement of the community and voluntary sector.
Fewer referrals and actions at statutory levels.
Devon County Council (working with all agencies) via the Early Help Coordination Centre.
Directory of Services compiled and accessible electronically and in hard copy format, accessible to all in various formats/differentiated versions.
By June 2014
Objective 5
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Services to be commissioned requiring the use of the Devon
Assessment Framework for common assessment and the requirement for staff to undertake the training needed for, and to be supported by their organisations to carry out, the role of Lead Professional.
All commissioners to review their service specifications and update them with this requirement, ensuring compliance with Early Help arrangements as described in “Working Together to Safeguard Children”
2013.
Refreshed service specifications supported fully by contractual agreements and informed by consultation with children and families.
All providers are able to demonstrate full compliance with Section 11.
Increased use of Devon Assessment Framework (over previous CAF)
Training commissioned by DSCB. Children and young people to be involved with design and delivery of training for professionals. VCS to receive similar/ same training in use of DAF
Training uptake records.
Refresher training to all statutory and VCS professionals to ensure total understanding across services of triggers for use of DAF, and its relation to risk thresholds, and the circumstances when DAF is appropriate.
Help for children and a family is identified as soon as problems start to emerge or when there is a strong likelihood that problems will emerge in the future.
Timely and consistent high quality assessments and interventions result in improved outcomes for the child and family.
Improved records and ability to track events.
All commissioning agencies.
New performance and quality assurance system for Early Help to be implemented.
Monitored by new strategic partnership.
Assurance sought by Devon Safeguarding Children Board.
By March 2014, in time for new contractual year beginning in April 2014
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Objective 6
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Promote the use of Family Group Conferencing (as an alternative to
Team Around the Child/Team Around the Family meetings) and review the sufficiency of this as the Early Help system develops.
Family Group Conferencing commissioned as an alternative to TAC/TAF.
Proportion of “My Plan”s for children and families developed using
Family Group Conferencing.
Differentiated and age-appropriate versions of “My Plan” used and accessed by all statutory and voluntary and community sector services.
Children and families are empowered to find their own solutions to difficulties and children’s needs are met within their own networks.
Greater evidence of the voice of the child in “My Plan”.
Asset-based approach to Early Help more evident in “My Plan”.
Commissioning plan to be reviewed against demand.
Devon County Council as commissioner of Family Group Conferencing.
All agencies to implement.
New performance and quality assurance system.
Monitored by new strategic partnership.
Assurance sought by Devon Safeguarding Children Board.
By June 2014
Objective 7
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Embed the learning from the Targeted Family Support (TFS)
Programme in the Early Help system to ensure sustainability of the TFS programme after March 2015.
Learning from TFS to be captured and applied to Early Help system.
Report analysing success of programme.
Succession plan in advance of external funding cessation in March 2015.
Consultations/recommendations from service users incorporated into succession plan.
Improved outcomes for children and families.
Measurable impact on contacts of targeted families with the criminal justice system, health, social services and improved wellbeing of children and families as evidenced for example by fewer exclusions, reduced domestic violence and abuse, and increased employment.
Devon County Council
Targeted Family Support programme evaluation and final report.
New performance and quality assurance system.
By April 2015
Objective 8
Actions
Potential outputs
Support young people with a learning disability or difficulty making the transition to adults, and support people with a learning disability or difficulty to become more effective parents.
Commission services to support young people with a learning disability or difficulty making the transition to adults.
Commission parenting support for people with a learning disability or difficulty..
Joint commissioners to review their service specifications and update
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Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale them with this requirement, ensuring that there is no gap between
Children and Young People’s Services and Adult Services.
Service users involved in commissioning process.
Children supported to remain within their family networks where it is safe to do so and prevent them from being received into care of the
Local Authority.
Young People acquire the skills to move to independence where possible and achieve their aspirations.
Improved transition to adulthood manifested in independent living where possible, and fewer adult safeguarding concerns.
Greater evidence of young people’s voice in decision-making.
Improved health and wellbeing outcomes for people with a learning disability or difficulty.
Better understanding of the types of transitions being made across a range of services, and of the different points of transition for different cohorts.
Avoidance of, or greater efficiency of, legal care proceedings.
Fewer children going into care.
Multi-agency Steering Group on Transitions (one of the SEND Pathfinder workstreams).
New performance and quality assurance system.
Commissioners’ own contract monitoring arrangements with providers.
By April 2015
Objective 9
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Support young people where there is domestic and/or sexual violence and abuse in their family.
Commission services to support young people where there is domestic and/or sexual violence and abuse in their family.
Service specifications and contract tender to reflect this.
Better support for young carers.
Increasing staff confidence and competence in identifying families experiencing domestic abuse.
Services specifically designed for both young victims, and young perpetrators of domestic violence and abuse.
Improve County-wide PSHE / school-based education programmes to improve information, access to support and to challenge behaviours.
Consider approach and response to sexual exploitation.
Targeted support and education for children and young people in families or areas where domestic and/or sexual violence and abuse is prevalent.
Services to be designed and/or assessed by children and young people.
Ensure children and young people are kept safe with improved health, wellbeing and educational outcomes.
Enable effective responses to disclosures / evidence that fall below Child in Need or Safeguarding thresholds.
Consistency of approach / access to services and support.
Devon County Council
New performance and quality assurance system.
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Timescale
Objective 10
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
By June 2014
Improve the capacity of, and access to, Tier 3 Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Services (CAMHS) including services for Autistic
Spectrum Disorder.
Analysis of service pressures and a multi-commissioner response to the issues which will improve access to service and greater capacity respond to Tier 3 demands.
Service pathway to define the relationship between Tier 2 and Tier 3 services.
Improved access evidenced by shorter waiting times.
Appropriate Tier 3 referrals as evidenced by audit.
Fewer cases escalating to Tier 4 .
Engagement of VCS services and provision.
Improvement in individual children and Young People’s emotional health and collate population measures of mental health and emotional wellbeing to inform commissioning of services to meet local need.
Service user engagement in evaluation and commissioning of services / information/ access to specific services.
Triangulation of Special Educational Needs and CAMHS services with multi-agency approaches to specific needs.
Mapping and communication of referral routes to ensure consistency.
Devon County Council
Clinical Commissioning Groups
NHS England (Specialised Commissioning)
New performance and quality assurance system to be implemented by
Early Help Co-ordination Centre.
By June 2014
Objective 11
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Co-commission Tier 2 mental health and emotional wellbeing services in schools, according to local need.
Schools, as the commissioners of local services to meet the needs of their population, to review the need for Tier 2 services and commission accordingly, with the support of Education Service commissioners.
Devon County Council to review relevant service specifications with
Babcock Learning and Development Partnership.
Evidence of Tier 2 services commissioned by schools to meet local needs.
Improvement in individual children and Young People’s emotional health and collate population measures of mental health and emotional wellbeing to inform commissioning of services to meet local need.
Fewer and more appropriate referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental
Health Services.
Devon County Council
All schools
New performance and quality assurance system to be implemented by
Early Help Co-ordination Centre.
By September 2015
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Objective 12
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Ensure that the mental health needs of parents/carers (including pregnant women and new parents) are recognised and met.
Commissioners to ensure mental health services specifications are explicit and to seek assurance that mental health needs are being met.
Providers to ensure that the “See the adult, see the child” policy is implemented in delivery of services to clients where children are in the household, so that all practitioners coming into contact with an adult who may have children living in the house consider the child’s needs.
Ensuring the perinatal mental health strategy is delivered in full.
Ensure processes are put in place to ensure adult mental health and
Learning Disability services recognise and consider the needs of children in the household.
Ensure the workforce has a common understanding of the impact of stress in pregnancy, the importance of secure attachment and resilience.
Monitoring of services and a joint commissioner response to any issues.
Parents mental health needs are met in order that they are able to meet the needs of their children.
Devon County Council
Clinical Commissioning Groups
NHS England
New performance and quality assurance system to be implemented by
Early Help Co-ordination Centre.
By April 2014
Objective 13
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Create a communication strategy to support the implementation of the Early Help strategy and the awareness of Early Help services available to children and families and to practitioners.
Devon Safeguarding Children Board to commission.
Implementation plan properly communicated to all staff in all relevant agencies, including schools, primary care and voluntary and community sector.
Service users involved in design, monitoring and evaluation of both the strategy and individual promotional and information materials.
Improved awareness and use of Early Help system by public (including those who may be hard to reach) and staff so that children and families access support at the right time.
Devon Safeguarding Children Board
Relevant performance indicators to be monitored by Devon
Safeguarding Children Board.
By April 2014
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Objective 14
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Improve information, advice and guidance available about Early Help services on offer to children and families; the public; practitioners.
Devon Safeguarding Children Board to commission.
Information widely available and meeting the needs of users, designed and assessed by service users, including those who may need alternative formats.
Improved awareness and use of Early Help system by public and practitioners in order that children and families receive informed support at the right time, in the right format and at the right level.
Devon Safeguarding Children Board
Relevant performance indicators to be monitored by Devon safeguarding Children Board.
By April 2014
Objective 15
Actions
Potential outputs
Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Engage service users in all service evaluation and co-design of services, including younger children, taking account of the needs of children and families and especially those with protected characteristics.
All service redesign to include the views of children, young people and families.
Evidence of engagement and explicit statements of how engagement has influenced service design and delivery.
Children and families have a voice in how services are delivered to meet their needs.
All agencies
Relevant performance indicators to be monitored by Devon
Safeguarding Children Board. Service users to monitor and evaluate final drafts, as well as informing design stages.
From April 2014
Objective 16
Actions
Potential outputs
Create a multi-agency workforce development strategy to support the implementation of the Early Help Strategy and then to support the ongoing delivery of a high-quality, responsive and consistent Early
Help offer.
Development of DSCB Workforce Development Strategy
All providers to review Early Help training needs of staff as part of annual appraisal processes. Include VCS services and staff.
All providers to ensure staff are supported to undertake training.
Providers’ workforce to be upskilled to support families with moving towards employment.
Staff supported to complete training on Early Help system: including the use of Devon Assessment Framework; how to organise Team Around the
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Outcomes to be delivered
Lead agency
Progress and monitoring arrangements
Timescale
Child/Team Around the Family/Family Group Conferencing; how to fulfil
Lead Professional role. Children and young people to be involved in design and delivery of training.
Children and families’ needs are met due to staff being better skilled to recognise the need for, and to provide, Early Help.
Devon Safeguarding Children Board
Devon Safeguarding Children Board’s quality assurance and performance monitoring arrangements for its training strategy.
Provider training audits.
By April 2014
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