Early help
The best way to help you and your family get through difficulties and stop more problems from happening is by helping as soon as possible. ‘Early Help’ is what we call it when different services work together to provide help and support as soon as they can. These different services include healthcare and education, and many other areas too such as housing and community support services. Remember that there are lots of people who can help you and your family, and they want to do this as soon as possible.
Practitioners who work as part of the early help system, which might include health, community services, schools, the police and Children’s Services, collaborate to find out who needs help and how they can be supported; this is done through an Early Help Assessment. The assessment will involve you, your family, and all the practitioners working with you. The assessment should think about what each family member needs and how their needs affect the needs of other family members.
The goal of assessment is to understand any deeper issues that might affect your well-being over time, as well as more immediate problems. By thinking about good things as well as difficulties, the assessment helps create a plan of action. It explains what support you and your family need to prevent problems from getting worse, and it makes sure everyone understands what steps to take.
The pathway into Early Help in Coventry is simple, you can call, complete an online form or walk into any of the eight Family Hubs in the city.
Early help is a voluntary process, and you should always be asked to agree to any referral and to your information being shared with other agencies.