Early Help

Early Help services in Derby are focused on vulnerable families where there is a need for coordinated support from agencies to prevent issues escalating to the point where families may require statutory Social Care services. In Derby Early Help services are integrated with children’s safeguarding Services (Children’s Social Care) and there are three locality teams that cover the city from three locality bases.

Locality 1 and 5 covering:

Derwent, Chaddesden, Spondon, Oakwood, Mackworth, Allestree and Darley.

Locality 2 covering:

Sinfin, Alvaston, Boulton, Chellaston.

Locality 3 and 4 covering:

Blagreaves, Littleover, Mickleover, Normanton, Abbey.

Early Help services are in themselves integrated and consist of a core Children’s Centre offer alongside Multi-Agency Teams (known as MAT teams) and the Space@Connexions. In addition, a Young Carers service is managed in locality 2 but is accessible to all young carers from across the city. Early Help services can also assist families in accessing services that are more specialist in nature, such as Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST), Priority Families and Safe Families for Children. The MATs and Social Care services are based in the localities above. The MATs consist of staff from a lot of different agencies such as:

• education welfare officers
• counsellors
• early help advisers
• parenting assessment practitioners
• family visitors
• children’s practitioners
• intensive family support workers
• youth workers
• youth offending staff
• Connexions personal advisers
• administration staff.

All of these people work together to make sure that everyone is doing all they can to improve the lives of the children and young people and their families that they are involved with.

What is meant by the term ‘Early Help’?

We define early help as ‘providing help to identify need and risk, and direct services, at the earliest point, either in the development of the child or of family need.’

We support families who are worried about their ability to provide good care, or who professionals are concerned for.

Working guidance documents

This collection of documents contains policy, procedure and guidance for professionals working to ensure good outcomes for children in Derby.

Integrated Processes Training

Please contact us for details of the one day Integrated Processes Training for professional based in Derby.

Priority Families

We also support families through our Priority Families programme.