Haringey’s Early Help Service is a key part of delivering services to children and families. Their work is vital and has not stopped due to Covid19. Just like any other essential service, our staff have continued to work and deliver and ensure some of Haringey’s most vulnerable children are safe and secure and have the opportunity to achieve to their full potential.
Early Help Panel
Haringey’s Multi-Agency Early Help Panel helps identify the support needs for those families who require extra help to prevent problems developing. A multi-agency partnership (18 members) made up of Haringey Council staff as well as those from the Police, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and other services work together to identify and support vulnerable children and families. Any agency working with a child who they believe needs early intervention and support to stop further problems developing can refer to the Early Help Panel. The panel ensures resources can be deployed pro-actively to address issues as soon as concerns arise. Issues that the panel may help to support a child and their family with are:
- Early problems regarding criminal and/or sexual exploitation.
- Behavioural problems
- Financial difficulties/problems e.g. not being able to buy essentials such as food and fuel.
- Issues of domestic abuse
- Housing problems/issues e.g. rent arrears
- Mental Health problems
- Alcohol and substance misuse problems
What else does the panel do?
The panel aims to assess the issues and risks and respond to need quickly in order to minimise potential harm. When issues are identified, a lead agency/professional will be tasked by the panel to ensure that the family receive support and advice asap. Obviously there are criteria to be met and thresholds as to what issues and levels of risk it is appropriate for the Panel to engage with. This panel is aimed at low to medium risk work with higher level risk, e.g. Safeguarding concerns, going for formal children’s services assessment.
The panel deals with many sensitive and traumatising issues faced by children and their families and at the heart of the panels work is the support offered by the Early Help Service. Our staff, even during the Covid 19 crisis, continue to deliver and go the extra mile to help families. Despite staff being dispersed and working from home staff have continued to work as a team and work with these children and families ensuring people remain safe and supported e.g. through the provision of food parcels to those who are struggling.
Read more about Early Help here: https://www.haringey.gov.uk/children-and-families/early-help