For general advice and support contact your local Early Help Advisor –
Click to Email Early Help Advisor Team (EarlyHelpAdvisorSupport@durham.gov.uk)
Early Help Advisors – Supporting Partners with Early Help
Early Help Advisors work alongside and directly assist Lead Workers to develop and deliver effective early help using a whole family approach to support families who experiencing a range of multiple and complex issues.
Early Help Advisors can provide staff training and individual mentoring for professionals who are likely to be involved in Team Around the Family (TAF) arrangements and who work with vulnerable children, young people and their parent/carers. Training and support can be tailored to cover the following areas adopting a Signs of Safety/Wellbeing approach:
- Early Help and ‘Whole Family’ Approach
- The Role of the Lead Worker
- Early Help Assessment – support for staff on how to complete a whole family assessment
- Child and Family Plan – support for staff in developing a (multi-agency) Child and Family Plan
- An ‘Outcomes Focussed’ approach using the County Durham Family Outcome Framework
Mentoring through Early Help
Mentoring by Early Help Advisors will:
- Support and directly assist professionals to undertake proportionate Early Help Assessments and develop a (multi-agency) Child and Family Plan that considers all family members’ needs;
- Support professionals to identify families who may be eligible for the Stronger Families Programme and support with accessing Stronger Families Grants where applicable;
- Assist professionals to undertake the role of Lead Worker where this is appropriate, providing support, coaching and mentoring as required by the individual.
Assist the Lead Worker to develop a robust multi-agency Team Around the Family (TAF) which includes agencies to support parents/carers as well as children;
Support and directly assist the Lead Worker and TAF members to identify solutions where there is a lack of change in the family or outcomes are not being achieved; this may include where families are resistant to support or difficult to engage.