Children's services leaders discussed how local authorities can provide effective early intervention against a backdrop of rising social need and continued financial constraint at a debate hosted by CYP Now in partnership with Capita One.
EIF blueprint for the future of early help recommends better co-ordination of support for vulnerable families including long-term funding, a cross-government taskforce and commitment to evidence-based practice.
Council early help services are changing. With budgets falling and demand for intensive services rising, early help is evolving into a more multi-agency intervention targeted at the most disadvantaged families.
Amid rising demand for child protection services over the past decade, early help support for children and families with emerging or less severe problems has been largely left on the political, policy and funding sidelines.
The authors discuss the Signs of Safety and Wellbeing framework that has been introduced into Birmingham's early help services. This paper discusses the theoretical basis of Signs of Safety and how and why it is being used in Birmingham.
Once the value of an innovative intervention for children and families has been recognised, the next step is to effectively implement and replicate it on a scale that can benefit even more people.
Social workers are among the most important people in the lives of vulnerable children, so a number of initiatives are aimed at re-energising a profession dogged by high caseloads and recruitment difficulties.