Early Help Assessment

Match your concerns about the child to your Local Safeguarding Children Board/ Local Safeguarding Partners’ ‘Threshold document’. If you believe the child and family would benefit from an early help assessment then you should discuss this with the parents/carers and, where appropriate, the child. You must seek their consent to share relevant information with agencies that could form part of a multi-agency team around the family. A lead professional should be identified to coordinate the early help assessment. You can seek advice from the Local Authority’s Early Help Team/Early Help Hub especially if consent is not given, and professionals need to consider how the child’s needs can be met.

The child’s needs should be kept under review and consideration should be given to a statutory child protection or child in need referral should the child’s needs escalate.