The West Sussex Think Family E arly H elp and Intervention Strategy

1. The West Sussex Think Family Early Help and Intervention Strategy Smarter Sooner Safer Stronger An overview

2. Early Help and Intervention strategy Background The Think Family Partnership made a commitment to provide cohesive, coherent and co-ordinated early help and intervention strategy in West Sussex. To develop a common vision across West Sussex that help to give children and young people and their families the best start in life. ‘It is the next step in our aspiration to influence a generation and to develop and implement a compelling and long term vision that starts with renewed commitment.’

3. The strategy vision In the future we will be smarter in the way we do things; children, young people and families will get what they need sooner; we will ensure the provision of support, supervision and co-ordination to ensure children will be safer and that outcomes for families and children will be stronger. Key question Can you pledge your support to this?

4. Why and why now? • A strategy is both urgent and diligent: • Public, family, community resources reducing • Need and demand increasing • Significant evidence and research - it works • Using local data to target most vulnerable • Feedback shows services working well but many things that we can do better • Ofsted recommended produce a strategy: • coordinated, clear, purposeful • The child is seen / heard over the needs of adults Local Safeguarding Children’s Board have statutory requirements to ensure early help is co-ordinated effectively

5. Feedback so far from staff - proposed key principles • Early help and intervention is everyone’s job • The engaged and enabled voice of the family is fundamental • We must remove barriers for families • Proactively and assertively engage with families and professionals to deliver added value • Make best use of reducing public sector resources Keen to ‘get on with it’, keep it simple!

6. Definition for early intervention “intervening early and as soon as possible to tackle problems emerging for children, young people and their families or with a population most at risk of developing problems. Early intervention may occur at any point in a child or young person’s life”. (Grasping the Nettle – C4EO) …problems may emerge at any point throughout childhood and adolescence… as part ‘life events’. ‘…providing services and support at the earliest opportunity to families, children and young people who need extra help, so that emerging problems can be ‘nipped in the bud’ and do not escalate further. ‘ (West Sussex draft Strategy document)

7. Some examples of what we are concerned about: • Services for families English not first language • Access to specialist therapeutic support • Improved engagement with families from diverse backgrounds • Young carers and children with parents facing ‘Hidden need’ Feedback has included a lot of things that have worked well and have developed well over previous years • Vulnerable groups include: • Parents with complex issues e.g. mental health, substance misuse or DV • Young people leaving care at risk of becoming parents - not being able to care

8. Smarter • How we model, approach and structure services • Aims • A holistic family approach that acts on the voice of families • Services that prevents emerging needs escalating • Commissioning whole family intervention • Services at the right time - a ‘life event’ • Strategic approach to commissioning • Integrated governance and delivery model • Key actions for each are summarised in the document

9. Sooner • Making sure that the right help is available at the right time for families • Aim • Help at the earliest opportunity • We will be proactive and assertive with families who may not want support but need it • We will continue to support families until they no longer need our help • Supportive management - enable staff to confidently manage anxiety relating to family problems effectively and appropriately within agreed thresholds.

10. Safer • Safeguarding children through improved early intervention responses • Aim • Helping children have secure attachments • Facilitate and develop shared partnership practices that support outcomes at the earliest opportunity • Helps parents repair disrupted attachments • Where that’s not possible, within the time scales of the child we will intervene quickly and effectively to minimise harm

11. Stronger • How we will know it is working • Aim • Increased resilience with stronger future outcomes that are measured • We will stop ‘inputs’ in to families that have no purpose for them • Evidence based • We will evaluate the impact of what we do and keep you informed about it

12. How do we know its working? • Listed in the document including: • Reduce the number of children requiring intervention from statutory services • Preventing children becoming looked after • Reducing persistent absence from school for children living in families with multiple problems, who are receiving our help • Reducing the impact of domestic abuse on children and young people • etc Key question What else? What’s most important? Over what period of time?

13. Hands up for change? • A period of engagement with stakeholders: • To inform – what it means, what’s included • To gather views to inform final strategy for approval January 2014. (Final strategy December) • To widen and deepen involvement – ‘in principal to pledge support’ • To ensure our strategy is a realistic document that relates to every day life.

14. Today Are you broadly in agreement for the strategy so far? What’s missing for you? Is the ‘approach smarter sooner safer stronger’ about right? Detailed responses to the e-mail box or direct Most important – can you pledge your support to the vision?

15. Hands up for change? The West Sussex Think Family Early Help and Intervention Strategy Smarter, sooner, safer, stronger Use the feedback form or email us: http//www.smartersoonersaferstronger E-mail - smartersoonersaferstronger@westsussex.gov.uk #earlyhelp