Early Help is a way of thinking and working together as services with families that have additional or more complex needs.
Early Help is focused on prevention, early intervention, and the provision of support for families to prevent or reduce the need for statutory services. By working with families to identify their strengths, Early Help is focused on building resilience and creating sustainable change that enables families to overcome any future challenges.
The Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 document outlines that it is far more effective to be proactive and promote the welfare of children than to be faced with the need to implement reactive measures
Early Help in Doncaster is an interconnected system of services, tools and resources working at a community support, universal and, acute and targeted level designed to improve outcomes for families across the borough. This means everyone working with children or their families is responsible for identifying needs as they emerge and providing help.
We want every child in Doncaster to reach their full potential, be safe, healthy and happy. To achieve this we follow our Early Help Outcomes Framework:
- Getting a good education
- Good early years development
- Improved mental and physical health
- Promoting recovery and reducing harm from substance use
- Improved family relationships
- Children safe from abuse and exploitation
- Crime prevention and tackling crime
- Safe from domestic abuse
- Secure housing
- Financial stability
If a family has agreed to Early Help and you would like the Early Help pathway opens to you as Lead Practitioner make contact your local Early Help Coordinator directly or via their duty line: 01302 736250 or earlyhco@doncaster.gov.uk
If a family has agreed to Early Help and you are unsure who is the appropriate Lead Practitioner, or believe the family would benefit from a worker from specialist service undertaking this role please phone the Early Help Hub duty line on 01302 734110.
Read the Early Help Strategy Impact Report 2023-24, in the resources section below, for information about the help children and their families received last year.
Published 4th March 2024
