Decision details

The County Council’s Early Help service is part of its Children, Young People and Learning Directorate.  It identifies and works with children and families in need of support, to help to promote the safe and healthy development of children and young people within stable families, and prevent social care intervention in the future. 

Proposals for a redesign of the service are being prepared, with the intention of creating an improved, targeted early help offer directed to those most at need, while continuing to provide the existing statutory functions of the service.  The overall objectives will be to create a service model that is more focused on supporting the needs of the most vulnerable children and families, for the Early Help service to be enabled to work more closely with the Children’s Social Care service and its other delivery partners, and the strengthening of work with schools. 

The proposed changes would mean service delivery being focused in areas of greatest need, and a review of the network of service outlets around the county will ensure that resources are deployed with the greatest efficiency and maximum benefit to vulnerable children and families.

Cabinet will be asked to agree the launch of a public consultation on the proposed changes to the Early Help service.  This will enable all customers and stakeholders of the service, together with local communities to study and comment on the detailed proposals before any final decision on the future service is taken.

Following consideration of the report, Cabinet resolved to:

Approve the plans for consultation from early March 2021 on the proposals for the Early Help service, the outcome of which will return to Cabinet in July 2021 for further consideration of the proposals for the service.

The call-in deadline is 4 March 2021.