Issue details

The Integrated Prevention and Earliest Help (IPEH) service was launched on 1 April 2017, following the alignment of a number of separate council services in order to deliver better outcomes for children, young people and families. The model was set up to meet the needs of those aged from 0-25 years with a preventative focus.

The service has now been in operation for approximately two years. The recent investment in children’s social care to better manage caseloads and recruitment and retention in response to rising demand, the development of place based models of service delivery and a place based focus for the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), means that the time is right to undertake a review and redesign of IPEH to assess its effectiveness in meeting need, reducing demand for statutory services and demonstrating value for money.

The review will be informed by the outcomes of a peer challenge and support event by the Local Government Association (LGA) in December 2018, benchmarking, financial data and best practice from other local authorities rated good and outstanding by Ofsted. The aim of the review is to design and plan to implement a targeted early help offer that delivers improved outcomes, reduces demand for children’s social care and directs the financial resources available within the Directorate appropriately.

Initial work will produce a set of principles and aims for the design and propose a plan and timetable for its delivery by March to enable member engagement before a decision is taken on the design of the new service and any changes it would need. That should enable any agreed proposals to start implementation from April 2019 with the implementation elements being phased to make sure that measures that are easier to achieve quickly are implemented and the opportunity for ongoing engagement and consultation facilitated to deliver the reinvestment opportunity in years 2019/20 and 2020/2021.