On This Page
What Is Early Help?
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 definition:
"Early help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child's life, from the foundation years through to the teenage years. Providing early help is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than reacting later."
Working Together 2026, Chapter 2
Early help sits at Level 2 (Universal Plus) of the Continuum of Need — above universal services but below statutory children's social care. It targets children and families with emerging or additional needs that universal services alone cannot meet, and that don't yet require a Children in Need or Child Protection response.
Early help is a strength-based, consent-based approach. Families are active partners. The goal is to build on what a family can do, not simply to manage what they can't. This makes it fundamentally different from statutory intervention — and more effective in the majority of cases where harm is not yet significant.
The Statutory Duty
Early help is not optional — it is a statutory duty under Working Together 2026. The duty applies to all specified agencies, not just children's social care.
Legal Basis
- Children Act 2004, s.10: Duty to co-operate to improve wellbeing — all specified agencies must work together to provide effective early help
- Children Act 1989, s.17: Local authority duty to support children in need — early help is part of the graduated response before s.47
- Working Together 2026, Chapter 2: Sets out the expectation that all agencies identify and act on early help needs
- KCSIE 2025: Requires DSLs to be familiar with local early help pathways and to ensure referrals are made appropriately
Which Agencies Have Duties?
- ✓ Local authorities (children's services, education, housing)
- ✓ Schools, colleges and early years providers
- ✓ NHS bodies (GP practices, hospitals, health visiting, CAMHS)
- ✓ Police
- ✓ Probation services
- ✓ Youth offending teams
- ✓ Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector
Who Needs Early Help?
WT2026 identifies several groups of children and families who may particularly benefit from early help. These are indicators — not a definitive list. Professional judgement is always required.
Children Who May Need Early Help
- ● Disabled children and those with complex health needs
- ● Children appearing to have unmet emotional or social needs
- ● Those with speech, language and communication needs
- ● Children showing early signs of harmful or risky behaviour
- ● Children with persistent school absence (below 90%)
- ● Young carers
- ● Children affected by gang activity or exploitation
- ● Children showing signs of neglect or emotional harm not yet at significant harm threshold
Families Who May Need Early Help
- ● Parent/carer with mental health difficulties
- ● Parent/carer with drug or alcohol misuse concerns
- ● Families experiencing domestic abuse (at Level 2–3)
- ● Families in poverty or temporary housing
- ● Families where a parent is in prison or on release
- ● Families where English is not the first language and isolation is a factor
- ● Recently bereaved or separated families
- ● Teenage parents needing additional support
Who Provides Early Help?
Early help is delivered by a wide range of agencies and individuals. The exact services available vary by local area — your local authority or LSCP website will list the provision in your area.
DSLs, SENCOs, school counsellors, pastoral teams. Schools are often the first to identify early help needs and can act as the lead professional for the EHA process.
Health visitors (0–5), school nurses, GP practices, CAMHS Tier 2 (community CAMHS), speech and language therapy, occupational therapy.
DfE-funded Family Hub network across England offers co-located services: parenting support, infant feeding, SEND, mental health, housing advice.
Most local authorities have a dedicated early help team within children's services — distinct from the duty and assessment team that handles statutory work.
Barnardo's, Action for Children, YMCA, local domestic abuse services, food banks, faith organisations. Often the most trusted first point of contact for many families.
Youth workers, Connexions advisors, youth offending teams (prevention tier), sports and arts outreach programmes.
The Early Help Assessment (EHA)
The Early Help Assessment (EHA) — formerly called the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) — is the standard tool used across England to assess a child's needs and co-ordinate multi-agency support. It is a consent-based process.
Important: The EHA has different names in different local authorities — Common Assessment Framework (CAF), Early Help Assessment, Team Around the Family (TAF) assessment, or My Plan. The underlying framework and purpose are the same. Always use your local authority's version and terminology.
Step 1: Identify & consent
Practitioner identifies additional needs that universal services cannot meet. Discussion with family (child + parents/carers) — explain what the EHA is, why it may help, and obtain written consent to share information. The family can decline.
Step 2: Complete the assessment
The EHA covers three domains: child's development (health, learning, emotional/social), parenting capacity (basic care, emotional warmth, guidance), and family and environmental factors (housing, employment, community). Assessment is done with the family, not about them.
Step 3: Agree outcomes & lead professional
Once complete, the family and practitioners agree on what needs to change (outcomes), who is doing what (actions), and who will co-ordinate the plan. The co-ordinator is the lead professional — this can be any practitioner working with the family, including the DSL.
Step 4: Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings
The lead professional convenes meetings of all agencies working with the child — the Team Around the Child (TAC). These typically happen every 4–8 weeks to review progress against outcomes.
Step 5: Review & close or step up
If outcomes are being met, the EHA is closed with a step-down review. If the situation is not improving or concerns escalate, the lead professional should consider a referral to children's social care. EHAs can run alongside statutory involvement.
Team Around the Child (TAC)
The Team Around the Child (TAC) — sometimes called Team Around the Family (TAF) — is the group of practitioners from different agencies who work together to support a child or family through the EHA process.
TAC membership (typical)
- ✓ Lead professional (meeting chair)
- ✓ Family (child where appropriate, parents/carers)
- ✓ School / SENCO / DSL
- ✓ Health visitor / school nurse
- ✓ Early help worker / family support worker
- ✓ Any specialist agency working with the child (CAMHS, SALT, housing)
What TAC meetings do
- ✓ Review progress against agreed outcomes
- ✓ Identify what is and isn't working
- ✓ Share relevant information across agencies (under GDPR/WT2026 information sharing principles)
- ✓ Update the plan
- ✓ Decide whether to step up to statutory or close the plan
- ✓ Keep the child's voice central to decision-making
Schools & DSLs: Early Help Duties
KCSIE 2025 requires DSLs to understand how the school contributes to early help arrangements. Schools are typically the first place families seek support and the first professionals to identify emerging needs. The DSL's role includes: identifying children who may benefit from early help, initiating EHAs, acting as lead professional where appropriate, and escalating to statutory services when early help is not sufficient.
School's Role in Early Help
- ✓ Identify pupils who may have early help needs
- ✓ Hold conversations with families about EHA
- ✓ Complete or contribute to the EHA assessment
- ✓ Act as lead professional for school-age children in many cases
- ✓ Attend and contribute to TAC meetings
- ✓ Provide school-based support as part of the plan (e.g. ELSA, mentoring, attendance support)
- ✓ Monitor outcomes and review regularly
- ✓ Step up to statutory referral where early help is insufficient
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- ✗ Waiting too long before starting an EHA — earlier is better
- ✗ Treating the EHA as paperwork — it should drive real co-ordination
- ✗ Holding EHA meetings without the family present
- ✗ Continuing an EHA indefinitely when it is not working
- ✗ Failing to step up to statutory referral when concerns escalate
- ✗ Not including the child's voice in EHA meetings
- ✗ Sharing information beyond what is needed under GDPR
For Families
If someone has suggested an Early Help Assessment for your child or family, this is not a sign that you are being investigated. Early help is a supportive, voluntary process — not a social services investigation. You have the right to say no, and you are in control of what support you accept.
What early help means for families
- ✓ Voluntary — you can say no at any time
- ✓ You are a partner in the process
- ✓ Your views and wishes are central
- ✓ It is not a referral to children's social care
- ✓ Information is shared only with your consent (unless there is a safeguarding risk)
- ✓ You can ask to see what has been written about you and your family
If you're worried about your family
- ✓ Speak to your child's school, GP or health visitor
- ✓ Ask your local authority about early help services
- ✓ Contact Family Lives for advice: 0808 800 2222
- ✓ Find your local Family Hub at gov.uk/find-family-support ↗
- ✓ Contact the NSPCC for advice: 0808 800 5000
When to Step Up to Statutory Services
Early help is not a reason to avoid a statutory referral when one is needed. The following circumstances should always prompt consideration of a referral to children's social care:
If the child's welfare is not improving — or is getting worse — after 3–6 months of early help, a statutory assessment is required.
Any disclosure of abuse, significant unexplained injuries, or immediate risk to a child overrides early help — refer immediately to MASH / children's social care.
If family consent cannot be obtained but concerns persist, consider whether a s.17 referral without consent is appropriate. Discuss with your DSL and/or the MASH.
A disabled child with very high care needs, or a family with multiple complex needs, may exceed what early help can provide. A statutory assessment is a more appropriate response.
Who to Contact
Related Resources
Key Statutory References