We are required to provide an Early Help Offer to all children and families within our school community.

'Early Help’ means providing help for children, young people and families as soon as problems start to emerge or where it is likely that issues will impact negatively on children’s outcomes.

Early help…

• Is for children of all ages and not just the very young,
• Can be provided at any point of need and;
• Can be very effective in supporting a child, young person and/or their family to step down from statutory services as well as preventing the escalation of issues.
• Is important because there is clear evidence that it results in better outcomes for children.

Early help is a term that describes much of the everyday work of schools. 

Specifically within Loscoe this will look like:

• Contactable and accessible safeguarding staff  (Mrs Lynam, Mrs Yates and Mrs Redmond) who will be able to assist families in accessing available resources in the community.
• A Positive play programme to provide a safe space for children who may face challenges inside and outside of school.
• TAF (Team Around the Family) meetings, held in school, that may involve outside agencies (health visitor, school health, family support worker etc) where families have been identified as requiring additional support.
• CAMHs referrals for children requiring support with mental health.
• One Education support for attendance concerns. 

Our in school team is also support by our Early Help Officer. Our Early Help Officer , provided by Positive 4 Young People (P4YP), supports our families that are in need of Early help intervention. They work with the children in school and help support families through home visits, work in school and finding extra support where necessary.

Where Early Help is not successful, escalation to outside agencies may be required. This will be discussed with you as a parent except in cases where a child is considered to be at immediate risk of harm. 

If you would like additional information about Early Help please see the documents below, or email info@loscoe.derbyshire.sch.uk