This Ofsted report looks into the multi-agency response to children and families who need help. It found that the lack of capacity and resources across health, police and social care is limiting local areas’ ability to make early help services a clear priority.
The report found that many local partners recognise the importance of early help in meeting children’s needs early, but prioritising it is a challenge. It specifically considers how well local early help services are delivered and co-ordinated.
Early help was effective where all leaders understood how to meet the needs of their local areas and worked with partners and local communities to make sure services were accessible. It also found that local partners were not equally engaged in delivering and making decisions about the early help services in their area.
Across the local agencies, the report found there were well-trained and knowledgeable early help workers from a range of agencies undertaking effective work with children and families. However, staff working in early help services were increasingly working with highly complex family situations, and sometimes above a level they felt was appropriate. Knowing where to go if risks escalate was key and for some children and families the skills and expertise of a social worker was needed. Without that social work oversight, children did not get the right help at the right time.
The inspectorates call for proposed government reforms to children’s social care to take account of the variability between local areas and the capacity within the different agencies to deliver effective early help services.