Agenda item

Report of Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

Committee received a progress update report on the activities and impact of the Early Help Service (Targeted Family Support) in providing advice, practical support intervention to vulnerable Gateshead families.

It was noted that the majority of the case work of early help is at the far end of tier two. Early help is around working with the whole family to offer advice, referrals, telephone advice, group programmes, dependent on the need of the child. Evidence-based interventions and practical support are offered, for example; Team Around the School pilot, which is currently working in Whickham, Heworth Grange and Kingsmeadow. It is being considered whether this can be expanded to more secondary schools and if it could complement the work of the PRU.  Through the ADHD Pre Diagnosis Pathway parenting intervention is offered. In addition, Gateshead leads on a national pilot; Reducing Parental Conflict Group programmes, which is intensive group programmes.

Early Help Workers have a caseload of 12 families and meet with these families on a regular basis, at least once a fortnight. They carry out home visits and offer advice and practical support for the families.

It was reported that since October 2017, 4,545 children and young people have been referred. Since April 2019, the last time early help was reported to Committee, 1,102 children have been referred into the service.  It was noted that there continues to be a lot of referral sources, education remains the largest source of referrals with 85% of referrals coming from primary schools.  At present there are 698 children on the caseload.

Committee was provided with a map of Gateshead showing the number of early help cases opened across the Borough. It was acknowledged that this data is helpful in terms of mapping provision. It was also noted that the Early Help Service received positive recognition from Ofsted during its recent visit.

It was reported that, of those families who have worked with the Early Help Service, 10.8% will come into the Social Care system within 12 months, 3.1% of those declined the Early Help Service.  Therefore 93% of families worked with will remain out of the service since the point of closure, nationally this is approximately 85%.

Committee was informed about the Team Around the School work which is underway in Whickham, Kingsmeadow and Heworth Grange. The programme has worked with 130 young people, there is a smaller more intensive caseload in secondary schools. In addition, parenting programmes are now being run on the school campus which the Early Help Service facilitates, for example; Families First offers support to parents with a child being assessed for ADHD, this is ran in a small group format with 57 parents completing this in 2019.

Work is also ongoing with pregnant women through the Growing Healthy Programme. Midwives identify expectant mothers with vulnerabilities and will offer structured visits from 16-20 weeks gestation up until the child is 24 months, the ‘First 1,000 days’.

A number of case studies were provided to the Committee.

Committee was interested in discussing the place based issues in a future report.  It was questioned whether there is empowerment in community work. It was acknowledged that this can co-exist, there is merit in a place based approach but there needs to be more understanding of where people feel is ‘community’.

RESOLVED    -           That Committee considered and noted the content of the

update report.