Safeguarding children and adults at risk of abuse or neglect policy and procedure

Early help - responding to lower level concerns in relation to children that do not meet the threshold for significant harm

Staff, members and volunteers may come into contact with children and families that need additional support and help. It is important that action is taken early to enable children to have the best outcomes. There are a range of agencies that can provide early help and support to children and families.

The overall aim of early help is to support children, young people and families at the earliest possible stage of a problem emerging to prevent them from reaching crisis point and the need for statutory intervention. The Early Help team can provide early help to children and families, consent should be obtained from parents/carers for a request for support to be made. Staff can also seek advice from the designated safeguarding officers in relation to dealing with lower level concerns.

Further information on early help is available on the SSCB web site.