Information and guidance regarding the Family Help Service in Derbyshire.
Launched in July 2024, the Family Help Service delivers specific, targeted, and time-limited support to children, young people and families who have emerging needs (Level 2 as defined within the Derby City and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Threshold document) that are evidenced through the completion of an Early Help Assessment (EHA) and Team Around the Family (TAF) plan.
Acting as the lead practitioner (as defined paragraphs 120 and 121 of Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023), partner agencies (including schools, health visitors, midwives, etc) who are supporting children, young people and families may identify a need for a targeted intervention to address areas including routines, boundaries, parenting, conflict, risky behaviours, etc.
Partners are then able to request the intervention from the Family Help Service via Starting Point (Derbyshire’s front door) who will review the EHA / TAF plan to ensure the threshold is met.
0-5 Practitioners
Provide a core offer for children aged 0-5 and their families. Working closely with colleagues in Public Health, practitioners provide interventions focused on child development, school readiness and parenting:
Baby Buddies
Working with parents/carers in groups to understand early childhood development and how they can support children’s learning by understanding brain development, attachment, ages and stages of their child’s development, play, stimulation, and early language building.
Little Learners groups
Working with children so they can be ‘school ready’ by the time they start accessing their full-time school place. The 10 keys to unlocking school readiness is shared with parents/carers to show them what is expected in the early years.
ECAT – Every Child a Talker
Group programmes to support the delivery of an evidenced based intervention to improve speech and language development.
Parenting
The Solihull Approach to Parenting is an evidenced based intervention and is available as a rolling programme. There is a blended offer of in-person groups from our network of Children’s Centres and also virtual groups through Microsoft Teams.
Youth and Family Practitioners
Deliver evidenced based parenting programmes for parents of children and young people aged over 6. Practitioners provide group work around the Solihull Approach to Parenting, and in Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) which offers tools and techniques to support parents and carers of children and young people who show challenging attitudes and behaviours.
The Youth and Family Practitioners deliver specific and time-limited group work to young people who have been referred to support around healthy lifestyles and relationships.
A key focus for the Youth and Family Practitioners is to advise partner agencies on approaches to use with children and families to ensure their emerging needs can be met without the need for escalation to statutory services where appropriate. Practitioners also offer guidance to partners supporting them to develop and deliver early help interventions – a number of briefing sessions on early help practice will be available on a rolling programme throughout the year. Providing there is explicit consent from parents, partners can access this specific support by contacting the local team and it does not require a referral through Starting Point.
Youth and Family Practitioners work to track and support 16 and 17-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Practitioners in the team work closely with schools, colleges and training providers to ensure the Council has robust knowledge of those young people who are NEET, and those whose educational destination is unknown. Young people wishing to be supported will be signposted and connected to provision appropriate to their needs.
Family Help Assistants
Provide direct and practical support to families in the home. The team support with the modelling of routines and boundaries and work to reduce concerns around neglect. The workers also support the Youth and Family Practitioners around the NEET agenda and the delivery of group work.
This specific, targeted, and time-limited support is available to children, young people and families who have emerging needs (defined within the Derby City and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Threshold document) that are evidenced within an Early Help Assessment/Team Around the Family minutes.
Family Help Service contacts
High Peak and North Derbyshire Dales
email CS.FamilyHelpHighPeak@derbyshire.gov.uk
Chesterfield
email: CS.FamilyHelpChesterfield@derbyshire.gov.uk
Bolsover / North East Derbyshire
email: CS.FamilyHelpBolsoverNorthEast@derbyshire.gov.uk.
Amber Valley
email: CS.FamilyHelpAmberValley@derbyshire.gov.uk
Erewash
email: CS.FamilyHelpErewash@derbyshire.gov.uk
South Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire
email: CS.FamilyHelpSouthDerbyshire@derbyshire.gov.uk