Early help
We know that early help and early intervention is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than reacting later.
As an early years provider you are often the first point of call when families have concerns or need advice and as such are well placed to signpost to other agencies or put appropriate support into place within the setting. You have a crucial role to play.
At SEHAS we can offer advice and resources and help build your capacity, knowledge and confidence in this area.
Useful resources
Graduated Response Tool for Early Years
Somerset’s Graduated Response Tool (SGRT) and Somerset’s Graduated Response Tool Early Years version now replace the Somerset Core Standards. This has been co-produced with stakeholders from education, health, social care, parent carers and support service teams.
SGRT sets out the barriers to learning that children and young people may have and the strategies and provisions that could be in place to support them. What to expect from education (somerset.gov.uk)
Somerset Effective Support for Children and Families
Updated May 2023 This guidance document provides a framework for professionals so they can identify if a child, young person or family might need help and support.
Understanding when children, young people and families might need support can ensure they are given “the right support, in the right place, at the right time
The new Oral Health toolkit includes e-learning, live webinar sessions and resources that have been developed in collaboration with the Somerset Oral Health Improvement Service. The Oral Health Improvement Service provides workforce development focusing on an all-age oral health improvement approach. This free training will equip you with the skills, tools and techniques to help support those you come into contact with, to spread the message on the importance of taking care of oral health to help prevent unnecessary medical intervention. Following this training, you will be better prepared to embed oral health improvement in your area of work, which is a responsibility shared by everyone across the system.
A guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
Produced by Somerset Early Help Advisory Service, Early Years Alliance, this guide explains what the Early Years Foundation Stage is, and includes details of the safeguarding and welfare requirements, learning and development, EYFS assessment requirements and progress checks, plus useful links.
The Family Strengths and Needs Toolkit
A document to work alongside the South West Child Protection Procedures (SWCCP) to identify areas of need. Somerset Safeguarding Children Partnership have produced a toolkit with local supplementary information and a useful practitioner guidance. The Family Strengths and Needs Toolkit should always be used in conjunction with the SWCPP procedures.
Somerset’s Early Help Strategy
This strategy brings together the Early Help principles, vision and actions of partner organisations across Somerset.
This gives strategic direction to the whole system, so that we work well together to ensure families in Somerset get help at the right time, in the right place, with the right outcomes for them.
We want everyone to experience early help which prevents their situations from escalating into statutory or emergency services, and which helps them to thrive, not just survive.
Early Help is a way of working, not a service. All organisations, services and people can deliver it, and everyone in Somerset can receive it, at any time or stage.
A government vision launched in March 2021 aiming to bring together elements of the Early Help Hub model, in one document to ensure providers have all the information needed to provide Early Help support for children and families.
Dingley’s Promise is a national project for which Somerset has won a bid to be part of the Comic Relief funded project; it will offer free training for all of Somerset’s early year’s practitioners. It is a national charity, who are transforming the Early Years for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Our mission is to deliver life changing support to under 5’s with SEND, and their families.
Early Years Inclusion Programme – Dingley’s Promise
Early Years Communities Somerset Council
There are 11 Early Years Communities across the county to support practitioners who deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are locally run by committees that consist of an Early Years Practitioner lead; Teacher lead; Childminder lead and Health/Head Teacher lead.
The aim of the Early Years Communities is to support continuous quality improvement; share best practice and develop alliances to share and maximise resources. Members decide on what sort of CPD opportunities to hold and everyone is encouraged to have a “voice”.
All colleagues across the Early Years Foundation Stage can access the networking and CPD opportunities within their community.
Provide advice and practical support for Early Years providers to implement about the graduated response, early identification and support for young children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
A Wellington based initiative which gives a fresh approach to learning outdoors for families with their young children using outdoor based activities.
Library Services Somerset Council
A wide range of activities and events take place at most libraries across Somerset that parents, educators and children can be involved in together, including rhyme times and reading challenges.
Mental health for early years children – help for early years providers
Get information and guidance on how to support babies and young children with their mental health.
This article was written by the Department for Education (DfE) in consultation with a team of early years experts and senior health professionals, including NHS England and the National Children’s Bureau.
Purple Elephant A Frome Based Support Service
Small Steps is our early years, early intervention service. Families with pre-school age children can access parenting support at weekly group sessions, including help with issues such as parenting skills, behaviour challenge, budgeting, and healthy eating, plus signposting to other support services such as housing etc.
Somerset Activity & Sports Partnership (SASP)
SASP are based in Wellington and cover all of Somerset is dedicated to increasing the health and happiness of residents in Somerset through physical activity and sport. They provide early years specific training and support to engage children and families in healthy physical activities.
Stuart Kennard – Zing Somerset Children and Families Worker Telephone: 01823 653990 Email: skennard@sasp.co.uk
Somerset Big Tent is a partnership of Charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations and Community Interest Companies. These are VCSE organisations that provide a range of services including positive activities, therapeutic services and specialist support to increase positive wellbeing and improve mental health within children and young people aged 5-25 in Somerset.
All services on the Somerset Big Tent website have gone through a quality and safety assurance process, this means that Somerset Big Tent has met with each organisation and are satisfied with the key documents and information that they have provided us with.
Although it is predominantly for older children, it is worth a look as there are resources for parents and some areas for younger children.
Somerset Hardship Fund Somerset Council
The Household Support Fund is designed to provide short-term urgent financial help to Somerset residents who are struggling to afford household essentials such as buying food, paying for energy and water bills and other essential household items such as beds and white goods. You can go to a library and use one of their public computers to complete an online application or take in your own device and use their Wi-Fi for free. You can also find a list of additional household help and support here
SPLASH (Somerset Preschool Lifestyle Activity and Skills for self Help) is a children’s weight management service in Somerset for children below the age of 4 years. We are a team of professionals working with your child and family to help you learn new skills, build confidence and understand more about food and well being. The team is made up of a Doctor, a Dietitian and a Clinical Psychologist.
Support, Hope Belonging – Safe Families
Facing life alone is hard, and when you feel there is no one there to support you it is a scary place to be. Safe Families offer support, hope and belonging to improve the lives of those in our communities. They link children, young people and families with local volunteers who can offer them help and support.
The Children’s Autism Outreach Team (CAOT) Somerset Council
The Children’s Autism Outreach Team (CAOT) is part of Children and Young People’s specialist service (Previously known as SPOT) and works with parents and carers and their child or young person with a diagnosis of autism for children 0-15. The team provides help with understanding a child’s situation; supporting and empowering to provide strategies where needed and increase their social opportunities.
CAOT provides home visits to help parents and carers They also help parents and carers with new skills to support their child or young person and help with access to other suitable resources.
CAOT also provides activities for children and young people that would otherwise be inaccessible for many families without support and advice. Access to this service is through an Early Health Assessment (EHA).
The Hub, South Chard Community
The Hub, South Chard is a non-profit organisation that provides support to the local community of Chard through a variety of different groups and counselling services.
A community-based enterprise providing a unique Wellness Hub in rural Somerset. They host a wide range of fun and holistic services and groups.
Kite is helping families and young people to make connections and discover the great things that are happening in West Somerset. From Minehead to Dulverton and Porlock to Stogursey, West Somerset has so much to offer. At Kite we believe in helping make grassroots change by facilitating ideas and encouraging creative ways to make our area fly.
Family Hubs ensure families with children and young people aged 0-19 can access integrated early help to overcome difficulties and build stronger relationships.
A charity supporting children and families who have Downs Syndrome, based in the south west. They work directly with families, professionals and all those involved with the care and education of children and young people who have Downs Syndrome.
Contact: 01278 691100
Yeovil 4 Family – Yeovil Community Church
Y4F is hosted by Yeovil Community Church, who in 2012 were awarded the contract to work alongside South Somerset Together, which is a partnership between the local council and key agencies to improve the quality of life in South Somerset. Our role was to deliver the ‘Family Focus’ support programme by providing Family Link Workers and Volunteer Family Mentors, (if appropriate) to work alongside isolated families in South Somerset and has worked with approximately 143 families up to end of April 2015. This work has seen Y4F play a key part in the local council’s response to the national government initiative to positively impact families with complex needs in Britain (the DCLG Troubled Families Agenda). There are also baby and toddler groups running for families called “Poppins”
Contact number: 01935 433146
Everyone goes through tough times, which puts extra pressure on families and residents.
There’s lots that can help, but often people who need help don’t know what’s available. They don’t know how to connect to their communities, or how to access support. As a professional, if you’re having a conversation with someone, give the three Ts a go…
Think about what else would help (the #Help4All website is a good start)
Talk about the help available (local, county and digital)
Try it out! Introduce them to something that can help. For example, log into the online service so they can try it, or take them down the road to join a community group
We need lots more of our families and residents getting help earlier, so their lives get better quicker, and we can reduce pressure on services. Do your bit for Somerset #Help4All.
www.ConnectSomerset.org.uk/Help4All
Healthy Little ones – a free drop in group for 0-5’s, their parents and carers.
Friendly and fun drop in sessions run by the Health Visiting Team, where you can access free health and development advice, practical and emotional infant feeding support, self weigh your under 5, meet other parents/carers and play!
SEND Somerset’s Local Offer – Early Years advice sheets
All children develop differently. There are some common problems that can be improved with some practical advice. This collection of advice sheets has been produced by the Children and Young People’s Therapy Service for Children and Young People in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. They can be used by early years settings, parents and carers.
Training
The Early Years Alliance is delighted to offer NEW free training to support early years settings including childminders, to deliver early help to children and families in Somerset.
Please support us by ensuring your booked place does not go to waste, if you have booked a place, and can no longer attend please let us know to cancel it to allow more people to attend instead, thank you.
If you would like to discuss in-person training, please email earlyhelpsomerset@eyalliance.org.uk or call 01392 304 484 or 01393 304 573.