Early help is a familiar concept in agencies across education, health and social care as well as a generic term used in wider political forums.
Early Help broadly suggests a form of intervention which may be preventative, that is a more timely, cost effective and impactful way to deliver services.
Within the Multi agency support team (MAST) there has been a notion, and presumption, that we operate an 'Early help' service. In fact, what we offer, since our inception in 2005 is far more nuanced and complex than this tidy terminology implies. The key principles define our practice focus around a needs led, responsive and relational model. Put simply, we respond as individuals, or multi agency practitioners to the first point of presentation of need which may come from a child/young person, school or family. Our response is not conditional on duration of a need, or on what has already been done, or if it meets any kind of threshold. We accept the presenting need for what it is, for that individual situation, without consideration of any kind of assumed complexity.
This means that we may support a school to develop and understand its practice around, for example, dysregulation of challenging behaviour, if this is a need in their school system. Another school may have a number of children who are showing emotional based school avoidance, which might lead to support for staff and parents as well as individual targeted interventions for children/young people. Yet another situation may offer an acute crisis for a family, possibly linked to bereavement, loss or past trauma, which means careful assessment is required to determine a bespoke involvement. Finally, we will also have children/young people presented to our team who, at that moment in time, need a responsive, relational intervention; this may be with key people around them (families and schools) to work alongside, to understand what is happening and to contain the potential chaos, complexity and confusion.
It would be lovely to live a life where we could map out how to diagnose, intervene and offer solutions to life's multiple problems. Within MAST, we recognise that life, and its concurrent challenges does not follow a linear pattern, but rather one based on the unpredictable and sometimes difficult hurdles that people have to overcome.
If we can be alongside in these times, listen, connect and have some potential positive impact, then we have been there at the right time, in the right place.
