Early Help

Early Help is not a service but a way of thinking and working. It is a collaborative approach between services with families that provides support as soon as a need is identified.

On this page, you can find:

Levels of Need
Resources
Links

Levels of Need

The levels of need descriptors are a way of developing a shared understanding and explaining the Doncaster approach across all our services and partnerships, ensuring a consistent response is applied by all. The windscreen and descriptors illustrate how we will respond to the requirements of children and families across the four levels of need. The hyperlinks at the bottom of this page take you directly to DSCP Threshold documents. Thresholds Training is bookable via Buy Doncaster: https://buy.doncaster.gov.uk/training

Early Help Levels

LEVEL 1- Universal Needs

Children and young people at this level are achieving expected outcomes. There are no unmet needs or need is low level and can be met by the universal services or with some limited additional advice or guidance

LEVEL 2- Targeted Additional Needs

Children and families with some emerging needs may require support of another service alongside universal provision to prevent an escalation of needs. An Early Help Assessment may be appropriate for some children at this level.

LEVEL 3- Complex Multiple Needs

Children and families with more significant complex need and who need targeted support without which they would not meet their expected potential. These children live in families where there is greater adversity and a greater degree of vulnerability. An Early Help Assessment and a Team around the Family (TAF) will be required to coordinate the response from multi-agency professionals and ensure effective communication with the child, family and all organisations involved. Some Children identified as having level three needs will be opened to Children’s Social Care under Section 17 and have an allocated Social Worker.

LEVEL 4- Statutory Specialist/Child Protection Needs

Specialist services are required where the needs of the child have been significantly compromised, they are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm or impairment and statutory and/or specialist intervention is required to keep them safe. A comprehensive statutory assessment under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 will be required/ intervention under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 may be required for those children who are at immediate risk of significant harm and legal action may need to be taken or the Local Authority may need to accommodate the child in order to ensure their protection.