Schools are an important element of the early help offer in Shropshire. They play a key role in not only recognising and identifying children and families who are vulnerable and who have a variety of additional needs, but also in delivering services and support to children, young people and families. This support and intervention may be delivered at a universal level or at a targeted level in school, or in partnership with an outside agency.

A variety of models and levels of early help provision exists in schools, with some schools commissioning or employing additional staff as family support workers, and others using learning mentors to engage the wider family. Some schools work creatively in clusters, sharing resources and working together in partnership with other services to deliver early help.

Having identified and assessed an early help need, schools may take one of the following approaches.

1. Help to prevent needs arising further through:

• Universal early help
• Understanding your child/teen courses and workshops
• Signposting to information or other services, eg health visitor, school nurse etc
• Targeted mental health support (TAMHS) whole school approach
• Personal, social and health education (PSHE), including sexual exploitation awareness

2. Address unmet need through:

• Targeted early help in schools
• 'Understanding Your Child/Teen' courses and workshops
• Targeted mental health support (TAMHS) intervention, eg anger management, relaxation
• Family support worker
• Learning mentor
• Parent support adviser
• PSHE specific support, eg Empower programme
• Family learning

3. Working with outside agency in:

• Partnership through referral or consultation with Compass
• Use of early help targeted and universal support in school with support from outside agency:
  
  • Young carers' support
  • Employment advisers
  • Information, advice and guidance (IAG)
  • Education access service
  • Targeted early help family practitioners
  • Bee U
  • Parenting practitioners
  • Detached youth workers