Early help family practitioners offer targeted early help support to families, children and young people aged 0-19, or up to 25 if the young person has special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). A family practitioner is based in each of the early help family hubs throughout Shropshire, and is allocated to work with a family once an early help whole family assessment has been completed, and a request for intervention is received at one of the hubs. Requests for intervention will be allocated to the right family practitioner, with the right skills and knowledge for the needs identified.

Depending on the needs identified, areas of support available might include parenting skills, bereavement, keeping children safe, emotional health and wellbeing, or healthy lifestyles. This support may be delivered by visiting the family in their home or in local community venues that are agreed by and convenient for the family.

The family practitioner will work in collaboration with the family, and partners from health, housing, education and social care, including professionals and providers from the private and voluntary sector, to develop a whole family plan.

Any appropriate local services will also be considered in supporting the ongoing work with the family. This will encourage and enable families to access support from wider universal provision that's available in the local community.