Early help is the support we give to children, young people and their families when they have extra needs that aren't being met by universal services. Universal services are those that are for everyone, like health and education.
When a family has extra needs, we make sure they can get the support they need as early as possible. This is to prevent their needs becoming so great that they need a higher level of support later on.
Early Help is a team effort involving various agencies that support children, young people, and families, rather than being a standalone service.
In Sheffield, all services working with children young people and families are involved in the Early Help system.
If your family needs extra support, you could receive early help from one or more services. This could include:
Find out more about the services in Sheffield to support children, young people and families
Early help is for children and young people up to the age of 19, and their families. If the young person has a special educational need or disability (SEND), the support can go up to age 25.
You may find the information and advice pages useful.
If you need more support, the best way to get this is to talk to a professional that knows you already. This could be a family hub worker, health visitor, GP, teacher, school nurse, or family intervention worker.
They will be able to talk to you about what extra help you may need. They can also support you on how to access it and complete an Early Help Assessment.
If you are worried that a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm then phone the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub on 0114 273 4855 (24 hours) to speak to a social worker or email sheffieldsafeguardinghub@sheffield.gov.uk
Members of the public can discuss their concerns in confidence and if necessary, anonymously.
If a child is in immediate danger, then call 999 for a police response.