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Early Help
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What is it and how could it help my family?

Early Help is someone working with you and your family so that any small problems don’t get bigger.

It’s for everybody from pregnancy up to 19 years (or 25 if the young person has a disability).

Early help is everyone’s responsibility, any professional who knows your family will be able to talk to you about Early Help

Click here to find out more about Early Help for parents and carers.


What do families and professionals say?
Take a look here at our YouTube video about how Early Help has made a difference to families in Barnsley.

How do I get Early Help?

Talk to a professional that knows your family the best. It could be school, someone at your child’s nursery, your health visitor, your GP, or any professional who supports your family or pop into a Family Centre and speak to a member of staff.  

Tell them what’s working well and what you are worried about.

Professionals know that you know your family best. You may have an idea about what you need, and what you think will help will your family and this will be the starting point.

They will talk to you to understand what is happening and what help you and your family need. They will work with everyone in your family to make sure you get the right support at the right time.

Early Help Navigator - Barnsley Hospital
Rachel Sykes and Sarah Hickey are Family Centre Early Help Navigators based at Barnsley Hospital. 

They visit the following wards daily:
Pre-natal, Post-natal, Neonatal, Children’s Ward, Paeds ED and Children’s Outpatient.

They can offer advice and guidance around Early Help, including:
  • What groups are available
  • Rose Vouchers (They can also issue these within the hospital if you or your child are an inpatient)
  • Healthy Start
  • Parenting Courses
  • Stronger Relationships
  • Early Help Assessments
  • Referrals to Outreach or Family Support for more targeted support
  • Referrals to other support services

Early Help Navigators can be contacted on: 

Hospital number: 01226 435876

Mobile 07557820711/ 07747564002


What happens next?
  • You will be given information about local groups and courses 
  • A request for Targeted Early Help Support may be submitted
  • An Early Help Assessment may be completed 



Receiving Early Help or Targeted Support could include:
  • Attending a face to face or virtual parenting programme
  • Targeted support from a youth worker a Targeted Early Help Support Practitioner
  • Referral to other or more services
  • 1:1 support from professionals who have lots of experience helping families

What happens after a request for Targeted Early Help Support is submitted?

It will be looked at by the early Help MASH Team (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub)

They may signpost you to a service who can help, suggest groups in a Family Centre or Youth Groups, online parenting classes or 1:1 help from a Targeted Early Help Support Practitioner, Youth Worker or other professional.

If you have been allocated a Targeted Early Help Support Practitioner, Youth worker or other professional they will aim to contact you within 5 working days.


The Early Help MASH Team  will contact the professional who completed the Request for Targeted Early Help Support referal and tell them what support has been suggested.

What if I need more help?

If after working through the Early Help Assessment, you or the professional feels additional support is needed they will talk to you about a Request for Service.

This means you will receive targeted support on a one to one basis to work through the issues.

What can Early Help look like?

If as a family, you feel you understand what an Early Help assessment is and how it will help your family professionals should complete an Early Help assessment.

Not every family needs an Early Help assessment.
Professionals may make some suggestions to try first to see if things improve before completing an Early Help assessment. They may suggest: 

 Completing FREE online parenting courses.
 You can find details of Solihull Online Parenting courses here


Talk to a support service
You can search for services who can help here

You will find detail about:
  • How a service can help you
  • How to contact them
If you do not know the name of the service, you can search by using key words eg debt, housing


Join a group or book on some activities
You can search for things to do here.

Take a look at what’s on at your local Family Centre and book your place here.