Early Help Multi-Agency Panel

The Early Help Multi Agency Panel plays a key part to ensure that needs are identified early, and that services are integrated and tailored to the child, young person or family in need of early help. It mobilises resources swiftly across the partnership, helping to build capacity in families to be resilient and manage their own difficulties and reduce the need for statutory agencies to become involved.

It provides a regular forum for professionals to meet in which:

• whole system information can be shared to make decisions
• families can access the resources they need rapidly
• agencies collaborate to ensure children, young people and their families receive the right help, for the whole family, first time
• lead professionals are agreed to drive joined up assessments, plans and interventions for children, young people and their families
• the need for children, young people and their families to have to tell ‘their story’ more than once is reduced
• support plans can be reviewed, support when needs and/or risks change to minimise the risk of children, young people and their families being referred to specialist or statutory services.

The panel itself does not change how you - as professionals - access services for children, young people and families. This continues to be via the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). The panel has not changed the types of services that are available to them, but provides information by which to review whether there are any gaps or duplication in provision.

Weekly EH Multi-Agency Panels, to share information between agencies and identify the Lead Professional and Team Around the Family, for children needing more targeted Early Help (Early Help Assessment)* includes all key children’s agencies, plus Adult MH, Probation and Housing. 
 

.