Targeted Early Help Service

About 

The Targeted Early Help Service supports children, young people and families who would benefit from an Early Help Assessment. An allocated Early Help Practitioner works with the family to identify strengths and needs, develop a coordinated support plan, and improve outcomes.

Working alongside partner agencies, the service provides support for a range of emerging needs that may impact a child or young person's wellbeing, development, education, health, safety, or family life. Multi-agency meetings are held to coordinate support, review progress, and ensure plans remain focused, effective, and responsive to the family's needs.

Through early, coordinated support, the service empowers families to build on their strengths, increase resilience, strengthen relationships, and make positive, sustainable changes that improve outcomes for children, young people, and their families.

The service works closely with the Early Intervention and Prevention Service, enabling families to access a range of groups, programmes and interventions that further support outcomes. 

The Targeted Early Help Service works with many services across the district, whether that be other Council teams, partner agencies, and Voluntary Community Sector organisations, for example:

• Community Anchors
• Wakefield District Domestic Abuse Service
• Health Improvement Team
• Spectrum Health
• Turning Point Talking Therapies
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• Wakefield and District Housing (WDH)

Learn more about the Early Intervention and Prevention Service here.

Read a parent and carer information guide on Early Help services from Wakefield Families Together.

Contact Us: 

There are different ways to access support from the Targeted Early Help Service, whether you are a parent or carer, or a professional seeking support for a family you are working with. These include the Team Around approach.

The Targeted Early Help Service will receive a referral from a Team around the School (TAS) or Team around the Early Years (TAEY) meeting if it is considered that an Early Help Assessment is needed.

The Targeted Early Help Service may also receive a referral from the Integrated Front Door (IFD) where this is considered appropriate following the screening of a safeguarding referral.

To contact Integrated Front Door, please email: Social_Care_Direct_Children@wakefield.gov.uk