Our Early Help Offer
Early Help Offer at Lenthall Infant & Nursery School
Every family experiences ups and downs. Parenting can be challenging, and sometimes you and your child may need extra support during their school journey. There is no shame in asking for help.
Early Help allows you to identify what’s going well, where you might benefit from additional support, and who’s best to assist you and your family. This often involves an Early Help Assessment (EHA).
We prioritise working in collaboration with families, focusing on openness, integrity, and understanding, with the child's needs at the heart of everything we do. Remember, Early Help is everyone’s responsibility. You can speak with any member of the school team, and they will gladly assist you.
What is Early Help?
Early Help is a way of offering support as soon as challenges begin to emerge, rather than waiting until difficulties escalate. It focuses on preventing problems from worsening and helping families feel supported, understood and empowered.
Early Help may involve:
- Advice, guidance and strategies for home
- Support for children’s emotional wellbeing
- Help with routines, boundaries, or behaviour
- Working with other agencies if needed
Early Help services aim to identify needs early, put the right support in place and prevent escalation to higher‑level services.
We believe that by working closely together — school, families and external services — we can provide the strongest outcomes for our children.
Our Early Help Team
Kerry Moody - Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Our DSL leads Early Help assessments in school and ensures joined‑up support where needed.
Pastoral Support
Our staff team continues to offer pastoral, nurture and practical support to children and families through regular check‑ins, open communication and early intervention strategies.
Bec Scott – Our P4YP Early Help Officer
We are delighted to have Bec Scott working with us as part of our Early Help Offer. Bec works for P4YP (Positive 4 Young People) — a highly regarded Early Help service supporting children, families and schools across Derbyshire.
P4YP Early Help Officers provide:
- 1:1 support for children and families, including help with friendships, bereavement, self‑esteem, behaviour, routines, sensory play and emotional wellbeing.
- Practical advice and strategies that parents can use at home.
- Home visits where appropriate, supporting families with welfare concerns, housing, debt advice, mental health or signposting to the correct services. ]
- Support with attendance, confidence and wellbeing — anything that might affect a child’s educational journey.
- Early Help Assessments (EHAs) to clearly identify family needs and plan support.
- Attendance at multi‑agency meetings, including TAF (Team Around the Family) meetings, to ensure joined‑up support.
P4YP officers work in a non‑judgemental, confidential, strength‑based and compassionate way, supporting families both in school and in the community.
How Early Help Can Support You
Families may access Early Help for many reasons, including:
- Behaviour or emotional wellbeing concerns
- Anxiety, confidence or self‑esteem
- Friendship challenges
- Routines and boundaries at home
- Difficult life events (bereavement, separation, illness)
- Practical challenges affecting home life
- School attendance
- Parenting support
- Knowing which services to contact and how
You do not need to be in crisis to ask for help — sometimes a conversation is all that’s needed.
How to Access Support
If you would like to speak with Bec, our DSL, or our pastoral team, you can:
- Contact the school office
- Speak to your child’s class teacher
- Send a message via ClassDojo
Together, we can find the right support for your family.
More InformationFull details about P4YP’s Early Help offer can be found in the Parent Leaflet and Information Leaflet, available on this page
Early Help Assessment (EHA)
The process begins with a conversation with a staff member about what's going well and what challenges you and your family may be facing. They’ll inform you about the available support, which may lead to an EHA. This assessment helps us gain a comprehensive understanding of your family’s situation, highlighting strengths and areas needing extra support. Participation is entirely your choice, and you can select who else is involved.
An EHA can:
- Help you identify what’s going well and what isn’t for your family.
- Clarify the support you and others might need.
- Create a clear picture of your family’s circumstances, which can be shared with your permission, reducing the need to repeat your story to different professionals.
- Involve you in a collaborative team working towards the same goal, helping everything to improve.
What Happens After the EHA?
With your consent, professionals from various organisations working with your family will share information and collaborate to provide support for you and your children. This may include school staff, health visitors, and others involved. Following this, a 'Team Around the Family' (TAF) meeting may be arranged to ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the best outcomes for your family.
Why Do I Need to Give My Permission?
Your personal information is yours, and it’s protected by law. Agencies cannot share your information unless you agree. Giving permission ensures that you maintain control over who has access to your information and how it’s used. This safeguarding is in place to protect your privacy and ensure your comfort throughout the support process.
What is a ‘Team Around the Family’ (TAF) Meeting?
This meeting is held regularly to review your family's progress and ensure the right support is in place. During the meeting, you'll have the opportunity to choose a lead worker from those involved with your family—perhaps someone you see frequently or feel most comfortable with. Your lead worker will coordinate review meetings and be your point of contact for any concerns or issues your family may face.
At Lenthall Infant and Nursery School, we foster an open-door policy, encouraging communication with all parents, children, and families. This helps us ensure every child is safe, happy, and learning. We strive to meet the diverse needs of our children in various ways.