Early Help means providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life, pre-birth through to the teenage years. Early Help can also prevent further problems from arising.

As with safeguarding, Early Help is everyone’s responsibility.  As a basic principle, the first person to offer support to a child or young person and their family should be the practitioner identifying the issue, for example, this might be someone at your child’s school or a medical professional who you feel you can trust.

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 sets out that in order for Early Help to be effective all local organisations should work together to identify children and families who would benefit from early help and undertake assessments of the need for Early Help. If you would like an Early Help assessment you can ask the practitioner you identify to do one with you. 

If you are concerned that a child is being abused or at risk of harm you should contact Children's Single Point of Access.

The Children's Single Point of Access will determine if a child needs safeguarding and advise on the LSCB threshold of need and early help arrangements.

If you are a member of the public and have concerns about a child or young person in Reading and need to let us know, Children’s Single Point of Access (CSPoA) is where to raise a concern about a child (pre-birth to 18 years old) in Reading.

How to contact us if a child or young person in Reading:

• may need additional support
• may be being abused or neglected
• needs safeguarding of any kind.

https://brighterfuturesforchildren.org/report-concerns-about-a-child/