Consolidating the future of the NHS
Consolidating the future of the NHS
The NHS England planning guidance was published at the end of March, and the key word in the document is…
We recently ran our fifth and final Early Help Learning Set (a regular gathering of children’s services practitioners hosted by IMPOWER to discuss the challenges of delivering Early Help). On this occasion we were joined by Early Help professionals from six local authorities for a discussion that ranged from Ofsted to radicalisation to child sexual exploitation, with the common theme of how Early Help teams can address the very different challenges these present.
At the conclusion of the session we reflected on the five sessions we have run over the last 12 months and captured the key pieces of advice we would give to someone taking the reins of an Early Help team.
In no particular order these included:
There was a clear message coming out of the sessions: ultimately, Early Help is all our responsibility. It cannot and should not be delivered by the council alone. Working effectively with partners is the best way to deliver the service.
Finally I would like to thank the local authorities who attended the sessions – particularly those who had to travel some distance to join us – and my colleagues who helped create some stimulating and insightful content and conversations. As one of our attendees put it:
“These sessions were excellent [with] great insights that you just can’t get elsewhere.”
Past Early Help Learning Sets:
Early Help session 1: Introductions and sharing challenges
Early Help session 2: Models of delivery: turning a theoretical approach into reality
Early Help session 3: Commissioning services and managing budgets
Early Help session 4: Working with schools
If you would like further information about IMPOWER’s work with Early Help, please feel free to get in touch.