Early Help Tier 2 single agency assessments

What is Early Help Tier 2 single agency?

There are times when a family that are known to you and your service area may face some challenges and require additional single agency support for a period. Early Help focuses on the family's specific needs to help them make positive changes. It means children, young people, and families get the right help  at the time a need has been identified.

Before completing an Early Help Tier 2 single agency assessment, you must ask the family if they agree and give consent to share their information. Anyone working with the family can complete this assessment and become the Lead Worker. It relies upon local community services offering to support you such as:

  • education settings
  • health partners
  • police, community
  • voluntary sector

Support from your service, alongside other potential identified services is considered an Early Help Tier 2 single agency assessment and plan.

How to Complete a Early Help Tier 2 single agency assessment

To complete a Early Help Tier 2 single agency assessment, follow these steps:

  1. Complete the Early Help Tier 2 single agency assessment form - Form available 1 May 2025. This sends a request to the Family and Community Service team.
  2. Wait for contact: The team will contact you once your request has been reviewed and assessed
  3. Get access: If you don't have access to Early Help and Prevention data warehouse, you will be given it to complete the assessment.
  4. Complete the assessment: You will complete the dynamic assessment form within 1 month and carryout reviews within set time frames
  5. Provide updates: If the family needs long-term support, give a brief update no later than every 12 weeks until closure

Training and Consent

  • Training: each professional needing access to the Early Help and Prevention data warehouse will need attend a short training session.
  • Consent:  You need to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) before access will be granted to the Early Help and Prevention data warehouse.

Thresholds for Children's Social Care intervention

Each Local Safeguarding Childrens Partnership (LSCP) has produced a document setting out the Thresholds for Children's Social Care intervention.

The term 'threshold' refers to the point at which the local authority's Children's Social Care have a legal remit to work with a family to meet the child and family needs.

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