Targeted Support
Targeted Support (which used to be called Early Help) is the support we give to children, young people and their families. The families have needs that aren't met by universal services. These are services that are available to everyone, like health and education.
When a family has more needs, we make sure they have access to the support they need at the earliest possible stage. This is to stop their needs becoming so great that they need more specialist support later.
The Early Help in Peterborough leaflet
Support available for you
The Early Help in Peterborough leaflet provides lots of information to help you find out about the support available for you and your family and how to get the help you need.
View the Early Help in Peterborough leaflet
View the Early Help in Peterborough leaflet in an accessible text version
View the Early Help in Peterborough leaflet in a number of other languages:
How do I access an Early Help Assessment?
Early Help Assessments
If you are worried that you are not coping, or need some extra support, you can speak to a trusted professional. This might be a Learning Mentor, Student Support Officer or Family Worker at your child’s school or setting. Or it might be a Housing Officer or someone from the Health service.
Early Help is how we use all the resources available including family support, community support, the voluntary sector and public organisations to provide timely and effective support to you as a family. The Early Help assessment records your needs, what is going well, what is not going so well and what is causing you concern or worry.
The Early Help assessment can be carried out with you by a trusted professional.
Our Early Help offer has three levels:
- Community support
- More support
- Targeted support
Community support is:
- Opportunities for families to socialise with and learn from each other
- Drop in sessions for advice and support
- Positive activities and local networks
- Signposting and information
More support is:
- A trusted professional who already knows you and helps you recognise your challenges and make a plan to address them
- Accessing more specialist support and advice if needed
- Regular check-in sessions to see how things are progressing
- Parenting courses and learning programmes (find out more on our Parenting Offer Fact Sheet)
Targeted support is:
- A programme of individual support for families or young people, delivered in your home or on-line
- Led by a dedicated Early Help or other specialist practitioner
- Focused on problem-solving and creating the conditions for positive change
- Drawing in specialist services where required
Early Help Strategy - Strong Families, Strong Communities
Peterborough City Council has worked with a wide range of partners to develop a new Early Help Strategy called Strong Families, Strong Communities. This strategy sets out a partnership vision and action plan for Early Help for the next five years.
Parenting Support
Helping families understand and manage their children's behaviours
In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Webster Stratton (The Incredible Years) and a range of Triple P parenting programmes are available to help families better understand and manage their children's behaviours. These programmes are free to parents and are endorsed by our paediatricians and neurodevelopmental service.
You can find out more on our Parenting Offer fact sheet.
To assist parents in understanding and responding to their child’s behaviours, Peterborough has introduced the opportunity for parents to engage in Evidenced Based Parenting Programmes. Engagement with the programmes should enable parents/carers, children and young people to learn new skills and gain confidence in their abilities to help manage potentially challenging situations in the home environment.
In the first instance, families are encouraged to speak to their school, early years setting, children’s centre or health worker to ask about how to access one of these programmes.
Emotional Health and Well Being Support
Experiencing emotional health and well being issues
Children and young people may experience a range of emotional health and well being issues including low self-esteem, low confidence, self harming and eating disorders. There is a wide range of support available from a range of partners including:
- School nursing
- Emotional health and Well Being Service
- YOUnited
- Kooth on-line counselling support (secondary age only)
- Targeted Youth Support Service (TYSS)
- Centre 33 as well as the
- ‘Keep your Head’ website
Also view our Mental Health (Local Offer) web page.
Neurodevelopmental Pathway
What is the Neurodevelopmental Pathway ASD/ADHD?
The pathway is to provide initial support for parents of children and young people with presumed ASD/ADHD, it is designed to support parents/carers through the assessment process.
The Peterborough Neurodevelopmental Service CPFT is an integrated multi-agency service for school-age children and young people with diagnosed or presumed neurodevelopmental issues
The service includes consultant psychiatrists, consultant paediatricians, a clinical nurse special clinical psychologists, nurses, child and family workers and a specialist practitioner all of whom have specialist knowledge and skills in children and young people’s neurodevelopmental needs. This service can help school age children and young people, their families and professionals involved with them through consultation, assessment, diagnosis, interventions, monitoring, review and training. The pathway is designed to ensure that children, young people and families who need a specialist assessment and associated support receive it, in a timely manner.
The aim of the Neurodevelopmental pathway
The aim of the Pathway is
To ensure that sufficient information is gathered and provided to support any further assessment/diagnostic process and to ensure that the children and young people most in need are referred.
To provide families with early help and peer support opportunities by providing them with appropriate strategies to help manage children and young people's presenting behaviours via a range of paediatric endorsed evidence-based programmes to suit their individual needs.
Reducing Parental Conflict & Building Healthier Relationships
Parental conflict courses are not suitable for domestic abuse situations
Parental conflict and domestic abuse are very different (although can look similar), and it is important to identify which is happening. If you feel scared of your partner’s reaction during conflict, or you feel you are walking on eggshells, these might be signs you are being subjected to domestic abuse or coercive and controlling behaviour. If this is the case, then this course may not be suitable for your situation. You can find out more about domestic abuse support at Cambs DASV.
Reducing Parental Conflict & Building Healthier Relationships
Conflict between parents is a normal part of relationships and family life. Conflict can be present between parents whether they are together or separated. It can range from a lack of warmth and emotional distance, through to swearing and shouting.
Not all conflict is damaging. It starts to become a problem when conflict between parents is frequent, intense and poorly resolved. Parental conflict is a known risk factor for poor child outcomes including emotional, behavioural, social and academic development.
This information is for parents whether together, separated or considering separation, who want to find ways to improve their relationship and get on better. Our resources can support you to find helpful ways to communicate during stressful times.
Free courses for parents
You can choose from the following courses:
Me, You and Baby Too
This course is designed to help new and expectant parents cope with the changes that could happen in their relationship when they become parents and learn how to cope with stress and conflict constructively.
Arguing Better
This course is designed to raise awareness of the impact parental conflict can have on children and help parents develop better ways of managing stress and arguments together.
Getting it Right for Children
This course is designed to support separated parents, helping them to avoid the harmful situation of their children getting caught up in the middle of their conflict.
Debt & Relationships
The impact of debt on relationships and support around what to do when you or your partner are having concerns around money.
How to Register on the courses
Parents can view the courses by signing up to the online relationship support for parents.
All you need to do is enter your name and email address and choose a password. You will then be able to access the courses for free. You will not be asked for any financial information.
View the Create a free account web page.
View the oneplusone -Online relationship support for parents website for more details about the free digital courses
Additional support
If you need additional support with reducing conflict in your relationship and have at least one child aged 0-18 years, please speak with a professional you may already be working with. This could be your child’s school, health visitor or nursery.
Information for Professionals
There are a range of resources and training sessions available around reducing parental conflict for professionals. For more information please contact RPCLead@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Course Posters