There is increased recognition of the importance of early intervention and prevention in work with children and young people to reduce the incidence of abuse and neglect, family breakdown, social exclusion and to avoid outcomes that would diminish rather than enhance their potential.
Newcastle’s Early Intervention and Prevention Approach (NEIPA) was agreed by the Children’s Trust Board in 2007. It introduced the ‘windscreen’ as a conceptual model to help understand the relationship between universal, targeted and specialist services.
The proportion of referrals leading to initial assessments has risen steadily over the past 5 years to 76.6%. This indicates an increasingly better understanding of thresholds and proper assessment of children's needs.
Threshold for Intervention - September 2009
Newcastle has a very wide range of family support services being delivered through the maintained, private and voluntary sectors as well as the informal sector and the community.
Family support services are most effective when they are closely integrated with each other, highly visible and accessible and well known and understood. Support reaches families sooner rather than later when service providers approach each encounter with a family with a clear understanding of their own specialist responsibilities but also of their duty to support the family to access other services that may be able to help them.
The family support services in Newcastle fall broadly into three categories:
Universal Services that all families are expected to access for example schools.
Targeted Services that focus on children and families considered to be in need of some additional support.
Specialist Services that, generally because of a statutory duty, protect children and families or provide very specialist services.
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Working in localities
Integrated working (including CAF)
Family Services Directory
Parenting Support
Children's Centres
Extended Services through Schools
Thresholds for Social Care
Narrowing the Gap