**Accessing support for children - up to 17 years

Families First

The Families First service ensures that the needs of children, young people and families across Staffordshire are identified early, the right help is put in place and problems are stopped from getting worse.

Our Families First service employs people with a range of skills to make sure Staffordshire's children and families are safe and well.

• More information on the different services and support available within Families First
  
• How to access Families First Services

Early help

Staffordshire Early Help Assessment

When a child, young person or family is in need of extra support it is important the best way forward is identified at the earliest opportunity.

Early help in Staffordshire recognises and builds upon a family’s strengths. It isn’t about doing it for them, it’s about helping them to find the right solutions to improve their situation.

The early help assessment (formerly known as the Staffordshire common assessment form or Staffordshire CAF) is a universal tool for practitioners from any service. It can be used with the child or young person and their family to summarise and clearly record current circumstances including areas of need and of strength. This then forms the basis for an agreed way to work together to achieve the improvements in the life of that child and family.

If you work with families, knowing how to put early help in place is your responsibility, wherever you work.

• Further information on Staffordshire's Early Help can be found on Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Safeguarding Board's website.
  
  
• Requests for support from the Early Help Team should be made via First Response.

Early help supporting documentation and forms

As part of this, some practical, easy to use early help tools have been developed that everyone across the county will be using.  More information can be found on Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Board website.

Support for children with disabilities

If you are in need of higher level support you can request a social work assessment. Contact:

• First Response team during office hours (Monday to Thursday 8:30am-5:00pm and Friday 8:30am-4:30pm) on 0800 1313 126 or by completing an online enquiry form on Staffordshire County Council's main website.
  
  
• In an emergency, outside office hours please contact the Emergency Duty Service on 0345 604 2886 or email: eds.team.manager@staffordshire.gov.uk 

More information on support for children and young people with disabilities can be found on the Staffordshire County Council web site.

Local support teams

Local support teams work with children and young people with a disability or additional need and their families.  Support can be accessed through the First Response Team.

Social work support

If more support is needed you can request a social work assessment by contacting the First Response Team.