The best way to help you and your family get through difficulties and stop more problems from happening is by helping as soon as possible. ‘Early help’ is what we call it when different services work together to provide help and support as soon as they can. These different services include healthcare and education, and many other areas too such as housing and community support services. Remember that there are lots of people who can help you and your family, and they want to do this as soon as possible. Practitioners who work as part of the early help system collaborate to find out who needs help and how they can be supported. They create plans and make sure that everyone is talking to each other, and that everyone in your family is involved in making decisions. Finding children and families who need help Practitioners work together to spot when you or your family might need help. To do this well, the people who work for these organisations get training so they can understand what you and your family might need. Training also helps them recognise problems like abuse, neglect, or exploitation, and know how to help. They also learn about how to support you if you have lots of problems at the same time, like mental health struggles, family issues, or problems at school. Practitioners recognise that you might need early help if you: • have a disability • have special educational needs • are a young carer • have experienced someone close to you dying • are getting involved in harmful behaviours, like gangs or violence • often go missing from care or from home • are at risk of trafficking, sexual and/or criminal exploitation • are at risk of being radicalised – this is when someone starts to believe in extreme ideas and support the use of violence to achieve political goals • are looking at inappropriate online content, such as violent videos, or developing inappropriate relationships online • are dealing with family challenges like addiction, mental health problems, or fighting in the home
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