If you’re educated at home Your family can choose to educate you at home. But if you’re not in school and aren’t getting a good education at home, it could be a sign that something is going wrong. Schools need to tell your local council if you’re taken out of school during a school term. They should also share information about you, especially if you are getting help from a social worker or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This is a plan that explains the extra support that you might need to reach all your goals at school and stay healthy. How the right decisions are made about early help Sometimes, you and your family might need help from more than one organisation or service, like education, health, or housing. In these situations, everyone involved works together to make an assessment. There is more information about assessments on page 32 of this guide. The assessment will involve you, your family, and all the practitioners working with you. It’s important to listen to your wishes and feelings, as well as thinking about your age and family situation. If you have trouble communicating, you might get help from someone like an advocate to make sure your voice is heard. An advocate is someone who listens to you and helps you say the things you want to say, if you are having trouble explaining things. The assessment should think about what each family member needs and how their needs affect the needs of other family members. Practitioners should also know about any problems between you and your family. This is because involving your whole family in discussions might not always be the best thing to do. The goal of assessment is to understand any deeper issues that might affect your well- being over time, as well as more immediate problems. By thinking about good things as well as difficulties, the assessment helps create a plan of action. It explains what support you and your family needs to stop problems from getting worse, and it makes sure everyone understands what steps to take. Sometimes, families may not agree to an early help assessment. If this happens, practitioners should try to understand their concerns and explain how the support could help. It’s important to make sure families know that help is voluntary, and to let them know about the different things they can get to help.
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