E-HAST (Early Help and Support Team)
E-HAST (Early Help and Support Team) is a single point of contact for partner agencies, children, young people and their families, focused on making sure that the right support is put in place as soon as it is needed.
What does it mean for the children and families?
It ensures that all enquiries and contacts are directed to a dedicated team of early help professionals, providing a seamless process so children and families will receive the right level of support in a timely way to help them achieve the best possible outcomes.
What does this mean for me?
An improved streamlined service offering timely and targeted support. The telephone number is 0345 678 9021.
“How can I help?”
Early help means acting early and as soon as possible to provide support where problems are emerging for children, young people and their families.
The type of things early help can support with include:
- Concerns about child’s health, development or behaviour
- How a child is doing at school
- Housing or financial concerns
- Children who may be affected by domestic abuse, drugs, alcohol, ill health or crime
If you're concerned about a child or would like some advice and support, call 0345 678 9021 today and tell us how we can help.
Additional information for professionals/practitioners
E-HAST was designed to address demand and capacity issues into our children's social care services, and to ensure that parents and families can access the support and help they need at the earliest opportunity.
E-HAST is a key team in providing a front door response to children, young people and their families, who are referred for early help/children services. These families present with help and support needs.
The response may include home visits to meet the family discuss the referral and/or liaison with partner agencies to ensure appropriate and timely support is in place to support the families' identified needs.
The areas of support might include parenting skills, response to child exploitation, children with additional needs, bereavement, child and adolescent mental health and physical wellbeing, family conflict including domestic abuse and/or risk of family breakdown. However, this is not a limited list - the needs of the family take precedence.
The support and level of intervention/response aims to improve outcomes for children and families in line with local and national priorities and targets applying the principles of working under the principle of Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, which is a guide to multi-agency working to help, protect and promote the welfare of children.
The team is made up of family support workers, a domestic abuse worker, a senior lead practitioner and
business support.
