Early Help Connector

Seven Resourcing are looking for an Early Help Connector in the MASH Team based in Exeter, Devon. This is a full time position and is paying £20 per hour.

**The role**:
The key function of this role is to mobilise and support the multi-agency professional network within given areas to provide high quality early help to children, young people and their families. The post holder will be a member of a team with the responsibilityfor securing consistency of approach across the whole of the county, and therefore will need to ensure that local practice is compliant with the expectations of Devon's Early Help offer. This, in turn, is in line with the 'Working Together to safeguard Children'Multi Agency Guidance (2018). The Early Help Connector is responsible for working together with practitioners from a range of different backgrounds to build their capability and confidence in implementing the Devon Early Help Offer and pathway to improve outcomesfor children, young people and their families that could not have been achieved by any one of the agencies acting alone.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- The Connector will also be responsible for following up and quality assuring cases that have come from the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub The post holder will also support the development of the area service response to Early Help by supporting the collection,collation and analysis of data for future commissioning arrangements.
- The responsibility for providing that Early Help to Children and Families lies with all services working with children, young people and their families, specifically Devon Children and Families Partnership. Meeting the needs of children and families earlyreduces the likelihood of problems becoming entrenched and resulting in the need for reactive and expensive higher level services.
- The provision of the Early Help System will form part of the continuum of help and support to respond to the different levels of need to those individual children, young people and their family's experience. It is important that this help is provided ina coordinated way to improve effectiveness and to reduce duplication, and also that it is based on high quality assessment, planning and evidence based intervention.
- Practice should be consistent with the Early Help Pathway outlined in Devon's Early Help Strategy, utilising the universal early help assessment, and team around the family to plan and offer the right help at the right time. Main Duties and ResponsibilitiesEnsuring that the voice of the child, young person and family is heard. Ensuring that the voice of local children, young people and families is heard throughout their journey through the Early Help Pathway to inform:

- An assessment of their own needs and strengths
- Planning
- Intervention and support.
- To capture this information to inform local planning, Devon Needs Analysis and the commissioning and redesign of future Early Help Services and systems so that they reflect the cultural and social diversity of the local population, in accordance with equalopportunities and anti-discriminatory principles and practices, particularly for protected groups.
- Support the development and Implementation of the multi-agency Early Help Pathway that will ensure early help assessments and plans are carried out adequately, with the full involvement, consent and co-operation of children, young people and families. CapacityBuilding Supporting and contributing to delivery of multi-agency-training opportunities for professionals.
- Disseminating knowledge and experience within the area to help inform the future development of Early Help for children, young people and their families. Assist practitioners to identify who is best placed to fulfil the required lead practitioner functionfor a child or young person, and play a brokering and troubleshooting role where required including, for example, facilitating careful and planned 'handovers' when change of 'lead professional' is indicated Mentoring practitioners in their assessor/lead professionalroles and to convene multi
- agency Team around the family meetings where appropriate, as a means of bringing practitioners together in order to identify and allocate appropriate actions, interventions and resources for named children and young people.
- Support front line practitioners acting as 'Lead Practitioners' to co-ordinate the delivery of an agreed action plan, based on the outcome of the assessment, which provides a solution-focused package of support; and a process by which this will be regularlyreviewed and monitored, to ensure that children and families receive an effective service / intervention.
- Providing Information, advice and guidance Communicating the DCFP Threshold guidance, developing local practitioner understanding of it, and supporting and challenging decision making against it. Securing changes to existing practices in the locality tosupport the implementation of revised policies, procedures and guidelines in relation to the provision of Early Help. Develop partner, children, young people and families understanding of the relevant Information Sharing Protocols and associated practitionerguidance, as a tool to aid information sharing to safeguard children and young people.

**Applicant Requirements**:

- **Experience**: Substantial experience in working within children and young people's services in either the statutory or voluntary sector.
- **Compliance**: Current DBS check.
- **Travel**: Clean UK driving license with the ability to commute to and from work independently.
- **Hours**: 37 hours p/w.

**Working with Seven Social Care**:
We have been helping social care professionals find exciting new roles for almost a decade, so we know exactly where to look when it comes to sourcing the best opportunities. We operate across the UK, and, with over 300 five-star reviews, multiple awardsand amazing relationships with the biggest employers in UK social care, we give you the best chance of landing your next role