Joint Strategic Needs Assessment: early help

There has been a significant increase in demand for early help Services both within the council and across the partnership. For example (figure 1), there were 9,594 early help contacts in the service in 2023/24 compared to 6,398 in 2020/21 (50% increase in two years).

In Buckinghamshire, it is currently difficult to accurately quantify the number and prevalence of children and young people and their families requiring early help support as there is no consistent data set that is used across all partner agencies. However, what we do know is that there has been a 28% increase in the number of contacts for Buckinghamshire Council early help provision during the last year.

Although there are clear peaks and troughs in demand for early help which follow similar patterns year on year, it can clearly be seen that 2023/24 outstrips prior years.

Contacts for early help interventions and support are received into the service from a number of different sources. Data on the source is collated into 6 main categories as illustrated in figure 3 below, with ‘Education’ the highest contributor at 29.3% of the total contacts received. This is unsurprising since, outside of the family unit, education settings have the most regular contact with children and young people and have a key role to play in supporting the health and wellbeing of children and young people and, in turn, identifying associated needs.

These main sources of contact categories can be further analysed by sub-category as shown in table 1 below.

The data above illustrates that, when combined, the protective factors of Educational settings, Children’s Social Care, Police and all areas that can be categorised under Health account for 69% of the total contacts into early help.

Ensuring clear lines of communication between these four pillars of support through a strong early help partnership is clearly vital in identifying need and working together to promote the health, wellbeing and safety of all children and young people in Buckinghamshire.

Buckinghamshire has a total population of approximately 553,300 (Office for National Statistics ONS 2021 Census). Buckinghamshire’s overall population has increased by approximately 9.5% (47,800) between 2011 and 2021, which is about 3% higher than the national increase in population during the same period. Overall population is projected to increase by 25,810 (4.7%) from 2021 to 2043. The south of the county has a higher population density than the north. The settlements of Chesham, Amersham, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, and Marlow contribute to a greater number of people per square kilometre. The north of the county is more rural with a higher proportion of farmland and fewer large settlements.

Approximately 126,800 children and young people under the age of 18 years live in Buckinghamshire. This is 23.2% of the total population in the area, which is slightly above the English average of 21.4%. By 2040 it is projected that the proportion of under 18s will fall to 20.6% in Buckinghamshire compared to an England average of 19.3%. There are approximately 159,300 children and young people under the age of 25 years living in Buckinghamshire, with 49% recorded as female and 51% as male. 28.8% of Buckinghamshire’s population is aged 0-24 years, which is slightly below the national average (29.2%).

In Buckinghamshire in 2021, 79.9% of the population were from a White ethnic background compared to 81.0% in England and 86.3% in South East England. The largest ethnic minority group were Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh. This group comprised 12.4% of the Buckinghamshire population compared to 9.6% in England and 7.0% in South East England. The county had a higher percentage of people with mixed ethnicity than South East England and England. There was also a higher percentage of Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African people in Buckinghamshire compared to the South East but not compared to England.

Early intervention is beneficial at any age from conception to early adulthood and effective early help can occur at any point in a child's life, but it is particularly crucial during the foundation years through to the teenage years. This is a period where children are more likely to face complex social and emotional challenges, and early help services are designed to address these needs before they escalate into more serious problems.

It is important that targeted interventions and support are tailored to ensure that the right help and interventions are in place for the relevant age ranges.

The greater need for early help services among 10 to 14-year-olds (see figure 5) can be attributed to the unique challenges and transitions faced during this developmental stage.

The percentage contacts into the service by gender is broadly in line with local and national statistics for the 0 to 25 year old age range.

However, there is variation in how the different genders access and benefit from early help services and so, while the need for early help support is not determined solely by gender, gender can play a role in the type of support needed and received.

Early help services must therefore be sensitive to the different needs and experiences of each gender, ensuring that interventions are tailored appropriate to support each child effectively. Services must also be equipped to support all individuals, this includes providing resources and information, as well as ensuring that services are inclusive and accessible to all.

Early help services that consider gender dynamics can support and strengthen families by addressing specific challenges and promoting a more equitable environment for children to grow up in.

Early help services provide significant benefits for individuals with a disability aged 0-25 years, focusing on improving outcomes and preventing the escalation of needs. 6% of the contacts for early help have self-identified at point of contact as having a disability.

Some key benefits of early help support for those with an identified disability include:

• Improved Long-term Outcomes: Early intervention can lead to better health, educational, and social outcomes for disabled young people, setting them up for success in adult life.
• Enhanced Home and Family Life: Support services can improve the quality of life at home by providing resources and strategies to manage disabilities effectively.
• Development of Strengths and Skills: Early help services can support the development of key skills and strengths, preparing disabled young people for the challenges of adult life.
• Early Identification of Needs: The early years guide to the SEND code of practice emphasizes the importance of identifying needs promptly and providing appropriate support, which can lead to better outcomes and a smoother transition into adulthood.
• Support for Families: Early help services offer support to families, helping them navigate challenges related to disabilities and access additional resources.

Considering ethnicity in the context of early help services involves recognising and responding to the diverse needs of different ethnic groups to ensure that services are equitable and inclusive.

As detailed in section 6.3 above, the Early Help offer is delivered via our Family Workers based in our network of Family Centres and within our Locality Support & Safeguarding teams.

Family centres provide free activities and services for children, young people and families including health visitor appointments, youth drop-ins, play sessions and parenting courses.

CYP and their families can attend these centres and discuss their needs with staff including family workers.

View the location of family centres across the county.

For the purposes of contacts into the service through Locality Support & Safeguarding teams (both for early help and statutory services), the county is split into four quadrants (two north, two south – see figure 7), with between 4 and 6 pods within each quadrant (totalling 21 pods).

The pods are loosely linked to ward boundaries but have also been designed to take into account existing and anticipated demand pressures (across Children’s Services).

The continually increasing demand for early help correlates broadly with areas of higher deprivation (see table 4). The partnership monitors and uses all relevant data to ensure that services are targeted towards areas and communities in highest need and which are tailored and accessible to all residents. This includes ensuring the focused use of the Supporting Families Grant to contribute to the levelling up agenda, working more collaboratively and sharing key information across the partnership to ensure to always make best use of the collective partnership resources to support the most vulnerable children and families.