Early Help Assessment Tool

Early help means taking action to support a child, young person, or their family with a problem as soon as it emerges.

Help might be needed at any stage in a child's life, from pre-birth to adulthood, and applies to any problem or need that the family cannot deal with or meet on their own.

The Early Help Assessment Tool (EHAT) should be used where multi-agency support is required.

Access the Early Help Assessment Tool

If you need help, please refer to our user guides.

If you have any questions or problems using the Early Help Assessment Tool, please email gateway.admin@plymouth.gov.uk

What is an Early Help Assessment?

The Early Help Assessment is a voluntary process for families to share information with a range of local services to help them plan together and get the right support.

Professionals across the city will work together to ensure you:

Get the right support at the right time
Only have to tell your story once
Are listened to and given appropriate advice
Can learn about opportunities available to you and your family
Identify your strengths as well as your needs

You will be designated a Lead Professional who will develop a plan with you, arrange support and meetings with other services that can help you, and review the progress of the plan with you, as appropriate.

What the professionals will do

Professional commitment to support families to make positive change
Create a clear plan with you and update you on progress regularly through meetings and information
Be accountable, open, honest and transparent with you
Be honest about what support they can give you

Confidentiality

The information you and your family provide will only be shared with those people/services that need to know, and we will ask your permission before sharing anything with them.

However, there may be times when people working with you need to share information, such as:

when there are concerns that a child/young person is at risk of, or is suffering abuse or neglect
when an adult is at risk of harm
to help prevent or detect a serious crime

What you need to do

Be honest and share information and concerns so your family can get the right support
Attend meetings with relevant services and family meetings as needed
Commit to achieving the outcomes as agreed with you in your family plan
Work together with professionals to achieve positive ways forward
Consent to sharing information to help your lead professional to access services that can help.