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Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP)

In Birmingham, the Right Help Right Time model is used to safeguard children. This matches a range of support available to individual needs and ensures timely intervention is received.

Right Help, Right Time

For children and families, where needs are assessed at the Universal Plus or Additional Needs, early help and early intervention are forms of support aimed at improving outcomes or preventing escalating need or risk.

Early help means taking action to support a child, young person or their family early in the life of a problem, as soon as it emerges. It can be required 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.

Early help requires that agencies should work together as soon as a problem emerges or a need is identified to ensure the child gets the right response, and the right services, from the right people at the right time. The aim is to meet need early and avoid a problem escalating, the need increasing and the need for specialist interventions unless they are the correct response to meet the need and resolve the problem.

Early help is broad and ranges from simple actions taken by school to Early Help Assessments carried out by Lead Professionals that result in an ‘Our Family Plan’ written to support progress.

If it is suspected that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, the model requires that this is reported immediately to the Children’s Advice and Support Service, (CASS). A further assessment is then made which may result in a statutory Child Protection Plan or a Child in Need Plan being activated.

Anybody can report a concern to CASS. This can be done by telephoning 0121 303 1888. Referrals can be made anonymously.