Early Help means taking action to support a child, young person or their family as soon as a problem emerges. It can be required at any stage in a child’s life and applies to any problem or need that the family cannot deal with or meet on their own. It also applies to all children and young people, with any form of need.

Early Help requires all agencies to 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. Our aim is to meet need early and avoid a problem escalating or the need increasing.

Any child may benefit from early help, but all Ranelagh staff are particularly alert to the potential need for early help for a child who:

•  is disabled and has specific additional needs
•  has special educational needs (whether or not they have a statutory Education, Health and Care Plan)
•  is a young carer
•  is showing signs of being drawn in to antisocial or criminal behaviour, including gang involvement and association with organised crime groups
•  is frequently missing/goes missing from care or from home
•  is at risk of modern slavery, trafficking or exploitation
•  is at risk of being radicalised or exploited
•  is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child, such as drug and alcohol misuse, adult mental health issues or domestic abuse
•  is misusing drugs or alcohol themselves
•  has returned home to their family from care
•  is a privately fostered child

Our Early Help Offer includes:

• Our Rainbow room and other nurture interventions
• Sensory trail/ room
• Woodland learning sessions
• Thrive support programme
• Therapeutic interventions such as Arnold the Wonder Dog (ATWD)
• Young Carer’s group
• Breakfast provision
• Anti-bullying and Young Ambassadors programmes
• PHOEBE programmes
• Lunchtime play leaders
• Pupil counsellor
• Speech & language therapy
• Access to our designated Pupil and Family Welfare Lead
• Access to trained Mental Health 1st Aider
• Access to staff trained in bereavement 
• Bespoke learning interventions
• Induction and transition packages
• English as an Additional Language (EAL) interventions and support
• Parent information sessions and workshops
• Parent learning sessions with Realise Futures
• Our in-house safeguarding protocols
• The school’s nursing team
• External agency support (Behaviour support, Bereavement Counselling, Child Specific Interventions, FNM, CAF, FSP)
• Working with charitable organisations to support families in need