Pinpoint provide help and information to parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with additional needs and disabilities in Cambridgeshire.
Find out more about us – your local Cambridgeshire Parent Carer Forum.
Some children’s needs are known before birth or at birth. You may have help through the hospital, the health visitor, doctor, social worker or through pre-school. Your child is likely to be put on the Early Help Pathway. This leaflet explains how it works. There are
Early help assessments
The early help journey for families in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough starts with an Early Help
assessment. It is an impartial and honest assessment of strengths, opportunities and challenges that is
undertaken with the family, and only ever with their permission. It should be completed when more
than one unmet need would benefit from a multi-agency support approach. More guidance on the
early help assessment tools and process can be found here in the Effective Support for Children and
Families in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire document.. Early Help assessments (EHAs) are also used as a gateway to access several other forms of support. From 2021, an Early Help assessment will need to be completed by a professional looking to access a neurodevelopmental assessment in both Peterborough and Cambridgeshire and the Early Support Pathway in both local authorities.
Early help plan
The Early Help plan is where families and professionals record their goals for the future and the steps
that they are going to take to reach those goals. All Early Help plans in Peterborough and
Cambridgeshire will follow the same structure whether they are developed by a Lead Professional or an Early Help practitioner. A critical attribute of the plan is that it is developed with the family and owned by you. It is also the benchmark against which progress for the family or young person is measured.
The Early Help hub
The Early Help Hub is the first point of contact for families and professionals doing an Early Help Assessment. It coordinates access to targeted early help services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and provides advice and guidance on cases managed by the professionals already involved. The Early Help Hub receives contacts for children and families who require multi agency support through Early Help Services to support their needs.
Team around the family (TAF)
The Team Around the Family describes the group of professionals or wider family members who are
involved in providing support or advice to a family. It provides an opportunity for the family and
professionals to work together on achieving a family’s goals. The Lead Professional will normally
coordinate the different contributions of the individuals within the Team around the Family. This will
generally be managed through regular meetings of the Team around the Family and monitoring
progress against the Early Help plan.
You are likely to have help finding the services you need but do please have a look at our website as many families miss out of benefits, financial help for extras and things to do with their youngsters. It can be isolating for parents so please feel free to drop into our weekly Tii Hubs for parent to parent support. As your little one gets older our free sessions may help you discover more tips and techniques to support your growing child.
The Local Authority has a Local Offer for 0-5 years. Here you can find lots of help for your child.
0 - 4 years help
Some children’s needs are not clear at birth but start to show as they reach school age. It could be that they didn’t reach milestones when expected , that they appear to find it harder to learn the things you expect, they talk later, feed less well. If you have any concerns about your child, trust your instinct and please talk to those professionals already supporting you. If you don’t have support, then start with talking to your doctor, visit one of Cambridgeshire County Council’s free Family Centres or contact Cambridgeshire County Council’s free Early Help service https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/children-and-families/parenting-and-family-support/accessing-support-for-your-family
Cambridgeshire County Council run Child and Family Centres that can offer free help and support for families, as well as free sessions for children.
Physical development – walking, talking, feeding, using hands and fingers, sight
Cambridgeshire’s Health Services offer a wide range of free support for families. Most the support does not need a referral. You can find our more here
Sensory (touch, sound, taste, smell and how you where your body stops and starts) You can find lots of good helps and support here
Coordination (big and small movement – walking, balancing, using hands and fingers) There are lots of free videos and ideas here
This is an area that families can find tricky as every child is different and every family will have their own way of doing things. All children need to learn social skills and to manage their behaviour, but some children will need more help. Barnardo’s has a range of helpful information that you might find useful.
The County Council’s Children’s Centres (see section above) can also offer practical advice and support as well as free play sessions that will give your child a chance to practice their skills with other children.
Some young children will have experienced trauma in their early years. There is help available through your doctor – please ask them for support.
Young Minds can also be a useful place to find more help and support
Fetal Alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD, occurs when the brain is effected by exposure to alcohol whilst the baby was in the womb. Children (and young people) with FASD may have other co-existing conditions. You can find out more here. There is local support available too.
Behaviour which is difficult to manage is often called ‘challenging behaviour’. It’s usually when it is more extreme and happens more often than is usual for a child of that age. But any behaviour you find difficult to deal with is also part of challenging behaviour. There is help available and you can find out more about how to access this on our webpages.
Funded school places 2 years and older
All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours free childcare per week
Some 2 year olds with special educational needs and disabilities are eligible for free places
Some two year olds are entitled to free early learning and childcare. The eligibility starts the school term after the child’s second birthday. The criteria can be found here
All children become eligible for free childcare and early learning places from the school term after their third birthday.
You can visit the County Councils Early Years offer here
Supporting children with additional needs who are in a pre-school, nursery or are with a registered childminder.
Your child’s nursery, pre-school or childminder might ask the local authority for help and advice if they and you have concerns about your child’s development.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Early Years and Childcare Inclusion Advisers work closely with early years settings, advising on identifying and meeting additional needs.
If your child needs support from other professionals, their nursery, pre-school or childminder or another professional can complete an Early Help Assessment (EHA) with you to identify the help you need.
As your child gets ready for going to school you might find Cambridgeshire County Council’s website helpful – it explains the process of getting a school place
When we talk about parent carers that includes you! Your relationship with your child may be a little different in that you are not the birth parent, but you are parent carers to us. You are included in all we do, and you are welcome to all of our sessions.
You may already have help around you and your child (children) – social care is usually involved in supporting families and children who adopt, foster or take care of children in kinship or as guardians
However, you may want and need extra support from others who have are also caring for children in the same circumstances – social care is often the way to find this help but there are other local groups. Cambridgeshire’s County Council website has information for those caring in these circumstances:
Some children who come to live with family members, guardians , foster or adoptive families may have a range of additional needs. Each child will be unique and so the links below are a starting point to support you and your child as you work out what you need to thrive.
The Anna Freud Centre has a wide range of information and videos that looks at some of the things children and young people themselves may need help with.
If you are looking after a child under these arrangements, then you will have social worker who will be supporting you. Cambridgeshire County Council also have webpages that will help you find extra help and support – Adoption and fostering in Cambridgeshire
There a range of websites offering additional help and support for families:
