Early Help Strategy 2023-2025

What is Early Help and why it is important to children and families?

Early help, also known as early intervention, is the support given to a child, young person, and their family when a problem first emerges. Help may 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 is not a service provided by one agency but is an approach that services adopt with many stakeholders working together to produce an early help offer. The Early Help Offer (system) is the network of services, processes and interactions that aim to help children, young people, and families at the earliest opportunity.

Providing early help is more effective in promoting the welfare of children than reacting later and can also prevent further problems arising in the child, young person, and family’s life. The help should be needs led with support and empowerment from universal and targeted services. These are designed to prevent and reduce problems from escalating whilst also helping children, young people and families move from statutory services to universal support.

Early help identifies those families that may need support and signposting to help, at any stage in a child’s life when these needs cannot be met from within the family network, universal and community services alone. An enhanced single agency approach should always be considered, but at times a collaborative multi-agency approach across agencies and partners will be required to prevent escalation and provide families the help that they need. Early help support should enable families to build on their strengths, promote resilience to sustain positive changes and enable them to find their own solutions in the future. Understanding a family’s own support networks of family and friends who can help and build a family’s resilience will enable sustainable positive outcomes.

Early help provides place based integrated services and connecting families with their communities. Research in Practice (2022) states

‘Adopting a place-based approach with multi-agency teams or Family Hubs will tackle community issues requiring early intervention across a range of agencies and organisations. Moving beyond single service-based practice to a “whole place” approach to commissioning preventative services in response to assessments of threat, harm, risk, and vulnerability'

Early help can offer children the support needed to reach their full potential. It can improve the quality of a child’s home and family life, enabling them to perform better at school, support their mental health and develop skills that can prepare them for adult life. Providing timely support is vital. A quality early help offer will prevent persistent problems escalating.

Research suggests that early help can:

• Protect children from harm.
• Reduce the need for high-cost statutory services.
• Improve children’s long-term outcomes.

Early help provides opportunities to make lasting and sustainable improvements to the lives of children.

At the heart of this Strategy is our shared values that we will:

• put children, young people, and families at the heart of everything we do.by utilising genuine co-production
• ensure that partners work together to achieve better outcomes for children, young people and their families
• recognise and share examples of good practice so that these can be replicated across the system and drive positive cultural change
• be innovative and brave in our practice
• be open and honest about barriers that may be preventing improvement so that we can collectively agree how these barriers can be overcome
• ensure that poor practice is challenged appropriately to lead to improvement of the early help offer
• ensure that children, young people and their families receive the right service, at the right time with the right people
• Help connect children and young people to their communities for ongoing support

Living and growing up in Coventry

If Coventry were 100 children:

• 34 are from a minority ethnic group
• 29 live in absolute low-income households
• 69 are school-ready by the end of reception
• 28 are entitled to free school meals
• 15 have a long-term illness or medical condition at 15
• 88 are feeling optimistic about the future at least some of the time
• 95 attend school regularly
• 19 children are receiving SEN support
• 17 children have received Early Help support
• 35 are learning English as an additional language
• 76 have a healthy weight at 4-5 years old
• 6 are young carers
• 30 live in single parent households
• 95 are in education or work based training at 16+

Population

Coventry’s population is growing, changing and increasingly diverse, it is the seventh fastest growing local authority in the West Midlands region.

There were 345,300 (2021) people living in Coventry. Within the last 10 years, the population has grown by 8.9% from 317,000 (2011). This is higher than both the overall increase for the West Midlands (6.2%) and for England (6.6%).

Coventry is a young city with a median age of residents of 35 years and is falling over time, this is notably lower than the England median 40 years. An estimated 68,300 children under the age of 16 live in Coventry, which makes up 19.5% of the population.

The city’s population has grown particularly amongst younger adults with the success of the city’s two universities in attracting students locally and internationally. Birth rates have been decreasing by 9% in Coventry for the last 10 years however the number of children aged 5-14 living in Coventry has increased by 22% notably over the last 10 years.

Whilst there is a natural growth in Coventry's population, with more births than deaths each year, migration now accounts for a larger portion of the city's expansion. The largest movements of people are from and to other parts of the UK, with students attending the two major universities in the city contributing to this. Coventry welcomes many new residents from other parts of the world and international migration is a key factor in population growth. More people have moved to Coventry from overseas annually in the last 10 years (less so in the last 2 or 3) than those who move from Coventry abroad.

Ethnic diversity

Coventry is an ethnically diverse city, with around one-third (34.5%) of the population from minority ethnic groups, compared to 20% for England with just under half of its school-aged population from an ethnic minority background in 2021, up from around one-third in 2011.

The largest minority ethnic group are Asian/Asian British communities, making up 16.3% of the city’s population, including 8.8% with an Indian background. The next largest minority group are people with a White Other background, who make up 7.2% of the population. Coventry’s population with a Black African background has grown to 4%, which is now more than double the English average (1.8%). The largest numbers of new communities are from Polish, Nigerian,

Somali, Cameroonian, Chinese and Roma communities. The number of residents born outside of the UK has increased, highlighting the increasing diversity of the city.

Coventry is proud to be a city of sanctuary to many asylum seekers and refugees, including those from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and British Nationals from Hong Kong.

Languages spoken

Coventry has increasing diversity of languages spoken.

In 2021, 82.5% of Coventry’s residents had English as a main language, compared to 86.1% in 2011. The school Census (Spring 2023) data shows that 68.4% of all children are learning English as an additional language (across all phases) Within Coventry, Polish (2.3%), Panjabi (2.3%) and Romanian (2.1%) are the three most spoken languages after English.

Impact of COVID-19

The impact of COVID-19 on children, young people and families is significant, varied and still emerging. School closures, social distancing and lockdown measures have had a long-term effect on children and young people’s emotional well-being and lived experiences.

During the pandemic the Family Hubs adapted the environments to continue to provide services to children, young people and their families in safe spaces. The legacy of this continues and will be built upon as the National Family Hub Framework and Start for Life offer is expanded.

Although it was a difficult period for so many, there were positive consequences of the pandemic to be built upon:

• Increase in collaboration across the Early Help Partnership.
• More flexible approach to delivering help and support, in more agile and innovative ways.
• Enhancing digital skills and digital platforms to offer “virtual” help.
• Use of technology in order that the family received the support they need.

Health inequalities

Inequalities in health arise out of inequalities in society. These inequalities are not inevitable.

Reducing inequality in society has shown to lead to improvements in a person’s wellbeing, mental health, community and social relations, reduced levels of violence and better educational attainment. As a Marmot City, Coventry is working to address the causes of inequalities by resourcing and delivering universal services at a scale and intensity proportionate to the degrees of need. This Early Help Strategy is therefore one of the key enablers in the delivery of the One Coventry plan and the key strategic priority of improving outcomes and tackling inequalities within our communities.

Children are getting a good education

In Coventry, uptake of funded early years childcare for all children aged two, three and four has increased.

The 2-year-old uptake has increased to 74.8% in 2022, compared to 72% nationally and 67% regionally. Similarly, the 3- & 4-year-old take-up increased from 86% to 88% but was still below national at 92% and regional 93% averages.

Quality of teaching and learning in schools has rapidly improved in the city, with 89% of primary and 86% of secondary students now attending a school rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.

In 2022, the higher performing children in key stage 4 for Maths and English include pupils from Chinese backgrounds, followed by pupils from Asian backgrounds. The pupils doing less well in key stage 4 are Black Caribbean ethnic backgrounds. Key Stage 2 highest performing pupils for Maths and English are Asian pupils followed by black and white pupils. Pupils who have an Education Health and Care Plan or those receiving free school meals are still the least performing children at school.

Employment is improving

The number of Coventry residents in employment has been increasing strongly for last few years. In 2022 there were 80% of people in paid work.

The balance between male and female is reasonably equitable with 94,400 males and 86,300 females. However there remains a gender gap in pay with males receiving £100 a week on average more than females.

Coventry has made significant progress in becoming a higher-skilled city in the last 5 years. Coventry has driven down the numbers of residents with no qualifications by 14,700. We have achieved a substantial increase in the numbers of residents qualified at NVQ2 with 43,700 more residents qualified to NVQ2 or above. We have also made significant progress in becoming a more highly skilled city with 37,000 more residents qualified to NVQ3 or above.

Children living in poverty and deprivation

The percentage of Coventry neighbourhoods that are amongst the 10% most deprived in England reduced from 18.5% to 14.4% between 2015 and 2019.

Based on this measure, Coventry ranked 64th nationally in 2019 (with 1st being the most deprived), an improvement in ranking from 46th in 2015. However living in these areas of significant deprivation limit resident’s opportunities to succeed in life; transforming life chances require us to address the social inequalities that are established from children’s earliest years. The latest available data, for 2020/21, suggest that 23% of Coventry children aged 0-15 live in relative low-income families compared to 19% nationally. Following COVID-19 pandemic the economic outlook for the city remains challenging and uncertain.

While spending and other economic activity rapidly bounced back in 2021-22, employment has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Additionally, rapid inflation in 2022 threatens the city’s recovery, with rapidly increasing energy prices and cost of living impacting the finances of households and businesses.

Cost of living

Across Coventry, more and more people are feeling the pressure from the increasing cost of living. Many families are living in homes that do not meet modern efficiency standards, meaning that too many Coventry residents live in damp, poorly insulated homes, and are paying too much to stay warm.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues, it is expected that the proportion of households paying more than 10% of their household income to stay warm will increase from around 24% in summer 2022 to an estimated 62% by winter 2022; with around 12% of households in the city spending one-quarter of their household income to stay warm. This will disproportionately affect the most deprived families in Coventry. Without state intervention, this is expected to plunge many more households and families, including some previously well-off households, into abject poverty, with associated negative impacts on health and wellbeing, and associated increases in crime and violence. The role of advice services in the early help offer is therefore core to the response in helping families mitigate the impact of the cost of living, both by helping families to maximise their income, reduce costs and receive practical help and support.

Some children are not getting the best start in life

Infant mortality rates in Coventry are higher compared to England but similar the regional rate.

The infant mortality rate in Coventry is 5.7 per 1,000. This is similar to the rest of the West Midlands (5.6) however more than for England (3.9). This is partly due to a relatively high number of premature babies born in Coventry leading to a higher number of babies born at low weight.

Inequalities in reaching a good level of development within Coventry have already established themselves by the age of 5.

Whilst 61% of the city’s five-year-olds achieve a good level of development at age 5, this is 4% lower than the national average. Not only do fewer of the city’s children achieve a good level of development than the national average, but the most disadvantaged five-year olds in Coventry are also further behind. Amongst disadvantaged children, 46.3% achieve a good level of development, compared to 63.4% for non-disadvantaged children, a 17-percentage point gap.

Children and young people’s mental and physical health

The need to highlight the importance of addressing mental health and resilience of individuals is particularly important due to the influences and impact that COVID 19 has had on children and young people.

All services need to help change peoples’ perceptions of mental health and help to make sure that children are treated early, supported by the relevant services, recover well, and get back on their feet – exactly in the same way in which they would if they were presenting as physically unwell. The partnership must provide the community support in helping children to be able to be equipped to continue with their lives with reduced barriers and easy access to services. Fundamentally, good mental health is good for our children and young people, the society in which they live and in the future economy of Coventry.

Children experiencing abuse and exploitation

There are higher number of families with complex needs that meet the criteria for the Government’s Supporting Families programme in Coventry than our statistical neighbours.

The ‘toxic trio’ of domestic abuse, mental health issues and drug and alcohol abuse are significant issues for Coventry parents, which impacts on their children. Some families have deeply entrenched multi-generational problems. Some families encounter problems that put their children at risk outside of their families, such as child sexual exploitation or gang influences. Therefore contextual safeguarding is a priority for Coventry. The aim is therefore to intervene earlier and redirect resources from high cost, high intervention services to prevention and early intervention support and services.

Children who may have experienced harm from substance or alcohol misuse

In March 2020, the prevalence of any drug use in the last year was highest amongst 16- to 19-year-olds and 20- to 24-year-olds (21.1% and 21%, respectively).

In Coventry, there is a disproportionate amount of harm caused by alcohol use. Alcohol-related mortality and hospital admission rates are higher than the national average. Despite a decrease in admissions between 2020-21 and 2019-20, alcohol-related hospital admission rates are still high among males and females. Parental problem drug use can cause serious harm to children at every age, from conception to adulthood. Within Coventry, there were 327 parents in treatment out of a projected number of 3780 (9%). Analysis of hidden harm showed opportunities to develop the Early Help response in Coventry.

There has been a significant decrease in the number of young people in treatment. There has been a drive from services to provide earlier preventative interventions.

Children affected or involved in crime

The crime rate in Coventry is 12,043 incidents per 100,000 population (ONS, 2022). In the year ending July 2022, there were 41,347 incidents of crime, a 7,250 increase in incidents when compared to the previous year.

In 2021/22, Children Youth Justice Service was aware of 118 offences which resulted with a substantive disposal (i.e., one that forms part of a person’s criminal record) and 136 non-substantive. The most common categories that resulted in non-substantive outcomes were: Violence Against the Person (46%), Criminal Damage (16%) and Drugs (11%); and, by a substantive outcome were Violence Against the Person (32%), Robbery (14%) and Domestic Burglary (13%). Comparing to previous years (2017-2022) all proven offence groups have reduced largely in line with reductions overall with notable exception of motoring offences that has reduced by 90% and knife/weapon offences that have increased from 25 to 32 overall proven offences. Different ways of recording may give an appearance of a rise in crime however this does not necessary reflect that more children are involved in crime. The number of reoffences in Coventry is 2.64 on average, versus 3.58 for the Family Group; showing for children or young people who do reoffend commit fewer offences. The number of presenting at A&E due to them being a victim of crime has reduced however admissions for ‘fist used’ as a weapon’ saw a spike in Sept/Oct 2022 believed to be as a result of an increase number of assaults taking place within schools resulting in injuries which required an X-ray.

Children impacted by domestic abuse

There has been an increase in domestic abuse incidents in Coventry. There was a total of 9,280 domestic abuse incidents reported to the Police during 2020. This is a 33% increase on the previous highest number over the period which was 7,000 during 2019.

There has been an increase in referrals to Muti Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) in 12 months to June 2021. The 613 referrals in the 12 months to June 2021 is the highest in any 12-month period. There has been a 69% increase over the past 5 years. This is similar to the West Midlands. 45% of the referrals to MARAC in the 12 months to June 2021 were repeat cases. This is slightly higher than the previous 2 years.

Children not living in their own home

There are increasing number of families at risk of/experiencing homelessness and may be living in temporary accommodation.

There has been an increase in households seeking support from the Housing & Homelessness Service in Coventry. Since the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act in April 2018 to March 2023 there were over 11,000 households who were owed Prevention or Relief duties from the service as they were assessed as either homeless or threatened with homelessness. In March 2023 there were over 500 families in temporary accommodation provided by the council. The most common reasons for families losing settled accommodation include the end of a private rented tenancy, being asked to leave by family members, or fleeing domestic violence.

Coventry Homefinder has over 7,000 applicants live and able to bid on the register (as at March 2023) who have all been assessed as having a housing need. 13.5% of live applications have been assessed in the most urgent housing need category, including those who have been assessed as statutory homeless and those who are severely overcrowded. The 2021 census shows that 24.7% of properties in Coventry are Private Rented (increase from 20.6% in 2011) and 17% of properties are Social Rented (no % change from 2011).