Early / family help JSNAA (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

A group conversation was held with the Early Help Family Worker team to discuss the service, the roles of various members of the team and to discuss challenges and successes in the service.

Key themes that emerged from the discussion fell into 3 broad categories:

• Gaps
• Challenges
• Successes

Gaps

• Boys were identified as having specific needs that are presently insufficiently addressed by existing services.
• Non-school attenders and electively home educated children and young people were also identified as a group which at present experience insufficient services to meet need.

Challenges

• Wait lists for mental health services were identified as a significant challenge, with instances of families waiting two years for a community psychiatric nurse. These long waits were identified for both adults and children and within all available services.

Successes

• The increased capacity at the Front Door has allowed for more cases to be managed with advice and guidance at the point of triage which has reduced the number of families allocated to the more intensive Early Help Family Work team.