History
Early Support is for families in England with children under five. It implements Government guidance for professionals working with disabled children and their families, published in May 2003, called Together from the Start.
The guidance recognised that where young children have particular support needs associated with disability, it’s important that these are identified at an early stage and that identification leads to effective early intervention and multi-agency support for children and families.
The guidance covers:
- the assessment of children’s needs
- co-ordination of multi-agency support for families
- information and access for families
- professional knowledge and skills
- how services are reviewed and developed
- partnership working across agencies and geographical boundaries.
Programme development 2003 - 2007
Early Support began in 2003, funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (then the Department for Education and Skills) and the Department of Health. At that time it was called the Early Support Pilot Programme (ESPP). It was funded to promote the implementation of Government guidance and encourage better co-ordination of services for families with young children.
Central Government invested £13 million in the development of Early Support from 2003 to 2006.
The programme was developed in partnership with a wide range of voluntary organisations and 45 Pathfinder areas were identified and funded in 2004-2006 to try out new ways of working and share experience. Activity in the Early Support Pathfinder areas was independently evaluated.
The programme materials were also developed in this period - read more about how.
Central Government continues to fund and support the mainstreaming and consolidation of the programme across England, as it becomes a standard part of services provided for children and families by local authorities and health authorities, everywhere. Read more about this on the next page.
Visit our news archive or read the newsletters for more detail of the programme's milestones.
