The Early Response Hub
Find out about our Early Response Hub and how they help families
On this page:
- Referrals to the Contact, Advice and Assessment Service (CAAS)
- Our Service and what we offer
- Our workers and how we work
- Useful resources
Referrals to the Contact, Advice and Assessment Service (CAAS)
Referrals are made to the Early Response Hub via CAAS on 01635 503090. If a referral is made about your children and your family does not require a social worker but you do need some support, the Early Response Hub will contact you to discuss the concerns and explore a support plan.
The Early Response Hub only works with families who want a service. Therefore, when we first contact you, we will ask for your agreement to work with you to create a support plan, which will include speaking to other professionals in the Hub.
Our service and what we offer
Our aim is to support parents and adults in parenting roles, when you are in need of support and are struggling to manage. Your difficulties could be a wide range of different things but, as the Early Response Hub has a range of different professionals with different skills and specialisms, it is well equipped to support you with the issue you are struggling with.
What we offer
We offer advice and interventions to work with you to create a support plan that help to address the difficulty (or difficulties) that you are experiencing. For families in receipt of a support plan, the Hub will complete a follow up check three months after a support plan has been agreed. This check is to ensure that the support plan was implemented and that the support is sufficient, or to consider any additional services which may be required.
Interventions
We offer a range of interventions. The types of problems we can help address are:
- Difficulties between separated parents
- Parental conflict
- Difficulties in managing children's behaviour
- Difficulties with housing
- Difficulties with finances
- General parenting struggles
- Children experiencing emotional difficulties
- Concerns about children's use of social media or online habits
- Concerns about children and young people becoming involved in substance misuse
- Difficulties with your teenager
Recording
It is important that you are aware that we record a brief summary of our work together on the Local Authority records of the child (or children) you care for.
Our workers and how we work
Family Support Worker
The family support worker offers parenting advice and also advice about more specific difficulties such as private law disputes, accessing foodbanks and other community services. This advice may be by telephone or in person via a home visit.
Emotional Health Academy Worker
The Emotional Health Academy (EHA) worker offers advice and support to families who have a child or young person who is struggling with their emotional wellbeing. They can offer advice directly to families and also advice to other professionals working with families who are experiencing this difficulty.
Early Response Hub Intervention Worker
The Early Response Hub Intervention Worker offers support with issues such as:
- Children and young people on the Edge of Care
- Families at risk of breakdown
- Parental Substance Misuse
- Parental Mental Health concerns
- Domestic abuse
- Children and young people at risk of, or subject to, exploitation
- Children and young people who have gone missing from care or home
Disabled Children's Team
The Disabled Children's Team representative in the Hub offers advice to families who may require a statutory service from West Berkshire's Children with Disabilities Services.
Home-Start
The Home-Start Resilient Families worker in the Hub offers support to families with a child between the ages of 3 to 7 who are struggling with their mental health, physical health, isolation, bereavement and many other issues. Advice may be by telephone or in person via a home visit.
Young Carers
The Young Carers Project Worker within the Hub assesses children and young people who may be Young Carers for a relative or member of their household.
The Young Carers Project runs weekly youth groups as well as school holiday activities, to enable Young Carers to have a break from their caring responsibilities
Early Years and Family Hubs
Our Early Years and Family Hubs worker is the link between Children's Services, early years settings and Family Hubs. They are able to liaise with these settings and advise on the services and groups running from these settings.
Education Safeguarding
Our Education Safeguarding officer is the link between Children's Services and education settings and can use this link to help to inform support plans for families within the Hub.
Swings and Smiles
Swings and Smiles is a charity that provides support, friendship and play opportunities for children with special needs and disabilities and their families. This includes specialist sibling support and wellbeing groups for parents.
Useful resources
- The Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) website provides information for separated parents
- Gingerbread is a charity for single parent families
- CAP (Christians Against Poverty) is a debt advice charity that offers advice and support
Self-help resources
Our West Berkshire Directory and Local Offer is 'Your one-stop shop for help and support in West Berkshire'. You can find information about services in West Berkshire and how to access them on the West Berkshire Directory website.
You can also 
view or download all of the information above in our Early Response Hub Leaflet [163KB] .
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