No child should miss out because they can't get support.

Early help services support families as soon as problems appear. 
Early help can prevent harm and keep children safe. It can be what stops a minor problem from becoming a crisis. Examples of early help services include: parenting support; play and activity groups; emotional health and wellbeing support; and communication and language support. These services are vital in giving children the best start in life. However, a decade of cuts to funding has left too many parents and children struggling to get the help they need.

When children and their families face problems, it can be hard for a child to do their best at school.
This leads to a gap in outcomes between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers - and this isn't fair. Our latest research shows that teachers often go above and beyond to fill gaps in support and keep children learning. But this isn’t enough to address the numerous challenges that children and their families face. It also puts pressure on teachers, as they don’t have the time or the skillset to provide all the support families need. Children and families should have places they can go for support outside of schools.

We’re asking the government to urgently invest in help for children and their families.
We want early help to become a statutory service, so all children and families can access help as soon as possible. Councils must be given the funding needed to deliver this. We also want all local authorities to be supported to build on the Family Hubs model and bring together their early help, early intervention and family services. The government should also promote the use of family liaison officers in schools to provide the support and advice families need, so this responsibility isn't falling on teachers.