The EHAT process will be used when needs affects a child or children’s ability to develop appropriately, and where they will benefit from the support of services from a range of services. The aim is to ensure that children receive these services at the earliest opportunity.

This should remove the need for multiple assessments at the early stages of intervention in children’s lives. Where a more specialist assessment (such as a Single Assessment under the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families) is required, using EHAT will help by clearly identifying needs and what support arrangements have been in place during Early Help.

This can make sure that a Single Assessment for Social Care support is fully informed and ensure that the referral is really necessary and that it is supported by accurate up-to-date information.

The information gathered will follow the children/family and builds up a picture over time, rather than a series of partial snapshots.

All people who will conduct an assessment will first need to have been trained as EHAT Practitioners, regardless of their professional background.

EHAT is designed to be used for all children from pre-birth to 18 years of age. There will need to be protocols for handover of assessment information to adult services.
Adult Services are also actively involved in the process where parent(s) needs affect the wellbeing of their children.

EHAT trained professionals from all agencies who work with children. However the individual EHAT will be owned by the child/young person/family and the practitioner who undertook the EHAT process. Information contained in EHAT will not be able to be shared without the consent of the child/family.

EHAT fits perfectly with family centred planning as EHAT has the identification of needs and strengths of the children/family at its core. It is universal to all agencies and is the 'property' of the person being assessed.

The EHAT will inform a Single Assessment undertaken by Children's Social Care, or a request for an Education Health Care Plan, or indeed any other specialist Assessments.

The lead professional is the person responsible for coordinating the actions identified in the assessment process and being a single point of contact for the family being supported by more than one practitioner/agency or service. The lead professional should be the person most involved in meeting the child's needs or who has greatest contact\trust with the family. As long as the practitioner has received lead professional training they should be able to undertake the role.

The lead professional will coordinate provision and act as a single point of contact for the family when a range of services are involved and an integrated response is required.

There is no maximum, the number of agencies or services involved will be individual to each family. However, it is usually at least two. Each time an additional agency becomes involved with the family, a review is needed to establish who is best placed to be the lead professional, and this might change as needs and service involvement changes.

The Safeguarding Partnership is a local multi-agency group. The Partnership has the duty to promote the wellbeing and safeguarding of all children in the area.

The lead professional is responsible for sharing information with appropriate services/agencies (ensuring consent has been given). Each agency is responsible for maintaining up to date records on their systems, and this will be supported by the EHAT co-ordinator and team who will assist in the arrangements and administration of recording to make sure there is a clear and consistent method of recording for reporting and audit requirements.

Liverpool has Early Help Hubs located across the city that will provide a point of contact for professionals to help with resolving issues and finding resolutions where there is no agreement or lack of progress.

Refusal to give consent to share information or to take part in the completion of an EHAT does not preclude anyone from the help they need. However, the sharing of information may actually ensure that support is received faster. It also must be made clear that participating in the process does not guarantee any service either.

Where practical, consent should be gained from both parents but in the event of a dispute, the consent of the parent with whom the child resides should be obtained.