Understanding Early Help Assessments
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The course includes challenges to test the learner’s ongoing knowledge, videos and interactivity to retain interest, examples of early help in schools and colleges, downloads of relevant reading and reports including the Victoria Climbié inquiry, and full details about using EHAs.
This course was formerly known as Early Help and CAF
Course Level: Intermediate
12 Modules (Duration: 2-3 CPD Hours)
Accreditation: CPD Certified
Certificate: Self-Printed Certificate
Last Updated: 17th October 2025
Description
Early help or early intervention involves supporting families when a problem first occurs and can be utilised at any point in a child's or young person's life. Requests for early help require an assessment, formerly known as the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and now known as the Early Help Assessment (EHA).
Early help can have massively positive impacts on a child's future development and is therefore crucial that anyone working with children, young people or their families understands the importance of early help.
This wide-ranging Early Help Assessment safeguarding course is designed to help all those working with children, adults and families who could benefit from Early Help.
It covers information sharing and its ramifications, the definition of early help and how to access it, and is suitable for social workers, youth and family workers, teachers, and anyone working with possibly vulnerable children, young people, adults and families.
Topics covered in this EHA training course include:
- The definition and importance of information sharing, when it is necessary and appropriate
- Types of information
- Confidentiality, information security and data protection (GDPR)
- What can be achieved by information sharing
- The difference between sharing information about children and about adults, and the specific needs of children
- The definition of ‘early help’, identifying who might need it, and what assessment involves
- When and how a child, young person, adult or family might be vulnerable
- Definition, background and purpose of the Early Help Assessment (EHA)
- How to use the EHA in practice
- Legislation covering all the above
- Numbers and statistics as relevant
This EHA online training course includes challenges to test the learner’s ongoing knowledge, videos and interactivity to retain interest, examples of early help in schools and colleges, downloads of relevant reading and reports, including the Victoria Climbieé inquiry, and full details about using the CAF form.
Legislation covered in this course includes: The Care Act 2014, Working Together to Safeguard Children and Data Protection (GDPR)
What you'll learn
- Why information sharing is important; what can be shared, what should be shared, and how to do this correctly
- The legal framework of information sharing, including consent and agreements
- Recognise the principles and rules, such as the Caldicott Principles
- Understand what is meant by ‘early help’, who might need early help, what type of help is available, and who provides it
- Know who to contact if a child or young person causes concern
- Recognise the range of vulnerabilities experienced by children, young people, adults and families, explain the factors making people vulnerable, their implications and their risks
- Understand and describe the professional responses to people who are vulnerable
- Understand the Early Help Assessment Framework and recognise the areas it covers, and how it is used in practice
Suitable for
- Teachers
- Teaching assistants
- Social Workers
- Council Workers
- Youth and Family Workers
- Anyone working with possibly vulnerable children, young people, adults and families
Course Structure
The course starts by looking at statistics from the Children’s Commissioner’s 2019 childhood vulnerability report to show how many children are at risk. It also explains what vulnerable adolescents are and the risks to them whilst including interactive challenges to check your knowledge throughout.
Certification
Self-Printed Certificate Option
Upon completion of the course, a digital certificate will be available to download instantly.
Recent Reviews
12th December 2025
Timely
Timely, with minimal delay in being able to access the course at a time that suited me. The modules flowed into each other smoothly, and I could soon see the practical benefit of the knowledge gained.
11th December 2025
Easy to study
The course was easy to follow. Easy to register Easy to study
11th December 2025
Easy to access
Easy to access, all relevant information available
8th December 2025
Booking was easy the website had all…
Booking was easy the website had all the information I needed so once I booked the package I then received notification to allocate the spaces, which again was really simple to do, our staff will be doing this training on the January training day, but if they wanted to do it before they now could so for staff who work part time it's perfect.
8th December 2025
Easily accessible.
Easily accessible.
7th December 2025
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Easy instructions
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4th December 2025
Don't rush
Ease of layout, also can revert back should you be unsure of content of lesson and there is the ability to make notes on the system although I still use paper and pen.88
3rd December 2025
My overall experience was great.
My experience was great due to the flow and ease of the course. It was interactive and I found it to be enjoyable.
Excellent
4.8 out of 5
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