London Borough of Hackney - Early Help Training

We successfully delivered two bespoke Early Help Training Programmes across Hackney’s four neighbourhood localities, with around 30 managers and practitioners from across a range of early help teams who provide targeted family support. 

The training formed part of Hackney’s commitment to strengthening Early Help practice, improving confidence in the Lead Professional role, and ensuring that families and children’s  voices – including those who are non-verbal or under five – are heard and represented within the Team Around the Family (TAF) process.

The training was designed to build professional confidence, consistency, and capability in Early Help practice. It provided a reflective and practical space for practitioners to develop their skills in leading coordinated support for families, chairing effective TAF meetings, and promoting genuine partnership working that empowers both families and children.

Over two days, participants explored key themes and tools essential to high-quality Early Help practice, including:

• The role of the Lead Professional in coordinating support and maintaining momentum
• Chairing TAF meetings effectively and empowering families to take an active role
• Amplifying children’s voices, including creative approaches for engaging non-verbal and very young children
• Developing and monitoring Family Support Plans and holding partners to account
• Using chronologies, genograms, and ecomaps to strengthen assessment and planning
• Embedding systemic, trauma informed and anti-racist practice, supporting inclusion within communities

Outcomes and Impact

Participants reported increased confidence in leading and coordinating Early Help support, with a stronger understanding of how to maintain both focus and compassion in multi-agency work. The training also helped practitioners:

• Strengthen their use of tools and frameworks to support family engagement
• Improve their confidence in chairing and being more inclusivity of TAF meetings
• Reflect on personal and systemic biases, applying anti-racist and culturally competent practice
• Enhance collaboration across localities to ensure a consistent Early Help offer

Reflection

The programme enhanced Hackney’s Early Help Approach and demonstrated the value of creating safe, reflective learning spaces for practitioners across different teams. The active engagement, dynamic discussions, and openness of participants was evident throughout - contributing to valuable learning, sharing of good practices and operational challenges, together with promoting a more standardised and coordinated approach, leading to better outcomes for children and families across Hackney.

Feedback

•           I understood in depth the core of the TAF meetings and the true value of conveying it. I have learned to look at my weakness for organising TAF’s and will be revisiting my skills & learning again to improve the TAF meetings

  ·       Be more thoughtful in how to provide a safe and comfortable environment for the family when holding a TAF. To keep remembering the child and family re the focus and to ensure that their voices are heard and advocated for them when they are feeling overwhelmed.

  ·       I felt the presentation on trauma informed practice was very powerful and showed how crucial this is in family work, as well as being applicable to our own workforce. It definitely made me think about how I need to bring this into my role

  ·       There is nothing that is not valuable on this training course. Is about refreshing and gaining more knowledge

  ·        Leanne was brilliant! She made the two days really enjoyable.

  ·       Leanne is very knowledgeable and it’s the way she facilitated that kept me engaged

  ·         Please provide a list of further training be the trainer – delivery on point!

  ·        Wonderful, professional, skilful, knowledgeable

  ·         Great insights & lived experiences shared

  ·        Trainer was professional and relatable with examples and experience