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<p>The department is taking a number of steps with the Department of Health and Social
Care (DHSC) aimed at improving outreach methods for parents and children in need of
early intervention services.</p><p>Statutory guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard
Children' is clear that local areas should have a comprehensive range of effective,
evidence-based services in place to address assessed needs early. So we are introducing
new multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, which put responsibility jointly on local
authorities, health and police to put in place services that meet the needs of children
and families locally. In making their local arrangements, the safeguarding partners
should agree with other relevant agencies the levels for the different types of assessment
and services to be commissioned and delivered – which could include outreach services.
In implementing these new arrangements, my department is working closely with the
DHSC, as well as the Home Office.</p><p>On 4 December 2017 the government published
the 'Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision' green paper.
It sets out our ambition to go further to ensure that children and young people showing
early signs of distress are always able to access the right help, in the right setting,
when they need it. There is clear evidence that schools and colleges can, and do,
play a vital role in identifying mental health needs at an early stage, referring
young people to specialist support and working jointly with others to support young
people experiencing problems. We will fund new mental health support teams to provide
specific extra capacity for early intervention and ongoing help, supervised by NHS
children and young people’s mental health staff, whose work will be jointly managed
by schools and the NHS.</p><p>My department is also working with Public Health England
(an executive agency of DHSC) to help fulfil its ambition in 'Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling
Potential', published in December 2017, to close the word gap in the early years.
This includes work to trial an early language assessment tool and deliver training
and guidance for health visitors on early speech, language and communication needs.</p>
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