How to use this glossary

Terms are listed alphabetically. Shortened terms are shown in brackets after the full term. Where a term describes a developing arrangement, this is made clear in the definition.

 

 

A

Actions

The practical things that people agree to do. A plan should state what will happen, who will do it and when it should happen.

Additional needs

A broad term used when a child or young person needs more support than is normally available through everyday or universal services. Needs may relate to education, health, development, emotional wellbeing, family life or practical circumstances.

Alternative provision

Education arranged outside a child or young person’s usual school or setting. It may be used for different reasons, such as health needs, exclusion, or when a different type of learning environment is needed.

Annual review

A planned review of an Education, Health and Care Plan to check whether it is still right for the child or young person and whether any changes are needed.

Assessment

A way of developing a shared understanding of a child or young person’s strengths, needs and circumstances. It should include the views of the child and family and help everyone decide what support may be helpful.

Attendance

A child or young person’s presence at school or another education setting. If attendance becomes difficult, families and professionals should try to understand what is happening and what support may help.

 

C

CAMHS

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS support children and young people with more significant emotional, behavioural or mental health needs.

Child and family voice

What the child, young person, parents and carers say about their lives, strengths, worries, priorities and hopes. Their views should influence the outcomes, actions and reviews in the plan.

Children’s Social Care

The local authority service responsible for supporting and protecting children where there are significant concerns about a child’s welfare, safety or development.

Child in Need Plan

A statutory plan used by Children’s Social Care where a child needs services to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development, or where health or development could be significantly affected without those services.

Child Protection Plan

A statutory plan used when a child is assessed as being at continuing risk of significant harm. It sets out what needs to change to help keep the child safe.

Close the plan

Ending an Earliest Support Plan because coordinated support is no longer required. This may happen because outcomes have been achieved or needs can be supported through everyday services and community support.

Community support

Help provided through local groups, charities, voluntary organisations, family networks, community venues and other resources in the area where a family lives.

Consent

A clear agreement to something. Within the pathway, this usually means that the child, young person or parent understands and agrees to the plan or to relevant information being shared.

Continuum of support

The range of help available to children and families, from everyday universal support through to targeted, specialist or statutory services. Support may increase or reduce as needs change.

Coordinated support

Support organised so the family and everyone involved understand the shared priorities, outcomes, actions and responsibilities.

Core group

A smaller group of people involved in a Child Protection Plan who meet between child protection conferences to review progress, share information and agree actions.

 

D

Developmental delay

When a child is developing skills more slowly than expected for their age. This may include speech, movement, learning, play, independence or social communication.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

The named person in an education setting who has lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection. Parents and carers may hear this role mentioned if there are worries about a child’s safety or wellbeing.

E

Early Help

Support offered when difficulties or additional needs begin to emerge. Its purpose is to respond early and help prevent needs from becoming more difficult or complex.

Earliest Support Plan (ESP)

A written plan developed with a child, young person and family. It brings together what matters to the family, what is going well, what people are worried about, what everyone wants to be different and who will help.

Earliest Support Pathway

Gloucestershire’s framework for planning and assessment with families who have a broad range of needs, including children who need support through the SEND graduated approach.

EHC needs assessment

A formal assessment to decide whether a child or young person may need an Education, Health and Care Plan. It looks at education, health and care needs and the support that may be required.

Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

A statutory plan for a child or young person whose special educational needs require support beyond that normally available through education settings.

Emerging needs

Needs or difficulties that are beginning to affect a child, young person or family. Early conversations and support may help prevent these needs from increasing.

Exclusion

A formal decision by a school that a child or young person cannot attend for a set period, or permanently. Schools should explain the reason, the process and any support or next steps clearly to the family.

 

F

Family-centred

An approach that works with the whole family and recognises their views, strengths, relationships, circumstances and priorities. Plans should be written with families rather than simply about them.

Family Help

More coordinated or targeted support for families whose needs have become more complex or require a stronger multi-agency response.

Family Help Lead

The practitioner who leads or coordinates a Family Help plan, including writing an assessment, undertaking direct work and bringing together support. This is a specific role within Family Help and differs from the community-based Lead Practitioner role used within the Earliest Support Pathway.

Family Hubs

Places and services that help families access information, advice and support.

Family network

The people important to the child and family, including relatives, friends, neighbours and other trusted people who may provide practical or emotional support.

 

G

Graduated approach

An approach in which support is identified, provided and reviewed according to a child or young person’s needs. Support may be adjusted as professionals and families build a clearer understanding of what helps.

Graduated Pathway

The name previously used for Gloucestershire’s framework for early help and SEND planning. The Earliest Support Pathway is the refreshed framework.

 

H

Health needs

Things that affect a child or young person’s physical health, emotional wellbeing, development or ability to take part in everyday life.

Health visitor

A nurse or health professional who supports babies, young children and families with health, development, parenting and wellbeing, especially in the early years.

I

Individual Support Plan (ISP)

A term being used within developing national SEND reforms for planning support around a child or young person’s special educational needs. Local arrangements are still being developed.

Information sharing

Sharing relevant information between people or services to coordinate support or protect a child. Families should normally understand what will be shared, with whom and why.

 

L

Language That Cares

Respectful, accurate and child-centred language used when speaking with or writing about children and families. It avoids labels, blame and cold or impersonal wording.

Lead Practitioner (LP)

The main professional who helps coordinate an Earliest Support Plan. The role should be agreed case by case and informed by the child and family.

Levels of Intervention

Gloucestershire’s framework for understanding the level of need, concern and support a child or family may require. It supports professional discussion and judgement rather than acting as a rigid checklist.

Local Offer

Information about services and support available to children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities and their families.

Looked After Child

A child who is in the care of the local authority, either through a court order or by agreement with parents or carers. Some people may also use the term “child in care”.

 

M

Multi-agency

More than one organisation or professional working together. This might include education, health, local authority services and voluntary or community organisations.

My Assessment

A document used within the previous Graduated Pathway to develop a fuller understanding of a child and family’s needs.

My Plan

A planning document used within the previous Graduated Pathway to record identified needs, outcomes, actions and support.

My Plan Plus

A planning and assessment document previously used where a more detailed or coordinated response was required.

 

N

Needs

The areas of a child, young person or family’s life where help or change may be required. Needs should be described clearly, respectfully and alongside strengths.

 

O

Occupational therapist (OT)

A health professional who helps children and young people develop everyday skills, independence and participation at home, in education and in the community.

Ordinarily available provision

The support and reasonable adjustments that education settings are expected to make available as part of their usual practice before more specialist support is considered.

Outcome

The positive change that the child, young person or family wants to achieve. An outcome describes what will be different, rather than simply naming a service or activity.

 

P

Paediatrician

A doctor who specialises in the health, development and medical care of babies, children and young people.

Parent or carer

A person with parental responsibility for a child or someone who provides significant day-to-day care and support.

Pathway

A framework that helps families and professionals understand available support, planning tools and possible next steps. It does not mean every family follows exactly the same route.

Pastoral support

Support in an education setting that focuses on a child or young person’s wellbeing, behaviour, relationships, attendance or readiness to learn.

Physiotherapist

A health professional who supports movement, posture, strength, coordination and physical development.

Professional

Someone working with or supporting a child, young person or family, including people from education, health, social care, early years, community or voluntary services.

Professional judgement

A practitioner’s considered view based on available information, conversations with the child and family, relevant guidance and discussion with other professionals.

Proportionate support

Support and planning that match the child and family’s identified needs without involving more services or paperwork than necessary.

 

R

Reasonable adjustments

Changes made to help a child, young person, parent or carer take part. This might include changing how a meeting is held, providing information in another format or allowing additional time.

Referral

A request for support, advice or assessment from another service. A referral should usually explain what support is being requested, why it may help and what the family understands and agrees to.

Review

A planned conversation to consider what has improved, what remains difficult, whether actions have happened and whether support is making a difference.

S

Safeguarding

The action taken to promote children’s welfare and protect them from harm. An Earliest Support Plan must never delay safeguarding action where there is concern that a child may be at risk.

SEN Support

Support provided by an education setting for a child or young person with special educational needs, using a cycle of assess, plan, do and review.

SEND

Special educational needs and disabilities. A child or young person may have SEND if additional or different educational provision is needed to support learning or participation.

SEND graduated approach

A cycle of identifying needs, planning support, providing that support and reviewing its effect for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities.

Sensory needs

Needs linked to how a child or young person notices, responds to or manages sensory information such as sound, touch, movement, light, taste or smell.

Signposting

Helping a child, young person or family find information, community support or a service that may meet an identified need.

Speech and Language Therapist (SLT)

A health professional who supports children and young people with speech, language, communication and sometimes eating, drinking or swallowing needs.

Step out of Family Help

Reducing formal or coordinated support because needs have reduced or can be met by universal, community or single-agency services.

Step into Family Help

Moving from an Earliest Support Plan to Family Help because needs have become more complex, risks have increased or more coordinated support is required.

Strengths

The positive things in a child or family’s life, including trusted relationships, skills, interests, routines, family networks and community connections.

 

T

Team Around the Family (TAF)

The child, family and professionals who come together to coordinate support. A TAF meeting may be used where needs require a multi-agency response.

Targeted support

Additional help focused on particular identified needs. It is more specific than universal support and may involve a particular service, intervention or coordinated plan.

Transition

A planned move between services, plans, settings or levels of support. A good transition should reduce gaps and avoid making the family repeat their story unnecessarily.

 

U

Universal support

Everyday help available to all or most children and families, including education settings, health services, Family Hubs and community groups.

 

W

Whole-family approach

Understanding the child within the context of family life, relationships, strengths, pressures and wider circumstances. It does not mean assuming the family has needs in every area.

Worries

Clear and specific descriptions of what may be affecting a child or family. Worries should be recorded respectfully, without blame, and alongside strengths and the family’s views.

Working together

Children, families, professionals and communities sharing information appropriately, agreeing priorities and coordinating actions.

 

Y

Young person

A term commonly used for an older child or teenager. Practitioners should use the words and descriptions preferred by the individual young person.

Important note

This is a plain-English working glossary. It does not replace statutory guidance, safeguarding procedures or the final published Gloucestershire Earliest Support Pathway guidance.