On the frontline: Gateway Family Services’ response to Edgbaston Early Help Demands

Dear Community,

Some of you may have seen a recent article in the Birmingham Mail suggesting that the Early Help service, which supports over 15,000 of Birmingham’s most vulnerable families a year, is at risk of being cut due to the budget cuts imposed on Birmingham City Council as a result of the Section 114 notice issued late last year.

Whilst this is obviously of grave concern to Gateway, primarily as a joint provider of Early Help in Edgbaston, but also as an organisation that understands firsthand the impact the loss of such a service may bring, at this point, we wanted to reassure the families who use the Early Help Service – either through Gateway or other voluntary sector providers or through our fantastic colleagues in Birmingham Children’s Trust as well as the community assets and groups we work with and all our partners, that Early Help is currently very much here to provide support as it has done since 2020. Our staff in the Early Help team, and those within our counterparts across the city, remain committed to providing the ‘Right Help at the Right Time’, keeping families out of crisis and providing much-needed support to already stretched statutory services.

Meanwhile, we’ll continue working closely with our Children’s Trust colleagues and commissioners to navigate this difficult time. Please be assured that we’ll keep you updated with developments and support you as needed.

Therefore, if you or your family, or if you’re a partner organisation who feels a family you are working with needs some support from Early Help, please contact us through the usual channels.