Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Chapter: Early Help
Buckinghamshire Early Help Categories of Concern
A category of concern refers to specific indicators or factors that raise awareness about potential risks or vulnerabilities faced by a child or young person. These categories help professionals identify situations where early intervention or support may be necessary.
There are 5 core categories of concern against which contacts into the service can be allocated, as shown in figure 9 below. It is important to note that the percentages and figures quoted against these categories are the initial areas of need based on the information received at point of contact. Identified needs can change during the course of the service’s initial assessment. Indeed, needs can also evolve for as a direct result of the support and interventions put in place.
Important: Each contact (child or young person) can have multiple areas of concern (or none) recorded against the contact at the point of contact. Percentages and figures on this page are calculated out of all contacts with at least one (1+) area of concern recorded.
Whilst the rising demand is clear from table 5 below, figure 9 illustrates that the trend against the categories of concern remains similar year on year, with Health being the most frequently assigned category of concern and crime the lowest.
Figure 9: Percentage of contacts by category of concern.
| Year | Crime concerns | Abuse or exploitation concerns | Education concerns | Home, family or parenting concerns | Health concerns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 6 | 29.8 | 39.6 | 66.8 | 78.6 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 6.5 | 27.5 | 44.9 | 66.6 | 83.2 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 7.1 | 21.6 | 33.9 | 58.8 | 78.3 |
| Year | Abuse or exploitation concerns | Crime concerns | Education concerns | Health concerns | Home, family or parenting concerns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 to 2022 | 1827 | 369 | 2431 | 4819 | 4098 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 1987 | 467 | 3246 | 6015 | 4817 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 1860 | 607 | 2911 | 6731 | 5058 |
Categories of Concern 2023/24
Quadrant A
Health concerns: 1625
Home/Family/Parenting concerns: 1251
Education concerns: 690
Abuse/Exploitation concerns: 501
Crime concerns: 176
Figure 10.1: Percentage of contacts by category of concern split for Quadrant A 2023 to 2024
| Category of concern | Percentage of contacts (%) |
|---|---|
| Abuse or exploitation concerns | 24.2 |
| Crime concerns | 8.5 |
| Education concerns | 33.3 |
| Health concerns | 78.5 |
| Home, family or parenting concerns | 60.4 |
Quadrant B
Health concerns: 1735
Home/Family/Parenting concerns: 1297
Education concerns: 718
Abuse/Exploitation concerns: 471
Crime concerns: 190
Figure 10.2: Percentage of contacts by category of concern split for Quadrant B 2023 to 2024
| Category of concern | Percentage of contacts (%) |
|---|---|
| Abuse or exploitation concerns | 21.2 |
| Crime concerns | 8.6 |
| Education concerns | 32.3 |
| Health concerns | 78.2 |
| Home, family or parenting concerns | 58.4 |
Quadrant C
Health concerns: 1859
Home/Family/Parenting concerns: 1335
Education concerns: 800
Abuse/Exploitation concerns: 458
Crime concerns: 126
Figure 10.3: Percentage of contacts by category of concern split for Quadrant C 2023 to 2024
| Category of concern | Percentage of contacts (%) |
|---|---|
| Abuse or exploitation concerns | 19.6 |
| Crime concerns | 5.4 |
| Education concerns | 34.2 |
| Health concerns | 79.5 |
| Home, family or parenting concerns | 57.1 |
Quadrant D
Health concerns: 1415
Home/Family/Parenting concerns: 1100
Education concerns: 663
Abuse/Exploitation concerns: 410
Crime concerns: 106
Figure 10.4: Percentage of contacts by category of concern split for Quadrant D 2023 to 2024
| Category of concern | Percentage of contacts (%) |
|---|---|
| Abuse or exploitation concerns | 22.4 |
| Crime concerns | 5.8 |
| Education concerns | 36.2 |
| Health concerns | 77.3 |
| Home, family or parenting concerns | 60.1 |
Breakdown by pod
Health
| Pod | Health concerns |
|---|---|
|
C2 - Chess Valley, Amersham & Little Chalfont |
84.9% |
|
D2 - Flackwell Heath, Marlow and Chiltern Villages |
82.8% |
|
C4 - Cliveden, Farnham. Wooburns and Bourne End |
82.4% |
|
B5 - West Wycombe, Ridgeway West and Risboroughs |
81.8% |
|
B4 - Stoke Mandeville, Wendover, Great Missenden & Ridgeway East |
81.5% |
| A1 - Buckingham | 80.5% |
|
C6 - Beaconsfield, Tylers Green, Loudwater and Hazlemere |
80.5% |
|
C5 - Gerrards Cross and Chalfonts |
80.1% |
| A4 - Ivinghoe & Wing | 80.1% |
|
A3 - Bernwood, Stone & Waddesdon |
79.9% |
|
B1 - Aylesbury West & South-West |
78.7% |
|
A2 - Grendon Underwood, Winslow & Great Brickhill |
78.5% |
|
D4 - Ryemead & Micklefield |
77.7% |
|
C3 - Denham, Iver & Stoke Poges |
77.2% |
|
D1 - Booker, Cressex & Castlefield |
76.9% |
| D5 - Abbey & Downley | 74.5% |
|
B2 - Aylesbury North & South-East |
74.2% |
|
B3 - Aston Clinton, Bierton & Aylesbury East |
73.8% |
|
D3 - Totteridge, Bowerdean, Terriers & Amersham Hill |
73.5% |
| A5 - Aylesbury North-West | 73.1% |
|
C1 - Chesham & Chiltern Ridges |
70.8% |
Home, family or parenting concerns
| Pod |
Home/Family/ Parenting Concerns |
|
C3 - Denham, Iver & Stoke Poges |
64.7% |
|
B1 - Aylesbury West & South-West |
64.5% |
|
D1 - Booker, Cressex & Castlefield |
64.3% |
|
A1 - Buckingham |
64.2% |
|
A4 - Ivinghoe & Wing |
64.0% |
|
D4 - Ryemead & Micklefield |
62.9% |
|
A5 - Aylesbury North-West |
61.9% |
|
B3 - Aston Clinton, Bierton & Aylesbury East |
60.6% |
|
C2 - Chess Valley, Amersham & Little Chalfont |
60.4% |
|
D3 - Totteridge, Bowerdean, Terriers & Amersham Hill |
59.1% |
|
D5 - Abbey & Downley |
59.0% |
|
C1 - Chesham & Chiltern Ridges |
58.1% |
|
A2 - Grendon Underwood, Winslow & Great Brickhill |
57.4% |
|
B5 - West Wycombe, Ridgeway West and Risboroughs |
57.4% |
|
D2 - Flackwell Heath, Marlow and Chiltern Villages |
57.2% |
|
A3 - Bernwood, Stone & Waddesdon |
57.2% |
|
B2 - Aylesbury North & South-East |
57.1% |
|
C4 - Cliveden, Farnham. Wooburns and Bourne End |
55.2% |
|
C5 - Gerrards Cross and Chalfonts |
53.5% |
|
B4 - Stoke Mandeville, Wendover, Great Missenden & Ridgeway East |
51.9% |
|
C6 - Beaconsfield, Tylers Green, Loudwater and Hazlemere |
51.6% |
Education
| Pod | Education |
|---|---|
| A1 - Buckingham | 42.0% |
|
D1 - Booker, Cressex & Castlefield |
41.2% |
|
C1 - Chesham & Chiltern Ridges |
38.6% |
|
C6 - Beaconsfield, Tylers Green, Loudwater and Hazlemere |
38.2% |
|
B1 - Aylesbury West & South-West |
37.9% |
| D5 - Abbey & Downley | 37.5% |
|
D4 - Ryemead & Micklefield |
37.5% |
| A5 - Aylesbury North-West | 37.2% |
|
B4 - Stoke Mandeville, Wendover, Great Missenden & Ridgeway East |
34.8% |
|
C4 - Cliveden, Farnham. Wooburns and Bourne End |
34.5% |
|
D3 - Totteridge, Bowerdean, Terriers & Amersham Hill |
34.5% |
|
B5 - West Wycombe, Ridgeway West and Risboroughs |
34.0% |
|
A2 - Grendon Underwood, Winslow & Great Brickhill |
33.7% |
|
D2 - Flackwell Heath, Marlow and Chiltern Villages |
32.3% |
|
C2 - Chess Valley, Amersham & Little Chalfont |
32.2% |
|
C5 - Gerrards Cross and Chalfonts |
31.2% |
|
C3 - Denham, Iver & Stoke Poges |
29.4% |
|
A3 - Bernwood, Stone & Waddesdon |
28.0% |
|
B2 - Aylesbury North & South-East |
27.5% |
| A4 - Ivinghoe & Wing | 27.1% |
|
B3 - Aston Clinton, Bierton & Aylesbury East |
26.2% |
Crime
| Pod | Crime |
|---|---|
|
B1 - Aylesbury West & South-West |
11.9% |
| A5 - Aylesbury North-West | 11.7% |
|
B3 - Aston Clinton, Bierton & Aylesbury East |
10.0% |
| A1 - Buckingham | 9.5% |
|
D4 - Ryemead & Micklefield |
9.3% |
|
D3 - Totteridge, Bowerdean, Terriers & Amersham Hill |
8.8% |
|
C3 - Denham, Iver & Stoke Poges |
8.4% |
|
B2 - Aylesbury North & South-East |
8.3% |
|
A2 - Grendon Underwood, Winslow & Great Brickhill |
8.2% |
|
B5 - West Wycombe, Ridgeway West and Risboroughs |
8.2% |
| A4 - Ivinghoe & Wing | 8.0% |
|
C5 - Gerrards Cross and Chalfonts |
6.6% |
|
A3 - Bernwood, Stone & Waddesdon |
6.1% |
|
C4 - Cliveden, Farnham. Wooburns and Bourne End |
6.0% |
|
C1 - Chesham & Chiltern Ridges |
5.9% |
|
D2 - Flackwell Heath, Marlow and Chiltern Villages |
5.5% |
|
D1 - Booker, Cressex & Castlefield |
4.9% |
|
B4 - Stoke Mandeville, Wendover, Great Missenden & Ridgeway East |
4.1% |
|
C2 - Chess Valley, Amersham & Little Chalfont |
3.5% |
|
C6 - Beaconsfield, Tylers Green, Loudwater and Hazlemere |
3.0% |
| D5 - Abbey & Downley | 1.5% |
Areas of Concern – all Quadrants
As explained previously, each contact (child or young person) can have multiple areas of concern (or none) recorded against the contact at the point of referral.
The 5 core categories of concern each have multiple areas of concern attached to them, against which contacts into the service are allocated on referral.
| Category | Combined total instances (last year) |
|---|---|
| Health | 11961 |
| Home/Family/Parenting | 9182 |
| Education | 5008 |
| Affected by abuse/exploitation | 2162 |
| Crime | 753 |
| Area of concern | Total instances in the last year |
|---|---|
|
Affected by poor mental health (child) |
3788 |
| Child with SEND | 3298 |
|
Affected by poor mental health (family) |
1980 |
|
Families and children with multiple health problems |
1345 |
| Child not meeting developmental milestones | 914 |
| Impacted by the consequences of substance misuse (family) | 380 |
| Impacted by the consequences of substance misuse (child) | 256 |
| Area of concern | Total instances in the last year |
|---|---|
|
Parent/carer needs additional or specialist support |
2091 |
|
Home environment is impacting on the health and well-being of a child |
2074 |
|
Child demonstrating risk-taking behaviour |
1865 |
|
Poor attachments having an impact on the family |
1411 |
| Experiencing financial difficulty | 729 |
| Young carers | 703 |
| At risk of or currently homeless | 309 |
| Area of concern | Total instances in the last year |
|---|---|
| Having difficulties engaging with education | 2472 |
| Low educational attendance | 1822 |
|
At risk of or currently excluded from school |
390 |
|
At risk of or currently not in Employment, Education or Training |
324 |
| Area of concern | Total instances in the last year |
|---|---|
| Domestic abuse or parental conflict impacting upon the family | 1118 |
| Vulnerable to exploitation | 628 |
| Child experiencing abuse or harm outside of the family | 307 |
| Victim of exploitation | 109 |
| Area of concern | Total instances in the last year |
|---|---|
| Child is involved in crime/anti-social behaviour | 433 |
| Parent is involved in crime/anti-social behaviour | 142 |
| Parent is involved with the criminal justice system | 96 |
| Child is involved with the criminal justice system | 82 |
Breakdown by quadrant
|
Category of concern |
Area of concern | Quadrant A | Quadrant B | Quadrant C | Quadrant D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health |
Affected by poor mental health (child) |
978 | 981 | 1051 | 742 |
| Health | Child with SEND | 782 | 912 | 840 | 723 |
| Health |
Affected by poor mental health (family) |
496 | 546 | 522 | 385 |
| Health |
Families and children with multiple health problems |
347 | 336 | 330 | 319 |
| Health | Child not meeting developmental milestones | 197 | 245 | 245 | 214 |
| Health | Impacted by the consequences of substance misuse (family) | 86 | 81 | 124 | 83 |
| Health | Impacted by the consequences of substance misuse (child) | 69 | 54 | 64 | 61 |
| Home, family or parenting |
Parent/carer needs additional or specialist support |
558 | 591 | 583 | 478 |
| Home, family or parenting |
Home environment is impacting on the health and well-being of a child |
549 | 469 | 509 | 409 |
| Home, family or parenting | Child demonstrating risk-taking behaviour | 501 | 441 | 497 | 372 |
| Home, family or parenting | Poor attachments having an impact on the family | 376 | 335 | 395 | 277 |
| Home, family or parenting | Young carers | 230 | 209 | 184 | 158 |
| Home, family or parenting | Experiencing financial difficulty | 163 | 208 | 121 | 139 |
| Home, family or parenting | At risk of or currently homeless | 60 | 84 | 52 | 96 |
| Education |
Having difficulties engaging with education |
608 | 626 | 672 | 532 |
| Education |
Low educational attendance |
447 | 433 | 474 | 452 |
| Education |
At risk of or currently excluded from school |
97 | 94 | 116 | 98 |
| Education |
At risk of or currently Not in Employment, Education or Training |
85 | 75 | 96 | 45 |
| Affected by abuse or exploitation |
Domestic abuse or parental conflict impacting upon the family |
310 | 269 | 255 | 268 |
| Affected by abuse or exploitation |
Vulnerable to exploitation |
184 | 176 | 149 | 115 |
| Affected by abuse or exploitation |
Child experiencing abuse or harm outside of the family |
107 | 79 | 73 | 46 |
| Affected by abuse or exploitation |
Victim of exploitation |
33 | 34 | 36 | 6 |
| Crime |
Child is involved in crime/anti-social behaviour |
118 | 135 | 98 | 79 |
| Crime |
Parent is involved with the criminal justice system |
42 | 49 | 19 | 17 |
| Crime |
Parent is involved in crime/anti-social behaviour |
40 | 19 | 19 | 28 |
| Crime |
Child is involved with the criminal justice system |
29 | 19 | 16 | 11 |