Early Help
Wednesday 30th September 2026
The Early Help conference takes place in central London on Wednesday 30th September.
Organised by Children & Young People Now, this thirteenth annual conference will bring together leading practitioners, policymakers, researchers and voluntary sector organisations to share innovative, evidence-informed approaches to early help and family support.
This year’s programme reflects the rapidly evolving landscape for children’s services, with sessions exploring family help reform, the use of predictive AI in children’s social care, strategies to reduce serious youth violence, and the realities of delivering evidence-based parenting support.
Delegates will hear practical examples of effective local practice, including community-led approaches to engaging marginalised families, innovative family support networks, mentoring programmes that prevent disengagement from education, and targeted interventions to support children with speech, language and communication needs.
The conference will also examine how services can strengthen partnership working, build trust with communities and deliver earlier, more effective intervention in the face of ongoing financial pressures and rising demand.
Alongside keynote presentations and breakout sessions, the event offers valuable opportunities to network with peers from across the country, exchange ideas and discuss the shared challenges and opportunities shaping the future of early help.
The conference is designed for:
- Early help managers, co-ordinators and practitioners
- Family help and family support managers
- Assistant directors, and directors of children’s services
- Commissioners
- Heads of service
- Programme managers
- Quality assurance managers
- Service managers
- Chief executives in not-for-profit organisations
- Children’s centre and Family centre managers
- SENCos
- CAMHS professionals