Early Support is the Welsh Assembly Government funded programme to improve the delivery of services to disabled children under 5 and their families. It aims to ensure that services are better coordinated, with a single point of contact, working in a family and child focused way, in partnership with parents and carers.

Early Support has developed a range of resources and training aimed at bringing service providers together and put the family at the centre of the process. Early Support materials have been developed to help families and professionals move out of a model of crisis intervention and bring an element of planning into the lives of families with young disabled children. The materials include:

*Family Pack (including the Family file)

*Range of background information booklets

*Range of information for parents booklets

*Multiagency planning and improvement tool

*Developmental journals (for children with Down syndrome, visual impairment and a generic version) and monitoring protocol for deaf babies and children

For more information, visit the Children in Wales website or contact Kathy Beach, Early Support Administrator, Children in Wales, Tel: 029 2034 2434, E-mail: kathryn.beach@childreninwales.org.uk