When I first arrived in Calderdale in 2012 it was evident that most of our resources were concentrated on those children at serious risk of, or who have actually experienced, significant harm: Tier 5 cases on our Continuum of Need.

When we discussed this as a team it became clear that although we were managing our Tier 5 children, taking action and safeguarding them appropriately, we weren't doing enough to prevent those cases in the middle of the continuum from escalating to Tier 4 or even Tier 5. We also wanted to provide more support for our Tier 5 children whose lives were becoming more stable and their needs met.