Implementing the ‘Think Family’ model to ensure a better response to families at risk

Effective parenting improves outcomes for children Effective parenting can protect against the risks of growing up poor or in a deprived neighbourhood, and reduce the likelihood of anti-social behaviour and crime Impacts on educational attainment are particularly well documented: Parental interest in education is four times more important than SES factors in influencing attainment at 16 Parental involvement has a bigger impact on attainment at 7 & 11 than the quality of the school even controlling for social class Strong rationale for government intervention to support those parents who are struggling And to challenge parents who are unable or unwilling to meet these responsibilities

Alcohol misuse identified as a factor in 50% of all child protection cases 1.3m children live with parents who misuse alcohol 25% children witnessing domestic violence have serious social and behavioural problems Estimates suggest at least 240,000 children exposed to DV 63% of boys with convicted fathers go on to be convicted themselves children of prisoners have 3 times the risk for mental health problems or delinquent behaviour compared to their peers 162,000 children had a parent in prison (2005), 55% of female offenders have a child under 16hildr Alcohol misuse Domestic violence Parental offending Parental problem drug use associated with neglect, poverty, physical or emotional abuse, separation and exposure to criminal behaviour 2-3% of children have a parent misusing Class A drugs Parental drug misuse Family can also be a source of risk

SEU study showed 2% or 140,000 families with children experiencing 5 or more disadvantages % Basket of indicators of disadvantages includes: No parent in the family is in work Family lives in poor quality or overcrowded housing No parent has any qualifications Mother has mental health problems At least one parent has a long-standing limiting illness, disability or infirmity Family has low income (below 60% median) Family cannot afford a number of food and clothing items Percentage of families with children experiencing 5 or more disadvantages The consistency of this figure over 2001 to 2004 suggests that improvements such as the reduction in child poverty may not be reaching such families

Multiple disadvantage can cast a long shadow

Significant investment in parenting and family support Providing a ring fenced grant ( ) for all authorities to: Implement ‘Think Family’ reforms to local authority and health service systems and services; Offer Parenting Early Intervention Programmes (PEIPs) to help mothers and fathers of children (aged 8-13) at risk of poor outcomes improve their parenting skills; Continue to fund Parenting Experts and Practitioners in all authorities; and Set up Youth Crime Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) to provide intensive support to families in the greatest difficulty.

What is ‘think family’ ? a series of changes to LA services and systems to: extend the integration of children’s services within Every Child Matters to all services working with children, young people & adults ensure that all services working with vulnerable children, young people and adults consider the family context and: Identify families which are at risk and provide support at the earliest opportunity Meet the full-range of needs within each family they are supporting Developing services which can respond effectively to the most challenging families Strengthen the ability of family members to provide care and support to each other

For the most risky families we need the family intervention project model A dedicated key worker with low caseloads who works intensively with the whole family Taking a whole family perspective to assessment and the development of support packages Use of a contract setting out the changes that are expected, the support that will be provided and possible consequences if changes are not made The use of persistent and assertive working methods Effective multi agency arrangements (referrals panel, information sharing, agreeing the objectives of intervention etc)

Our transformation in children's services is having an impact on the opportunities of our most disadvantaged children But even the best children’s services can only mitigate the impacts of parental problems such as domestic violence, offending or substance abuse. We need to build on this success by recognising the role of adult services, in helping identify families at risk and tackling the adult problems that have damaging consequences for children This is about extending the logic of collaboration from Every Child Matters beyond children’s services to better coordinate all of the services working with families at risk. “ Every Child Matters is already transforming the way services are delivered for 0-19 year olds. ‘Think Family’ extends this model to include adults’ services and puts families firmly at the centre” This requires a big programme of systems reform… potentially as big as ECM

ECM and Children’s Trusts have introduced a dynamic for increased collaboration between children’s services……. However, systems around families facing multiple disadvantages are still highly fragmented Child Health Housing Police Child Social Serv Schools Specialist Serv LSC Youth Vol orgs Child Leisure DAT JC+ Adult Health Housing Police Adult Social Serv Private orgs Specialist Serv LSC Vol orgs Adult DAT Leisure Probation Prison YOT Advice services CAMHS AMHS

Think Family : an opportunity to extend the logic of cooperation from ECM to encompass all services working with the family Child Health Housing Police Child Social Serv Schools Specialist Serv LSC Youth Vol orgs Child Leisure DAT JC+ Adult Health Housing Police Adult Social Serv Private orgs Specialist Serv LSC Vol orgs Parent DAT Leisure Probation Prison YOT Advice services CAMHS AMHS Family

What does this mean practically? 1.Planning and delivering support for families as a whole Effective provision that responds to how risk in families inter relates. For example: Improving children’s behaviour may require support with parenting Enabling a parent to consider returning to work may require tackling a child's school absenteeism Ensuring whole family support packages are available at different levels of intensity, including very intensive support ( the FIP model) for the most risky families 2.Reforming LA systems to ‘Think family’  Changes to delivery systems and workforce culture to ensure consideration of the family context to need  In order to identify and intervene early with all families at risk

The ECM Framework‘Think Family’ Integrated front-line delivery Multi disciplinary teams: ‘team around the child’ Lead professionals ‘Team around the family’ Lead professional/key worker for the family Integrated processes Common Assessment Framework Information Sharing across local children's services Whole family assessment Information sharing across children’s and adults services about family needs Integrated strategy  Single Children & Young People’s Plan  Pooled budgets to support joint commissioning of services for children  Single outcome framework C&YP C&YP and Parenting Strategy includes the contribution of adults’ services to family wellbeing Common vision and agreed outcomes for families Pooled budgets to support joint commissioning of services for families Inter-agency governance  Director and lead member for Children’s services  Duty to create LSCB Nominated senior lead to ensure clear accountability for outcomes for families Strategic leadership of TF (on CT board?) Embedding Think Family as part of the next phase of ECM reform

Implementing this locally requires changes on a number of levels, from the front line through to local planning, commissioning and governance structures Identification Better systems for identifying and engaging families at risk Whole family assessment Building on the CAF, which looks at the needs, strengths and interrelation of problems of the whole family Multi agency support plan Managed by lead workers who case work families, working directly with them and co-ordinating other service involvement Improved information sharing To enable early identification, effective assessment and interventions Joined up planning & commissioning To ensure the full range of evidence based programmes and interventions to meet family needs Integration between adult and children’s services at all levels of the LA – such as clear accountability for families through joined-up governance to and a common vision and agreed outcomes for families across services as part of the LAA process.

Where do we need to get to?  Joined up FIP type provision sufficient to meet the needs of the most extreme families (whatever their combinations of problems) High A integrated and appropriate service response to all families at risk Medium Low Underpinning all this Changes in attitudes, culture and behaviour at local level and on the front line to identify and intervene early with all families at risk Wider availability of evidence based parenting programmes to support families when risks emerge Early parenting and family support e.g websites, helplines delivered through universal services