Team Around the Family
Bethan T James- Service Manager
March 2012
National Context

Welsh Government Child Poverty Strategy

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To reduce the number of families living in workless
households.
To improve the skills of parents/ carers and young
people living in low-income households so they can
secure well-paid employment.
To reduce inequalities that exist in health, education
and economic outcomes of children and families by
improving the outcomes of the poorest.
 Families First
It understands that Parents and
Families impact on:
 Attendance
 Attainment
 Engagement
 Self Esteem
 Aspiration
 Safety
What is a Team Around the Family approach?
It understands that to improve the outcomes for
Children
What is a Team Around the Family approach?
We have to improve the outcomes for
FAMILIES
It expects Services to ‘join up’ around families.
Support
Services
Leisure
Health
Services
FAMILY
Preventative
Services
School
Community
Services
Information
Services
Why?
 To target Resources more efficiently.
 To ensure Families have equitable access
to Services.
 To stop families ‘falling through the net’.
 To empower families to solve their own
problems.
 To make it easier to know what is
available.
Families and professionals can spend a lot of
time going round in circles trying to find the right
service to fit a child into
Social Care
Education
Health
Youth
Service
Well she’s not my problem so she
must be yours!
Where is TAF located?
EARLY INTERVENTION
Tipping the balance
The
Child and
the Family
Universal
Services
TAF
Specialist
Services
The Carmarthenshire picture
To help develop a TAF approach we have
appointed
3 AREA LEADS
Iwan Davies TAF Area Lead Dinefwr
Hefin Lloyd TAF Area Lead Carmarthen
Liz Barney Area Lead Llanelli
What do they do?
 Ensure they are aware of local services
 Help schools join up with their community and
signpost families to services
 Provide advice and support to professionals within
the community
 Audit ‘need’ and feed into the strategic development
of local services
 Use their expertise to promote TAF working
principles across schools in their Areas
Agencies Engaged
School Health Nurses, Education Welfare Officers,
School Based Youth Workers, School Link Social Worker,
FACT, Sure Start behaviour management project, Home
Start, Housing Services, School Based Counselling
Service, Wallich Clifford Mediation, Plant Dewi, Citizens
Advice Bureau, Towy Community Church, CYCA,
Barnardos Young Carers, Educational Psychology,
Health Visitors, SUDDS, Primary Mental Health, Youth
offending and Prevention Service, Menter Cwm
Gwendraeth.
What do we expect from schools?
 Engaging with families to help meet their needs
 Sign posting families to Services
 Joint problem solving with wider agencies
 Community focussed schools
 Seeing past the ‘barriers’ of vulnerability
How are we doing?
 11 Secondary Schools have multi-agency systems
for identifying families with additional needs.
 22 primary schools engaging in TAF approaches.
 95 Families discussed at Schools
 100 families will have engaged in the Family
Learning Signature by the end of the Spring term.
Coedcae, Bryngwyn and their Primary Feeders have
utilised a Family Learning Signature.
"Previously, intervention was based on our perceived needs. Now the needs are coming
from the family."
Family Learning Engagement Officer
"I think the great thing is it makes Mum and Dad and two or three children or Grandma,
equal round the table - they all have the same voice."
Parent Services Manager
"Some families realise that by doing the Family Learning Signature they identify gaps that
they can do something about themselves, others find the gap and look for ideas while
others need support to fill that gap.“
Head teacher
"I am of the view that all parents want their children to do well, but its just some people
have got more idea than others on how to do it. It’s about getting the right support and
the right intervention in with the families and The Family Learning Signature can do that.”
Head teacher
Supporting families to support
Attendance
 2 boys issued with a supervision order for poor
attendance at school.
 When the family were offered help they identified a
need for support with establishing family routines.
 Strengths were identified within the family and these
were maximised.
 Family goals and targets were set.
 Parents felt valued and in control
 The children felt ‘parented’.
Overcoming poverty to enable
families to flourish
 School identified a child with self esteem issues impacting on
engagement in PE, attendance and social interaction.
 During a home visit a range of domestic problems were
identified as a result of poverty: expensive heating and hot
water systems that meant that the family could not always
afford to be warm and clean. No washing machine.
 Grants were identified to support the family. They were linked
into local support services. A new washing machine was
provided under the Swalec scheme. School were
understanding of the child’s situation and offered her more
support (eg: providing PE kit and food for cooking lessons).
 A happier home, less stress, more support = a happier child
more able to engage in learning!
Desired Outcomes
 Increase school attendance for vulnerable learners
 Increase social engagement and inclusion in youth and
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leisure activities for vulnerable learners
Reduce inappropriate referral to specialist services
Reduce NEET
Reduce first time entrants into the youth justice system
Reduce number of looked after children
Reduce number leaving school without qualifications
Contact
 Dinefwr Area – Iwan Davies 01267 246795
IwanDavies@sirgar.gov.uk.
 Carmarthen Area – Hefin Lloyd 01267 246794
HTLloyd@sirgar.gov.uk
 Llanelli Area – Liz Barney 01554 742116.
LBarney@sirgar.gov.uk
ANY QUESTIONS?