Think Family Support & Parenting Staged Intervention
Level of
Need
Family Support Coordinators
Stage 4
Acute
Not at Stage 4
Stage 3
Complex
Stage 2
Vulnerable
Stage 1
Personalise
d Universal
Success
Criteria
Think Family
Parenting Early Intervention Programme
Community Service Volunteers
Family Intervention Project
The Think Family Pathfinder will:
 Secure sustained engagement in employment, education
or training for all family members.
 Challenge and build families’ aspirations for their future.
 Co-ordinate delivery of provision within an integrated plan
for the family.
 De-escalate families’ needs and reintegrate families’
access to and support from universal services.
PEIP aims to increase support through evidence based
Strengthening Families Programme for parents of
children aged 8-13 years at risk of negative outcomes
(particularly anti-social behaviour) and ensure that these
families receive an earlier, more effective, coordinated
package of relevant support.
CSV (ViCP) in partnership with a Local Authority offers a
helping hand/listening ear for families in crisis. CSV
(Community Service Volunteers) is providing an
innovative volunteering project to change the lives of
families with children at risk, subject to a Child Protection
Plan.
The volunteers support a wide range of family situations
including:

Large chaotic families where long term neglect is a
factor

Families where learning difficulties or mental health
issues are a factor

Families where substance abuse may be a
contributing issues

Families where the parents are young or where
there is little extended family or community support.
The family intervention project is to support children, young
people and their families through the process of making
positive change. It also aims to identify and tackle the
causes of poor behaviour and parenting, which involves
issues such as drug and alcohol misuse, poor health,
domestic violence, unemployment and debt.
The FIP
protects victims, witnesses and the community; enables the
perpetrator of ASB to recognise the consequences of their
behaviour; ensures that the perpetrator has access to
support to help change their behaviour and put in places
measures to prevent future repetition.
Southend, in conjunction with South Essex Homes, Social
Landlords and police have established a core unit which
enables theproject to work more effectively with families in all
three types of accommodation.: Type 1 Assertive Outreach support services to families in
their own home
Type 2 Dispersed Accommodation in the community
Type 3 Supervised Accommodation in a residential core unit
Not at Stage 3
Not at Stage 3
Not at Stage 2
Not at Stage 2
The pilot will capture the families most at risk and those
disengaged through identifying those who are known to:
Probation; Adult Drug and Alcohol Services; Children’s Social
Care – children on the edge of care due to neglect or family
conflict; The Youth Offending Service ;Adult Social Care;
Adult mental health provider; FIP; Health-led parenting project;
MARRAC and PPO.
Currently working with 38 families. 151 Individuals of which
are 100 children/young people.
The Family Support Team aim to support vulnerable and
disadvantaged families and their children aged 0 – 13 who are at
risk of underachieving and being excluded.
Coordinators work with various professionals across tiers one and
two to meet the needs of families. This includes close and
consistent working relationships with Children Centres in providing
early intervention and preventative services to children at the
EYFS. Work with children and/or their parents to understand and
recognize negative entrenched behaviours and family script that
may influence the emotional health and well being of children.
Team members also support young people 5-13 via the CAF
process.
The team recruits and trains volunteers who offer help to groups
in a number of different settings as well as empower parents
through peer parenting.
The Family Support Team aim to support vulnerable and
disadvantaged families and their children aged 0 – 13 who are at
risk of underachieving and being excluded.
Coordinators work with various professionals across tiers one and
two to meet the needs of families. This includes close and
consistent working relationships with Children Centres in providing
early intervention and preventative services to children at the
EYFS. Work with children and/or their parents to understand and
recognize negative entrenched behaviours and family script that
may influence the emotional health and well being of children.
Team members also support young people 5-13 via the CAF
process.
The team recruits and trains volunteers who offer help to groups
in a number of different settings as well as empower parents
through peer parenting.
The Family Support Team aim to support vulnerable and
disadvantaged families and their children aged 0 – 13 who are at
risk of underachieving and being excluded.
Coordinators work with various professionals across tiers one and
two to meet the needs of families. This includes close and
consistent working relationships with Children Centres in providing
early intervention and preventative services to children at the
EYFS. Work with children and/or their parents to understand and
recognize negative entrenched behaviours and family script that
may influence the emotional health and well being of children.
Team members also support young people 5-13 via the CAF
process.
The team recruits and trains volunteers who offer help to groups
in a number of different settings as well as empower parents
through peer parenting.
The Family Support Coordinator managing the Two Year Old
Strategy has placed 136 children in settings with 20 children
currently on the waiting list – a project which gives children who
may be at risk access to an extra year of free early years
education.
Family Support Team Groups (April 2009 – March 2010): Work with parents includes baby massage/yoga/rhythm
kids/parenting 1456; Young Parents Support 25; Young Parents
(residential) 15; Parenting – PEIP (Strengthening Families) 15;
Girls Allowed (Raising Aspirations) 4 primary schools & 2
secondary schools 61; Self esteem 7; Work with Fathers 70;
Volunteers currently working in settings 64; Volunteers currently
held on file 103; Two Year Old Strategy Placed 136; Two Year
Old Strategy Waiting List 20; CAF 95; Non CAF 25.
PEIP aims to increase support for parents of children
aged 8-13 years at risk of negative outcomes
(particularly anti-social behaviour) and ensure that these
families receive an earlier, more effective, coordinated
package of relevant support.
Not at Stage 3
PEIP aims to increase support for parents of children
aged 8-13 years at risk of negative outcomes
(particularly anti-social behaviour) and ensure that these
families receive an earlier, more effective, coordinated
package of relevant support.
Not at Stage 2
Not at Stage 1







Reduction of Child Protection Plans from 15 – 9 families
6 families have progressed out of stage 4 services to
Children & Family Panels at Stage 3 or have been
closed to Specialist Services since their involvement
13 children’s school attendance has improved out of 17
children
9 parents are accessing voluntary, education and
training opportunities
23 out of 45 families have one Integrated Family Plan
with the aim of 45 families having one plan by the end
of April
Of families where domestic violence was an issue, 80%
have seen a reduction in domestic violence reports to
the police
Family plans are agreed with the families and goals set
and reviewed thereafter to track progress. Goals are
very specific to each family member e.g. one mother’s
goal is that her family sit down together for a family
meal
Not at Stage 1
We have trained 56 facilitators to date. These represent
a cross section of staff from education, YOS, residential
care, schools, student social workers, housing, police,
adult community care, domestic abuse project and family
support workers alongside volunteers from 3 local
voluntary sector projects.
The groups began in January 2010 and we have, to
date, run 11courses incorporating 71 families. Whilst we
are currently undertaking a more in depth analysis of the
impact of the programme, parents an children alike are
reporting changes reflecting those of the pilot study and
in many cases quite significant changes in both
behaviour, familial relationships and parenting skills.
Furthermore, we have referred families onto continuing
support (e.g. YISP, FIP, Respect Parenting Practitioner)
at the end of the 7 weeks Parenting Programme.
Not at Stage 1
It costs about £2,500 to support a family for one year,
most families have on average 4-5 children, On this basis
the cost per child is very low. It is clear from the evidence
collected that volunteers have enormous potential to
counteract the ‘costs’ of a child not going to school, or a
family missing medical appointments, or the costs of a
family getting further into debt, or the cost of lacking
confidence to gout and seek employment.
Worked with 103 families, with 25 currently being worked
with and a further 9 at assessment stage. 1 family is currently
in core unit.
An average cost for each family to services at their referral to
FIP is £23, 537.12. Based on our costings this represent a
saving to the borough of £2,424,311.00, although data from
DCSF (dept of Education) suggests that family intervention
generates an average saving in the region of £81,624 per
family per year with children social care being the largest
beneficiary, with an average saving of £37,726 for each
family supported.