PRIORITY FAMILIES: Community Support – Rugby Pilot
Update on Progress (October 2013):
Project Brief:
To look into the potential of developing a sustainable model of on-going community based
intervention to families requiring low level / light touch support – either as an early intervention
or as a step down from high intensity support.
Update on Progress:
Meetings to date:
Sarah Barnes – Solihull Partnerships Project Manager, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Bill Basra – Localities and Partnerships Manager, Central Team, WCC
Liz Young – Southern Area Team, WDC
Lorraine Jaegers – Senior Parenting Practitioner, WCC
John Coleman – Safeguarding, Social Care (Rugby), WCC
Melissa White / Lynn Pallet – Relate Warwickshire
Phyllis Collins – Early Intervention (CAF Officer), WCC
Pat Tate – Schools Early Intervention Officer, WCC
Mel Pinks – PLC Manager, Rugby Central Schools
Rugby Parenting Practitioner Network
Wendy Rawbone – Ops Manager, Family and Parenting Support, WCC
Rachel Mellors – Local Manager, Family Intervention
Alison Orr – Locality Manager, WCAVA
Rugby Priority Families Local Coordinating Group
Meetings / conversations still to have:
Vicki Barnes – Practice Leader (Mental Health Parenting and Substance Misuse)
Louison Ricketts – Children and Family First Team, Coventry City Council
Celebrating Parenting Day
Katie Sibley / Sue Aspinall – CAF Family Support Workers (TBC)
Hayley Norman – School Nurse Team (TBC)
IDS (TBC)
Mothers Union (TBC)
Once targeted area agreed, need to meet:
Children Centre
Schools
Local practitioners (inc. FSWs / Health Visitors etc)
Local Community Association
Local Cllr(s)
Police’s SNT
Update on Progress:
From the meetings above, there appears to be general agreement that there is a gap in
provision for low level support. Where needed (and appropriate), light touch intervention is
often provided by workers or organisations already supporting the families (eg. Family Support
Workers). This might include: offering support with household chores (eg. cleaning, tidying,
shopping etc); low level parenting support (eg. checking that children are up a, dressed and
fed in time for school; buddying for appointments, meetings or group support (eg. visits to
doctors, CAB, coffee mornings etc). The provision of community based (volunteer) might help
Priority Family: Rugby Pilot
Progress Report October 2013
alleviate some of the pressure on these practitioners and offer a more sustainable long term
support network.
Furthermore, there is potential to develop the scheme to provide longer term tracking of a
family’s progress against agreed actions (eg. monitoring whether families are maintaining the
changes agreed as part of the Family Plan). By offering low level intervention, the volunteers
may be able to identify warning signs within a family that issues are starting to rise and can
either refer back to practitioners (CAF / PF / FIP) for further intervention – or (where
appropriate) address the issue themself. This would directly support the Priority Family
Programme in terms of long term impact assessment.
I am also working with Bill Basra in terms of linking this scheme with the wider county work
looking at the wider social and economic determinants in an area – and ways to tackle these at
a more local level. Tackling some of the wider issues within a community (unemployment, low
educational attainment, health inequality etc) will hopefully have a longer term positive impact
on the families living in these areas.
It is also apparent that any project that is developed should be part of a wider package of
support as a “one size fits all approach” might not work. This could include: 1:1 peer support
(led by volunteers); group support sessions; signposting to other services or groups etc.
Next Steps
- Agree targeted neighbourhood (or locality) – and make contact with locally based
organisations and services (eg. Resident/Community Associations and key voluntary
groups, eg. churches).
- Draw up an options paper to agree framework for project based on the feedback from
meetings with local practitioners and other schemes already running (eg. Solihull /
Coventry / IDS). These will need to consider whether the project should:
o focus on Early intervention or a step down from high intensity support (or both)
o remain informal and targeted within a small neighbourhood
o consider external funding (if needed) to support a more formal management
arrangement with paid worker(s) to coordinate the volunteers
o recruit volunteers from within the Priority Families Programme or the wider
community. In either case “community champions” will need to be identified to take
this project forward.
-
Look at potential for developing locally based “Family Support Networks” comprising local
practitioners – to share intelligence and support the volunteers
Look at potential for changing the role of existing Locality Planning Groups to refocus on
key local priorities which might include Priority Families (eg. a mini “LCG” – based on the
model being piloted in Camp Hill).
Potential Barriers / Challenges
- Volunteers – need to consider:
o Training requirements - lone working / personal safety / safeguarding / Triple P etc
o Coordination / management / support
o If volunteers are recruited from the Priorities Families programme – need to consider
the suitability of these individuals to be placed with vulnerable families
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Priority Family: Rugby Pilot
Progress Report October 2013
-
Funding – need to consider:
o Costs of a project that may need a paid Volunteer Coordinator (and associated
costs)
o Project on-costs in terms of volunteer expenses / room hire etc
-
Project delivery - need to consider:
o How we can develop a scheme that is robust with the necessary safeguarding
arrangements in place but that does not become over bureaucratic and formal
thereby putting people off from engaging with it (perhaps seen as another statutory
service)
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