Strengthening Families Report to JCG 19th November 2012

1.Introduction

The FIP/FIP plus project has been developed to contribute to the troubled families agenda and to address the health needs of complex families particularly for families where substance misuse is an issue. The project has been funded for a year. A mid term evaluation has been prepared.The National Troubled Families team visited Sunderland on 4th October and met with some of the families and workers from the FIP/FIP Plus team. The strength and value of the FIP/FIP plus were recognised nationally and it was acknowledged that they are making an excellent contribution to the wider Strengthening Families agenda and form the back bone of the family focus programme. Subject to funding for the next 18 months the plan is to develop the project to further integrate into the locality model in Children’s Services and to offer a City Wide intervention to the most complex families.

2.Project Developments

The project has successfully developed relationships with a number of partner agencies and has developed the following referral routes:

FIP Referral Routes: 2 x Social Care and 1 x Wear Kids

FIP Plus Referral Routes: 1 x Integrated Offender Management, 3 x Northumbria Probation Service, 1 x Alcohol Liaison Team, 3 x Wear Kids, 1 x Social Care and 1 x Placement and Resources Panel

  • The project is currently working with 3 FIP families and 10 FIP Plus families .There is a waiting list of 6 families (not including pending Family Focus cases)
  • FIP and Lifeline will co-deliver a13-week ‘Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities’ parenting programme in the city centre during early 2013. This may also be replicated in the Coalfield
  • Four adult Phoenix programmes are scheduled for 2012-3
  • 1 FIP and 1 FIP Plus family met the national Troubled Families Team in October 2012 to discuss how the projects have worked for them.

The following case studies demonstrate the work of FIP/FIP Plus:

Case Study One: A FIP Plus family comprising Mum and three children, referred by Social Care but Dad is known to the IOM and on a restraining order after subjecting Mum to eighteen years of domestic violence. Dad still has access to the children and was using the middle child to remotely bully and abuse Mum. FIP Plus offered Mum 1-1 parenting support and her son CAMHS. Both were offered the Phoenix project, with the hope that seeing that his Mum accepting a challenge and doing something physically and mentally demanded would elevate her in his eyes. Mum is now independently accessing literacy and numeracy support in the city centre and is applying for jobs.

Case Study Two:A FIP Plus family comprising an elderly and ill father, mother, three daughters and grandson, referred by Northumbria Probation Service. The youngest daughter had not been to school for two years, had committed anti-social behaviour and shoplifting in the local community and was electronically tagged. After in-depth work on her offending and self-esteem from FIP Plus, Attendance and CAST, she has returned to full-time education and attends school three days per week and college to do car mechanics two days per week.

3.Funding

There is a FIP/FIP Plus manager currently funded for one year by the PCT. Funding is being sought from the troubled families initiative for two key workers from partner agencies which will enable the project to develop and incorporate more families from the troubled family’s initiative. It has been acknowledged by the steering group that the project’s success will be dependant on a stable staffing group so that relationships can be built with families.

4.Proposal

The FIP/FIP Plus project is now mid-term and it is hoped that the project can continue. This project has been successful in gripping the most hard to reach families. If this is agreed the co-ordinators role will need to be funded for another year. This would enable further integration with the locality model, demonstrated in the current FIP/FIP Plus model.