Families First

Warwickshire has been successful in its application to the DfE for Wave 2 of the Families First for Children Pathfinder Programme. This is a national test and learn initiative following the publication of the government response (Stable Homes, Built on Love) to the independent review of children’s social care by Josh McAllister.

All local authorities are expected to implement the recommendations by 2027 and by becoming a pathfinder, Warwickshire LA going to be at the forefront of these ‘once in a lifetime’ reforms.

The Pathfinder Programme vision is to rebalance children’s social care away from costly crisis intervention to more meaningful and effective early support. The pathfinder will deliver new delivery models for family help, child protection, family networks and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements ahead of a national transformation.  In particular they will be multi agency teams, which they believe will be a great benefit to families and practitioners.

They are confident that the Pathfinder changes will make a real positive difference to children and families in Warwickshire but understand that for some of you may have some anxiety around change. Their aim is to continue to communicate and engage but also to codesign with you over the coming months as they begin to develop their plans for the future.

Click the icon to find out more:

 

About the Children and Families Front Door (Previously ‘MASH’)

The Children and Families Front Door brings together Children’s Social Care and Early Help in to one place to facilitate early, better quality information sharing, analysis and decision-making to safeguard children, young people and families more effectively.

When there are concerns for the safety and wellbeing of children in the Warwickshire, the first point of contact for the Front Door is the Triage Hub.

The Children and Families Front Door also incorporates the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) which is a partnership between:

• Warwickshire County Council
• Warwickshire Police
• The National Health Service (NHS)
• Other key partner agencies

 

How does it work?

The CFFD acts as the first point of contact, receiving NEW safeguarding concerns or enquiries and collating information from different agencies to build up a holistic picture of the circumstances of a case.

When a concern is reported, this will go to the Triage Hub. Following this, agencies involved quickly share information on a case and make a swift decision on the most appropriate action needed. Better co-ordination between agencies will also lead to an improved service for children, adults and their families.

The CFFD will replace The MASH and a range of existing referral points. It will allow agencies to work together more closely – an approach which is already working elsewhere in the country.

Children and Families Front Door- further information.

Report a concern

If you have concerns that a child or young person is suffering ANY form of neglect, abuse or cruelty, contact us immediately on:

01926 414144

Lines are open from:

• Monday to Thursday: 8.30am – 5.30pm
• Friday: 8.30am – 5pm

Out of hours

If you have an emergency outside of usual office hours, please contact the Emergency Duty Team immediately on:

01926 886922

Emergency contact

If you think that a child or young person is at immediate risk, contact the police immediately on:
999

 

 

Early Help

Early help is offered by Warwickshire County Council and is about Accessing the Right Support at the Right Time.

It is about offering information, advice, guidance and support to families as soon as a concern emerges or seems likely to emerge.

Early Help is a spectrum of support, which means the help offered to a family can range from signposting to an informative website, right through to working with the family to complete an assessment called the Early Help Pathway to Change Plan. This is to ensure that families receive support from the right service at the right time.

All children, young people and families in Warwickshire are entitled to receive Early Help.

Families can approach anyone working with them who will respond with help. They will do so by starting a conversation with the family to help identify what help they require and identify how help should be provided. Early Help does not always mean early years. Although research shows that most impact can be made in those crucial first few years of a child’s life, Early Help can be needed and put in place at any time and at any age.

Early Help support can be accessed in different ways depending on the number and type of concerns such as:

The Family Information Service -01926 742274– easy access to information and universal access to direct advice and guidance. FIS facilitates this via telephone and e-mail helpline, outreach events at targeted locations throughout the County. They also provide 1:1 targeted support for families in their own homes via the FIS brokerage service. This effective early intervention delivers better outcomes for everyone.

The FIS service provides the following:

Helpline Family Information Service (FIS) provides information, advice and guidance for families with children and young people aged from 0 – 25 who reside in Warwickshire.

A wide range of information is available via the FIS website, social media, outreach and by telephone helpline/ email Monday – Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm. on a variety of subjects which include finance, SEND, housing and family relationships.

Online FIS provides a comprehensive suite of webpages to enable families and professionals to access information on a wide variety of subjects. Daily updates via FIS Facebook and Twitter pages deliver information that is relevant for families living in Warwickshire. A fortnightly electronic newsletter is also distributed.

Outreach The FIS Outreach service allows families, and professionals working with families the opportunity to access services face to face from a variety of locations including Children and Family Centres.

 

 

Brokerage FIS brokerage officers work with families on a 1:1 basis, delivering timely, focused, interventions assessed on the individual needs of families within Warwickshire.

Support offered enables parents and carers to access services where there are barriers such as mental health, disability, language or complex needs. This is practical Early Help support typically around housing, finance and accessing available services.

Examples of when FIS support is beneficial can include: • Family relationships • Finance • Housing • Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) • Childcare • Health and well-being services • Grants/charity funding for families.

Parents and carers can self-refer into the Brokerage service or a referral form can be completed by a professional.

Children and Family Centres

Children and Family Centres deliver a range of provision both in the centres and as outreach provision. Barnardo’s are commissioned by Warwickshire County Council to manage and run 13 sites across the county.

Services are offered from 0-19 years of age and up to 25 for those with additional needs. There are 14 children and Families Centres:

Our local Children’s centres are;

• Warwick District: Kingsway, Lillington, Westgate

• Stratford District: Stratford, Lighthorne Heath, Alcester

Timetables can be found on the Barnardo’s and St Michael’s Children and Family Centre Facebook pages.

Parenting Support

Parents can access support for their families easily in a range of ways.

Parenting support, advice and guidance can be accessed through:

• Online parenting support information (via Family Information Website)

• The Family Support Line-01926 412412 -Duty Family Support Workers in each district all week (9-4pm). This will enable a family or practitioner to have a same day telephone consultation regarding parenting or behaviour concerns.

• Online booking for short courses and parenting programmes to enable easy accessibility

• Online parenting courses (Triple P and Solihull Approach)

 

• Short courses – the ability to book onto short 2-hour courses in a range of subjects such as sleep, routines and boundaries, challenging behaviour and home conditions

 

• Parenting programmes: More in-depth support delivered through a variety of parenting groups available to meet a variety of needs, including Special Education Needs and Disabilities.

• 121 work: available via an Early Help Pathway to Change Plan.