Families in Focus

What Families in Focus is, who can get help from Families in Focus, how to get help.

What Families in Focus is

Families in Focus supports families and children aged 0 to 18 years who need intensive and co-ordinated help and support to meet their needs.

Families in Focus works with children and families with multiple needs or whose needs are more complex, such as families:

  • struggling with parenting and child behaviours , such as anxiety or violent outbursts
  • who live with physical or mental health difficulties which have a significant impact on their wellbeing
  • where children are at risk of exploitation
  • living with drug and alcohol misuse
  • affected by domestic abuse

Who can get help from Families in Focus

If your family or child has had early help support which hasn't met your needs, you may be able to get more support from Families in Focus.

To get help from Families in Focus, you must agree to:

  • working with a range of services specific to identified need
  • accept support
  • work collaboratively with professionals

How to get help

Talk to the professional who's been helping you. They'll do a First Assessment Service referral for you, requesting a Families in Focus response.

You can also refer yourself to Families in Focus by calling First Response on 0117 903 6444.

How Families in Focus work with families

Families in Focus allocate a lead professional for each family they support. This will be a Family Worker or a Strengthening Families Keyworker, depending on your need.

Family Workers

Family Workers work with children, young people and families in different circumstances. This could include support with:

  • mental health
  • domestic violence
  • substance misuse
  • unemployment and financial difficulties
  • SEND and education issues
  • understanding child behaviour
  • parenting

Family Worker assessment

Family Workers will work with you to understand and identify your family's needs, focusing on the children and young people in your care. They'll consider these needs in the context of the wider family, school and community.

The Family Worker will visit children and families at home, in the community and at their education setting.

Family Worker plan

The Family Worker will make a support plan with your family and other professionals. This plan includes different support and interventions depending on the children's needs and ages and the parents' needs. This might include:

  • work with the child or young person to talk about their emotions and wellbeing
  • life story work, to help children understand their past experiences
  • managing anxiety and looking after yourself
  • parenting support

The Family Worker will work closely with other agencies and services to provide this support.

Family Workers will also work with families to develop and strengthen a network of support through:

  • friends and family
  • other professionals

They'll chair Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings to keep the plan on track. They'll review and change the plan as often as needed.

Family Workers aim to work with families for up to 6 months. After this, your family and network continue with the progress made. You maintain the changes with the support of services such as schools, health services and community organisations.

Strengthening Families Keyworkers

Strengthening Families Keyworkers provide support for families and children aged 12 to 17 when there is:

  • a significant risk of a young person needing to leave their family home
  • concerns about increased criminality

These are often linked to:

  • poor school attendance
  • violence in the home or community
  • antisocial behaviour
  • relationship breakdown between a young person and their parent or carer

Strengthening Families Keyworkers aim to:

  • prevent children and young people from going into foster care
  • make sure children can remain safely in their family and friends' networks and communities

What Strengthening Families Keyworkers do

Keyworkers work closely with families and young people to build a network of support and strengthen family relationships. They work with young people on issues including:

  • personal safety, such as around risks of exploitation or risk taking behaviours
  • substance use support
  • mental health support
  • engaging with education

They also work with parents and carers on techniques such as:

  • de-escalation strategies and safety planning
  • recognising signs of exploitation
  • how parents can look after themselves

Keyworkers work with families for up to a year to make sure changes are long lasting and sustainable.

Strengthening Families Keyworker assessment and plan

Strengthening Families Keyworkers will work with your family to understand and identify your needs and make a plan in the same way as family workers. The support is unique to your family's needs. It will include:

  • direct work with you and your family
  • working closely with agencies specific to your plan

Specialists

Families in Focus specialists:

  • support the lead professional's work
  • work directly with children and young people and parents and carers

If Families in Focus think your family needs support from a specialist, they'll talk to you about making a referral. The Families in Focus specialists include:

  • Adult Mental Health Specialists (AMHS)
  • Primary Mental Health Specialists (PMHS) for children and young people
  • Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs)
  • Substance Misuse Specialists
  • Supporting Families Employment Advisors
  • Youth and Community Workers
  • Education Inclusion Managers

Parenting courses

The Families in Focus parenting specialists provide parenting courses which support parents with children aged 3 to 17.

The parenting courses are based on principles of participation and collaboration. Parents tell us they learn a lot from others facing similar challenges and enjoy the support a group can offer.

All courses are free, and you can refer yourself.

You can also do parenting courses at Bristol's Children's Centres, including antenatal courses and shorter parenting courses. To express an interest in these courses, visit your local Children's Centre.

For the full list of courses on offer, including those from Bristol Autism Team, see  pdf parenting courses (196 KB) .

Some families who meet the criteria and are already working with Families in Focus or social work services are eligible for one to one parenting courses.

For more information go to Parenting courses, advice and telephone support.

If you're a professional

If the early help provided has not met the child and family's needs:

  • discuss this with the parent or carer
  • do a referral to the First Assessment Service, requesting a Families in Focus (early help) response.

There are 3 Families in Focus teams in Bristol:

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