Family Intervention Projects

1. Family Intervention Projects London Safeguarding Board 8th December 2010

2. Carol Carruthers Service Manager Prevention & Intervention Services

3. Havering • Affluent with wards of deprivation

4. Children with a Child Protection Plan • Neglect 48% • Emotional 35% • Physical 17% • Sexual 0% Family characteristics of all of the above: • Domestic Violence • Alcohol use • Drug misuse • Parental mental health

5. Children entering Care Predominantly: • Under 3 years old • 12-14 years old Wards: • Harold Hill • Rainham

6. Specialist IFIT, PAT Targetted Baby FIP, YCFIP in RM3 Universal These children receive appropriate universal services and have no identified targeted needs. Operating Model

7. Why FIP? • Neglect is difficult to address as it is pervasive. • Entrenched; parents resistant to change; poor outcomes for children; generational; differing degrees; not an event or injury; a combination of factors. • FIP is intensive. • FIP workers use recognised parenting programmes, one to one. • FIP workers/Social Workers experience; skills; change agents. • FIP plans are detailed, challenging but supportive with transparent sanctions.

8. Structure of Services

9. FIP Support Services • Researcher • Mental Health Practitioner • Drugs & Alcohol Practitioner • Relate Family Therapy • Think Fathers Advocacy Service

10. Brief of each FIP Criteria: • YCFIP- young people aged 13-16 involved in youth crime. Antisocial behaviour and beyond parental control. • Baby FIP- parents under 25, child under 5 years. Domestic violence, parental substance abuse, parental ill health. • Parenting Assessment Team- Legal Consistency Panel • IFIT • Legal Planning • Family Group Conference

11. YCFIP • Model • Practice • Impact & Outcomes • Number of families- 12 cases from Oct 2009-Present (7 currently open, 5 closed). • Outcomes for families- improved family relationships and functioning, improved school attendance and achievement, reduction in youth crime, improvement in parenting skills . • Families view • ‘They helped out with jobs with the property regarding the council, also debt find it it hard to come to terms with my past’, ‘the support the project has given her is second to none’, ‘I can say NO more often to the kids now’.

12. YCFIP Example • Background • The M family have been on and off with Social Services for 6 years. • Family consists of Mother, Father and 5 children aged between 3-17 years. • Referred to YCFIP in December 2009. • Issues • Noise nuisance, Antisocial behaviour • Risk of eviction • Underage sex, Mother has undiagnosed ADHD • State of family home • Education and attendance concerns • Work we did • Practical support from the FIP Worker in the family home (6-9 hours per week). Helped in cleaning around the house and implementing age appropriate routines around mealtimes and bedtime. • Liaised with school in promoting attendance and linked in universal health services for the children. • Enrolled family on Strengthening Families programme. • Counselling with Relate for Mother around childhood issues and with whole family. • Outcomes • Better relationship between family members. • Reduced antisocial behaviour. • Family home is much cleaner. • Improvement in attendance and grades at school. • Predicted annual savings to society for this family is £205,529.84.

13. Baby FIP • Model • Practice • Impact & Outcomes • Number of families- 7 cases open, 2 closed (since January 2010). • Outcomes for families- 1 child is no longer on CP Plan, 3 cases resulted in positive engagement from the families, with support services identified and put in place. • Family Views • ‘Baby FIP helped with budgeting, informed me of groups such as Cook & Eat. I could confide in the FIP Worker and would urge other families to go for it, ideal if your having relationship or money worries, child's behavioural problem etc. Very useful!’

14. Baby FIP Example • Background • Family consists of Mother, Father, two children aged 1 and 3 • Issues • Domestic Violence • Alcohol abuse • Child hygiene problems • Lack of support network for Mother • Finance & budgeting issues • Lack of supervision of children • Work we did • Arranged sessions with Women’s Aid and Community Alcohol Team. • Mother given advice and practical support on guidance and boundaries and dealing with challenging behaviour, including tantrums. • Practical support regarding hygiene within the home. • Mother and Father enrolled on appropriate parenting courses. • Mother provided with a budget chart and routine charts. • Outcomes • Children more compliant with Mother. • Mother regularly attending Children’s Centre classes. • Reduction is Police involvement. • Home is being maintained.

15. Gill Nash Manager- IFIT, PAT & CIN

16. IFIT- Introduction • Primary goal of IFIT is to assist families in avoiding progressing from pre-stage PLO into legal proceedings. • IFIT formed in November 2009- we initiated this pilot as a response to the governments “Think Family” agenda. • The team with children at the greatest risk in Social Care teams. • The program requires a very high level of commitment from the families as well as from professionals. • Ultimately, it is the family’s choice to engage and make appropriate changes and work hard towards moving forward in a positive way.

17. Referral Criteria IFIT only accept cases that meet the following criteria: • Significant history of involvement with CYPS (where previous interventions have not worked). • Must be subject to a child protection plan. • Must be subject to pre-stage PLO or a Child Protection Plan over 13 months with no significant progress. • Either Domestic Violence, Substance Misuse or Mental Health must be prevalent within the family. • At a point where the Local Authority are considering care proceedings. • Parents/family must have consented to the referral.

18. Organisational Structure- IFIT

19. Organisational Structure- Parenting Assessment Team (PAT)

20. Timeline of Involvement WEEK 1 • IFIT representative attends Legal Planning Meeting; explains programme and obtain consent from the family. • Phone family to see if they have any questions (within three days). • Decision to accept the case (within one week). WEEKS 2–3 • Referral signed by parents and given to IFIT (within two weeks of Legal Planning Meeting). • Allocate a lead IFIT worker (within three days of referral). WEEKS 4–5 • Professionals Meeting (within two weeks of referral). WEEK 6 • Complete whole Family Core Assessment (within four weeks of referral). WEEK 8 • Contract Meeting (within six weeks of referral). • Review Meetings (every six weeks). • Core Group Meetings (every four weeks; can be combined with Review Meetings). 6–9 MONTHS • Family Group Conference (if necessary) and ending work. • Disruption Meeting (when/if family misses three scheduled appointments and/or non-engagement.

21. Cost Effectiveness The graph shows the actual costs incurred to LBH, and the costs to LBH should IFIT not have been involved, and the children were placed in Local Authority Care.

22. Cost Effectiveness The below graph shows the costs to the Local Authority should IFIT not have been involved, and the children went into a Care Placement (from when case was open to IFIT until child is aged 18):

23. Parenting Assessment Team The PAT undertake in-house assessments. Parenting assessments are also completed independently. The average cost for an independent assessment is between £5-6k. The diagram below shows the number of parenting assessments by LBH and through independent agencies.

24. Example- Family ‘X’ • Background • The X family have extensive history with Children’s Services.  • Family consists of Mother, two children (aged 2 & 8) and one unborn. • Multiple episodes where the children have been made subject to CP plans. • IFIT began to work with the family in June 2010. • Issues • Domestic Violence • Emotional Abuse • Mental Health • Neglect • One child with disability • Work we did • Sent Mother & children to Refuge, then re-housed with security provision. • FSW provided in house and community based support 2/3 times per week. • One to One counselling with Social Worker on a daily basis. • Maintained appointments via planning tool and support. • Improved healthcare for Mother. • Counselling with Relate. • Outcomes • Non-Molestation Order. • 8 year old child removed from CP register in November 2010. • Improvement in children’s behaviour. • Better self-esteem and increased standard of parenting and coping strategies. • Improved relationship between Mother and Maternal Grandmother.

25. Client Feedback • Is the IFIT way of working different from previous social work involvement with your family and why? “Yes, more understanding”, “Trust her more as she does not twist my words”, “Come to an agreement rather than forced into something”, “Feel less pressured than in previous social work teams”, “More intense work”, “Does not judge”. • Is there anything that could have been done differently? “No, done everything for us”, “Done more than any other of the social work teams”. • What have been the positives/negatives for you? “Social Worker has helped to get partner involved with Dad’s club”, “helped me realise the issues surrounding domestic violence”, “Helped me put in boundaries/discipline measures with the children which I have never done before”, “Talk to me and ask for my opinion” “All been positive”.

26. Client Feedback • Please give one example of how the IFIT support has helped you to make the changes you wanted to achieve? “Social Worker goes out of her way to help, has even rung me when she has been on sick leave”, “Honest”, “Positive”, “Got me in a woman’s refuge, which gave me the kick I needed”, “Has helped with my drug misuse, taking out an injunction and moving house”. • Has there been a time when you have not agreed with Social Worker and how was this addressed? “At the beginning I didn’t agree with something that the Social Worker said, was resolved by a meeting with the Manager of the team and an agreement was reached, since then have got on better”. • Have your children noticed the difference? “Yes definitely all of my children love her”, “Have noticed a difference with my children, better behaved” ,“Children are more content, behaviour has improved”. • If you had a friend that is involved with Children’s Services and IFIT was offered to them, what advice would you give them? “To join IFIT as they are friendlier”, “Join IFIT as they have changed my life and will help you, they wont judge you just help”, “Recommend them, they listen more as they have families of their own”.

27. Savings • Baby FIP • YCFIP • IFIT Outcomes for the Child (amalgamation of 3 teams) • 67% remain with parents • 12% remain within family • 12% in Care. • 9% in proceedings • Attendance and educational attainment improved • Health improved • Children report they have more friends

28. Outcomes for Staff • Stable workforce • Skilled workforce using recognised parenting academy programmes • London College Evaluating Programmes • Morale excellent This is what I came into Social Work to do Outcomes for the Authority • Child Protection Plans increased- better identification and early intervention • Number of Looked After remained stable- 200

29. Future • Increase YCFIP • Increase Baby FIP • To roll out across Social Care subject to Munro review findings • Social Workers on Newly Qualified Scheme shadow and work alongside IFIT to enhance their practice • To obtain Advanced Social Work status for IFIT staff • Triage System

30. Questions