Family Help

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What is Family Help
How we'll help you
A Family Help Plan
What makes Family Help Different?
Who is part of our Team
How we work with you
If you need more than Family Help

“You need to read this offer because it tells you what you and your family are entitled to and who is there to help” - taken from care leavers pledge young person

What is Family Help?

We understand that being a child, young person or even just being part of a family can be difficult. Most families get support from friends and family or from places like nurseries, schools, GPs and community services. These include our Family Information Service and parenting offer which is open to all.

Some children, young people and families may need more support than this. Family Help is our way to offer more help and support, and protect children young people and families where its needed.

We want to offer help to families early, so we can avoid or prevent difficulties getting worse. We want to focus on the positive things that matter the most.

We want children and families to know they are not alone.

Teams of workers with different skills are able to offer support. You will be given a named worker who will be based locally, and will best meet you and your family’s needs. Sometimes you may have more than one worker. We will try to keep the same people supporting you throughout your time with Family Help. This means less change and more consistency for you and your family.

How we'll help you

First, we will talk or meet with you or your family to carry out an assessment. This helps us to see what support you and your family may need. We call this a Family Help Assessment.

We may decide that Family Help is not what your family needs. If this is the case, we will show you where to go for help instead.

You will be matched with a worker who has the right skills to best support you and your family, or signpost to other services if that’s what’s needed. They will be your Lead Practitioner. See below who is part of our team and what kind of worker you may be matched with.

The support offered will look different for everyone but will be personalised to best support your and your family’s needs. This will be written down in a Family Help Plan.

A Family Help Plan

This is a plan that is written down and will say all the things that were agreed to help you or your family.

The plan will involve you, your family, anyone important to you, and the people working with you.

It will show what needs to be done and when, and who will be helping you or your family with the things agreed.

It will also show other services we will work with, if you need more specialist support. This might be teams such as:

education
health
disabled children services
domestic abuse advisers
substance abuse workers
mental health support workers

We will hold regular Family Help meetings with you and your family to make sure the plan is meeting you and your family’s needs. Also to see if it needs changing.

During those meetings we will make sure that:

you and your child’s wishes and feelings are heard
there are no surprises, and that you’ve seen anything written before the meeting and had the opportunity to give your feedback
you know what will happen at the meeting, where it will take place and who will be there
any practical arrangements, such as transport or childcare, have been taken into consideration so you can get there

What makes Family Help Different?

The Government’s Families First Partnership programme says we need to:

Make it clear to you what our commitment is to you, and
Make it clear what we’re offering

So we are bringing together Targeted Early Help and Family Assessment and Support teams into one service. This is called Family Help. These new teams will be our all-in-one offer of help, support and advice to families and children in need.

Our commitment to you:

We want to understand what life is really like for you and your family. We’ll listen carefully and try to use your own words to show we’ve heard you.
We understand that making sure children are safe isn’t just one person’s job - it’s something we all need to do together.
We will talk to the people who help you early on, so you get the right help quickly. We won’t wait for big meetings.
We’ll ask you before we talk to anyone else - unless we’re really worried about safety. If that happens, we’ll tell you.
We’ll ask paid professionals to understand what’s going on in your family to make sure everyone is safe.
We’ll talk to your wider family and friends to find the best help for you. We’ll look at what everyone needs, not just one person.
We’ll listen to you and your family to find the best way to help. We want you to be part of the plan and make sure you feel safe and happy.
We’ll share information with you, your family, and others (who you’ve agreed) in a way that’s easy to understand and at the right time.
We’ll always be honest, kind, and fair. We’ll do the right thing, even when it’s hard.
We’ll listen to what you think and what your family wants too. But children and young people’s needs come first.
We want to spot problems early and help before things get worse.
If you or your family need extra help, we’ll make sure you get it.
We’ll treat everyone fairly and kindly, no matter who they are. We’ll use words that everyone can understand.
We want to work together to make things better for all children and families in Cornwall.

Your rights

We are committed to helping you understand your rights and who can help you. Families have a right to be involved in all decisions about their Family Help support and plan. This includes the right to see the information we keep in files and records.
All children, young people and families have the right to complain if unhappy or you feel we have not treated you with respect and dignity.

There are a number of local and national organisations that can help you to understand your rights and make sure they’re respected.

Local organisations:

Barnardo’s | 01752 875934 | civas@barnardos.org.uk

Carefree | 01209 204333 | www.carefreecornwall.org.uk

Housing Advice | 0300 1234161 | info@cornwallhousing.org.uk

Council Leadership | 0300 1234 100 | teamleaders@cornwall.gov.uk

National organisations:

Children’s Commissioner | www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk

Shelter | england.shelter.org.uk

The law

We work under a wide range of legislation and guidance to help guide how we work with children, young people and families.

The changes are driven by Key Government Family Help Reforms to help children and families. We’re trying to make things better so families get help quickly when they need it.

In Cornwall, teams already work closely together to make sure families get the right support without delays. These changes aim to make this even better by bringing together targeted Early Help teams with Family Assessment teams. If you want to find out more click on the links below:

Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive
Children’s Social Care National Framework
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023
Families First Partnership programme

Who is part of our Team

Our team has lots of people with different jobs who work together to help you and your family. We try to keep the same people working with you so there are less changes.

Family Workers help with parenting, money, routines, and talking to schools or other professionals
Youth Workers are great at listening to young people. Also helping them understand their choices, stay safe, and feel more confident moving to adulthood
Social Workers talk with children and families to help keep everyone safe and well
Health Workers like school nurses or mental health professionals can offer support if needed
Education Workers help with school difficulties. They can link with schools and help you think about college or future learning
Police Officers may become involved in there are worries about safety and keeping people protected
Clinical Psychologists help the team to think about support which may help you best
Domestic Abuse Support Advisers can be available if you or your family need help around domestic abuse
Housing Officers use their knowledge and expertise to help support any difficulties relating to your home, or finding a home

Sometimes we work with other professionals too, but we’ll always ask you and your family before we do that - unless someone is in danger.

What we expect of our team members:

Ask you before talking to other people about how to help you
Use words you can understand so you know what they say and write
Write like we’re talking to you
Use your own words when we can
Make sure you understand why you are getting support and why we’ve suggested it
Know your rights - like being safe and listened to
Listen to you and your family
Be kind and treat you with respect
Make sure we understand what’s important to you in your life, what makes you, you. And your family
We’ll try to use words you know and feel okay with. If something is hard to understand, we’ll find a way to make it easier so you and your family know what’s going on
Make sure no one feels left out or treated unfairly
Try to help early so problems don’t get worse
Ensure everyone can access meetings, and understand what’s said

How we work with you

All families can access our Parenting Offer and Family Information Service.

In Family Help team members will use a number of different activities and styles to help us understand you and your family. We use a model called Signs of Safety to help us see the positives in your family. This helps us to write clear, fair, and easy to understand plans to help support you and your family.

Training for staff

All the people who work in Family Help do lots of training so they know the best ways to help you and your family. Sometimes they go to classes, read information, or learn special ways to talk and listen. One example is Motivational Interviewing, which helps them understand what matters to you.

They also learn about:

Being kind and fair to everyone, no matter who they are
Keeping children safe
Using Signs of Safety, which is a way of working and writing that helps everyone understand what’s going on
Talking in ways that help you feel heard and understood

Tools They Use to Understand You Better

Your worker may use special tools to help them learn about you and your family. These tools help them ask good questions like:

Who’s in your family and how do they help each other?
Who lives in your house or visits often?
What’s going well for your family?
What’s hard right now?
What kind of help would your family like?
Are there other people helping your family already?
What ideas does your family have to make things better?

Some Tools Use Pictures and Videos

Family Maps (called genograms) show who’s in your family and who’s important to you
Graded Care Profile helps understand how your family looks after each other
Words and Pictures help explain your feelings and who lives where
Family Group Conferences bring your family together to make plans
Video Interactive Guidance (VIG) uses short videos to show the good things in how families talk and play together

If you need more than Family Help

For some families, the support through Family Help isn’t enough. And sometimes, we are worried about the about a child or family's safety. If that is the case, we may need to move to child protection support service. If we do that, we will hold a meeting to discuss these concerns with the family and any other professionals involved. The whole family will be involved in the decision making if this is the case.