Information for parents and families can be found on our accessing support or child protection pages. This page is aimed at professionals and agencies, although parents and families may find this detailed information useful.
What is Supporting Families?
Supporting Families is a nationally funded government programme. It requires Local Authorities to support and track families with multiple identified needs. In Cambridgeshire there is a specific target to work successfully with 496 families in 2021/2022. Using our whole family approach, we ensure that progress made is ‘significant and sustained.’
The national programme also required Local Authorities to embed whole family working within all public services and encourage this with partner agencies. This is to prevent needs escalating and reduce demand on services.
How are families identified for the Supporting Families Programme, and how would I know if they were already part of the programme?
To be included in the programme families must have identified needs in two of the following categories:
- parents or children involved in crime or anti-social behaviour
- children who are not attending school regularly or have been excluded repeatedly
- adults or young people out of work or at risk of worklessness and financial exclusion
- families affected by domestic violence and abuse
- children who need help
- family members who have mental or physical health difficulties or issues with substance misuse
There must be an assessment covering all family members, a coordinated plan across the agencies involved and an identified Lead Professional.
The Supporting Families Team reviews the information provided in an Early Help Assessment (EHA) to make a decision as to whether the family meets Supporting Families criteria. The Supporting Families team will also include some families where additional needs have been identified later in the intervention.
Who is the Lead Professional what records do they keep?
The LiquidLogic database contains a record of who the Lead Professional is for each family. This is a crucial part of the Early Help Strategy to ensure professionals are able to find out whether a family already has a Lead Professional and thereby avoids duplication.
Lead Professionals with the appropriate access are able to update LiquidLogic directly.
Those without access should keep the Early Help Hub informed by calling 01480 376 666 or emailing early.helphub@cambridgeshire.gov.uk if they are handing on the lead professional role. Team Around a Family (TAF) meetings should be held regularly and the family plan updated. A final family plan will need to be completed when the involvement is coming to an end.
