www.cymru.gov.uk

Implementing the Integrated Family Support ServiceTransforming services for complex families

Phill Chick IFSS Implementation Director, WAGMatt Lewis Consultant Social Worker, Newport IFSSJay Goulding Consultant Social Worker – Merthyr &

RCT IFSSBeth Rees IFSS Practitioner, Merthyr & RCT IFSS

“The Integrated Family Support Service is a major step towards our goal of integrating services to deliver for the needs of the whole family. It places greater accountability and shared responsibility within and across children and adult services and breaks down boundaries between local government and health to better support the family as a unit.”

Integrated Family

Support

“Substance misuse destroys families and it is often the children who bear the brunt of its consequences.

If we are to break the cycle of disadvantage that blights these families…our approach must be to adapt our workforce and integrate our services so that parents are given the support to care for their children and also better care for themselves.”

Integrated Family

Support

“Our aim through the IFSS is to keep the family together by empowering them to take positive steps to change and improve their lives and this can only be good for our society. “

Gwenda Thomas AM National Launch event 15th September 2010

Integrated Family

Support

• Statutory platform• Evidence based• Integrated three dimensional approach• Requires professional and organisational change• Accredited IFSS training • Highly strategic approach to establishment• Strengths based-motivational approach• Outward looking- embedded within the service system• Adds capacity and builds & draws on the family’s capacity to change

Why is it

different?

A ‘One Wales’ Commitment

“We will seek further powers to legislate in the fields of vulnerable children, looked-after

children and child poverty.”

Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010

Regulations and Statutory Guidance 2010

Statutory Platform

• Learning from Pioneers in operation• Training the wider workforce through accredited IFSS training• Learning from National & Local evaluation• Workforce development• Wider Health & Social Care engagement and dissemination of findings• Expansion within Pioneer Areas i.e Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Learning Difficulties• Pan-Wales roll out from 2013 onwards

The Future : Learning and

Expansion

www.cymru.gov.uk

The model in operationTransforming services for complex families

A child protection and substance misuse crisis intervention service.

We work with families where there are serious child protection concerns related to

parental substance misuse.

Integrated Family

Support

Our Aim

We aim to create a positive change in the way families function enabling

children to:

Remain home safely

Return home safely

Or develop an alternative plan

• We can’t tell if it’s hopeless

-We don’t know which families will be successful

until we try.

• Families are our partners

-We share resources and accept families as experts in problem solving on their own situation.

• It is our job to motivate families and instil hope

-We work to instil by building on strengths, people do not resolve problems by drawing on their deficits.

Underpinning Principles

Evidence-based Practice

Bringing together some intensively researched & well evidenced interventions of proven efficacy to focus on the families values, beliefs & highlight their strengths & resources:

• Crisis Theory• Motivational Interviewing • Solution Focused Brief Therapy• Systems Theory • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Referral Criteria

•One or both parents/carers have a dependence upon drugs or alcohol and as a result of their substance misuse;

•Children are in need in of protection, at risk of accommodation or Looked after children who cannot return home.

•Expectant parents where one or both parents has a substance misuse problem that is likely to give rise to the child being in need of protection The family must be at a point of crisis

The family must know a referral is being made

Inappropriate Referral

• Family does not feel the urgent need to

make changes (no sense of crisis)

• There is no real threat of accommodation or C.P. registration

• We do not feel the children can be made safe during the intervention

IFSModel:

Practice

• Initial meeting/consultation with S.W.

• Phase 1: 4 – 6 week crisis led intervention

• Phase 2: Family plan • Follow up 1, 3 6, 12month intervals

• 24/7 family friendly timescales• Transparency• Establishing safety• Delivering the IFSI • Planning the next phase• Address practical problems and barriers

Goal setting

and measurement

• Phase one• Explore & reflect values & beliefs

enabling families to clarify what they want & how this might conflict with current behaviour

• Explore & reflect strengths & skills building on hope, confidence &

motivation to make changes• Set clear & measurable goals

provision of expected outcomes with measurable behaviour change

The Kinds of

Goals Set

Phase 1

• Managing children’s behaviour• Communicating with a partner• Stopping/controlling drink/drug use• Planning school return• Learning new parenting skills• Establishing routines• Managing adult behaviour• Improving home environment• Building healthy relationships

Maintaining Change

PHASE 2

The Family Plan

• Multi agency planning meeting Held at end of intensive phase 1

•Detailed report shared with the family & the referrer

•Family plan for phase 2Shared multi agency plan to maintain progress•Follow up at 1,3,6, and 12 months

•Booster Sessions

Maintained Change

-2

-1

0

1

2

Intervention Closure One month 3 month 6month 12month

Time

Level o

f G

oa

l Achie

vem

ent

The average progress of families passing through the Option 2 intervention in Cardiff & The Vale between inception in May

2000 – March 2010

Families maintain positive progress in relation to their goals throughout the year after our intervention

Consultation

in the

IFSS

A Resource for practitioners

Reflective time

Ongoing support

Sign posting

Information

Champions of

IFSS

Belief in a new way of working

Support

Disseminate to colleagues

Joined up working

Champions of

IFSS

What we can offer…

Accredited training

Secondments to IFST

Shared learning

Practice in action