Help and Support For Separated Families (HSSF)

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Help & Support for Separated Families

Summary•Cross government initiative to help separated parents work together in the best interests of their children

•Focus on keeping people out of court and less reliance on statutory child maintenance service

•Delivering via 4 main strands– Sorting out Separation online service– HSSF mark– Telephone support– Innovation Fund

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Help & Support for Separated FamiliesSorting Out Separation online service (sortingoutseparation.org.uk)•Offer:

– Online signposting hub for anybody affected by family separation– Online diagnostic tool– Information on local HSSF Innovation Fund projects

•Progress:– Launched Oct 2012– 200,000+ visitors to date– Embedded on 40+ partner websites

•Next Steps– Making it easier for people to find information (search engine

optimisation)– Content improvements

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Help & Support for Separated Families

Telephone Support•Offer

– Telephony training package developed and delivered to four organisations (Family Lives, NYAS, Relate and Wikivorce)

– Rolled out April 2014– Training supports organisations in delivering messages around

collaboration to separated parents.

•Next Steps– Circulate training more widely (HSSF Mark holders/Partner

Portal)– Evaluation of training

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Help & Support for Separated Families

HSSF Mark•Offer

– Mark awarded to organisations that promote and encourage collaboration between separated parents

•Progress– 38 organisations awarded the mark– Working with umbrella organisations to assess/award mark to

members (e.g. NFM, Resolution, Relationships Scotland, NACCC)

– Assessment now done by DWP in-house

•Next Steps– Develop offer for Partners and Parents– Develop reassessment criteria and process

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Help & Support for Separated FamiliesHSSF Innovation Fund•Offer

– £10m Innovation Fund– Aim is to inform sector on most effective ways to help separated

parents to collaborate

•Progress– Delivered in two rounds – 17 Projects in total (7 Round One/10 Round Two)– All projects up and running (one closed)– Evaluator in process of being appointed

•Next Steps– Supporting local promotion (National Partnerships Team)– Evaluation

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Innovation Fund projects: Case Study 1What Next? The free online service for parents dealing with separation

• Relate led digital project • Aimed at being a “doing” site rather than

“reading”• Can involve one or both parents• Exercises that can be added to be done

later• Includes on counselling by live chat • Can use build online parenting plan

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Innovation Fund projects: Case Study 2Families Together programme delivered by Pinnacle People at Windmill City Hill Farm, Bristol

• Engaging separated parents through “family familiar” activities on a farm, such as gardening, pottery and cooking

• The Minister’s recent visit generated local interest and ITV West Country ran a feature on it