Agenda item

Adults Select Committee Members are invited to attend the Select Committee meeting to scrutinise this agenda item, as it affects both the Children and Young People Select Committee and the Adults Select Committee.

Context:

 

·         To provide an overview of Families First provision in Monmouthshire and relevant performance outcomes.

 

·         To focus on partnership working to support families in poverty to address their needs.

 

·         Families First is one of the key Welsh Government anti-poverty programmes, linked closely to the Flying Start and Supporting People programmes.  Its focus is on early intervention and relies on effective partnership working to engage with families to prevent escalation into crisis or need for social services intervention.  In Monmouthshire, we have Team around the Family (TAF) and a range of commissioned projects which work together to provide an appropriate mix of provision to support families to address their needs.

 

·         Team around the Family (TAF) is a Wales wide approach delivered through Welsh Government’s Families First programme. TAF aims to support families early to identify needs and provide support to prevent escalation into crisis. TAF aims to support families in Monmouthshire to reduce the level of need they may be experiencing; this is done by tailoring support with a team of professionals who can provide services to support a family.  The TAF process enables families and professionals to work together to deliver services built around the needs of a family, and TAF aims to work with families to identify the right support from the right people at the right time. 

 

Families First Outcomes as set by WG for 2015/16:

 

·                People in low income families gain, and progress within employment.

·                Children, young people and families achieve their potential.

·                Children, young people and families are healthy and enjoy wellbeing.

·                Families are confident, nurturing, resilient and safe.

 

Families First projects contribute to Monmouthshire Single integrated Plan:

 

·                Theme 2: People are Confident, Capable and Involved.

·                Outcome 5: Families are Supported. 

·                Families First also contributes significantly to tackling poverty in Monmouthshire. 

 

 

 

 

 

Key Issues:

 

Overview of Families First Programmes

 

In December 2015 Welsh Government provided notification that the indicative budget for Families First funding in 2016-17 is £651,179, which is a £86,081 reduction from 2015-16.  This includes a ring-fenced sum of £50,937 for disability support.

 

In order to manage the reduction in budget a review of the Families First Programmes and the TAF model was undertaken in January 2016.  As a result of the review it was identified that there was a need to increase the number of TAF cases in Monmouthshire.  The new Social Services and Wellbeing Act could potentially increase in the number of ‘Children in Need’ which could be referred to Families First and TAF.  In this context, there was the challenge of managing the £86,081 reduction in Families First budget whilst finding additional savings to fund additional TAF worker resource.

 

Families First Projects and funding allocation are as follows:

 

Team Around The Family (TAF)                         2016-17 Funding: £138,390

 

With an increased TAF budget for 2016-17, there will be increased capacity within the current TAF team consisting of a TAF Co-ordinator and 3 x TAF Project Officers. To date TAF has relied on a ‘volunteer’ lead worker model to co-ordinate TAF support for families in Monmouthshire.  However, busy professionals, whilst being committed to the multi-agency approach, don’t always have the time to pick up lead worker caseloads to the extent which is required.  Consequently, the number of families supported by TAF have been relatively low and additional TAF Project Officers will address this issue. The additional TAF Project Officers will also enable the Authority to provide enhanced support to volunteer lead workers whilst increasing capacity to take on more TAF cases.  It will also allow the TAF Co-ordinator to focus on the TAF priorities 2016-17, and increase the number of families supported under the TAF model.

 

Acorn                                                                         2016-17 Funding: £239,786

 

The Acorns projects consists of multi-agency teams delivering parenting support, adult learning and advice,  early years support (language and play and speech therapy), health and well-being services.  It is co-ordinated from Acorn Centre (Integrated Children’s Centre) in Abergavenny, and also delivered in other cluster locations across Monmouthshire.

 

Inclusive Acorn                                                       2016-17 Funding: £30,900

 

Inclusive Acorn supports children with disabilities to access the Acorn Project including working with portage workers, paediatricians, parenting programmes and visiting parents at home to assess children, they also provide childcare to enable parents of children with disabilities to access programmes.

Face 2 Face Counselling                                     2016-17 Funding: £76,560

 

Provides community based counselling for young people, therapeutic play for children and family system therapy for whole family groups.

 

Inclusive Play and Leisure                                  2016-17 Funding: £20,037

 

Access to local authority summer play provision for children with support needs. 

 

Watch, Wait and Wonder                                      2016-17 Funding: £17,000

 

Is an infant Mental Health project focussing on the quality of the relationship between parents and babies. Clinics are held in the north and south of the county and on-going training in infant observation for 0-3yr olds and their parents. 

 

Young Carers Project                                           2016-17 Funding: £50,486

 

Young Carers are supported through targeted intervention (advocacy and support) to reduce gaps between themselves and universal cohorts of young people / and are supported to engage in education, employment or training.

 

Home Start                                                              2016-17 Funding: £31,000

 

Works to alleviate the pressures faced by families with low incomes and children under five by placing volunteers who are usually parents themselves to support them.

 

 

Families First embraces multi-agency working; it works collaboratively with Social  Services, Education, the Youth Service as well as health, housing, the police and a range of third sector partners.  The Families First Manager and TAF Co-ordinator link with a wide range of PSB partnership groups to ensure a joined-up approach,  whilst the Families First / TAF Management Group has representation from a wide range of partner organisations.  Partnership working forms a key part of tackling poverty and supporting families across the county, and it is important that Select Committees have a strong oversight of this work and the actions that are being taken.

 

Member scrutiny:

 

·         A presentation and DVD was shown to the Select Committee regarding the Families First Programme.

 

·         Funding for the families First Programme will end on 31st March 2017.  The team is waiting for the Welsh Government to confirm whether or not this funding will be provided after March 2017.

 

·         The Select Committee stated that they could help support this programme at ward level.  The Scrutiny Manager would provide the Partnership and Engagement JAFF Coordinator with the email addresses of the Select Committee.

 

·         In response to a Select Committee Member’s question, it was noted that a family questionnaire is provided at the beginning of the programme and then again when a family finishes the programme.  This allows officers to measure the family’s progress.

 

·         The Families First Programme was highly valued.

 

·         The Programme was about addressing the needs of the families with a view to increasing the employability / skills of individuals so that they might be better placed to join the labour market.

 

·         Percentage figure could be provided alongside numerical figures.

 

·         The projects are well connected to each other, as well as being connected to Health Boards, the Police, schools and Social Services.

 

 

Chair’s Sum up:   ·         The Select Committee would like to be kept informed of future funding for the Families First Programme.   ·         The Work streams will be addressed by the Public Service Board Select Committee.   ·         The Families First Programme should be reviewed in nine months.   ·         Elected Members may assist in raising awareness of the Programme.   We resolved to receive the report and were mindful of the issues identified.