Family support is delivered by a dedicated team of workers known as the family support team.
They support families at an early stage to improve life chances for children and young people, and promote independent growth with the right support.
The family support team work with families experiencing a range of challenges such as debt, domestic violence, poor mental or emotional health, substance misuse, anti-social behaviour and neglect. They do this through home visiting and assessment of your needs.
Help provided to families includes:
- support to families with children aged 0-19 years old with complex and multiple needs
- an assessment of needs, helping families to identify what works well and what needs to change
- acting as lead professional for the family, helping you to access support and work with other services to make changes
- parenting advice and working with the family to improve the confidence and self-esteem of children, young people and parents/carers
- being a positive role model and advocate for children and young people
- listening to the views of families and their children to provide support
What to expect
The Family Support Team work alongside you and your family, with other agencies who are already working with you or who may become involved in the future.
You will have a named worker who will complete an assessment with you and your family (if appropriate) to help identify what is working well and where support is needed. A support plan will be created and reviewed regularly with you and the Team around the Family.
Support includes:
- Parenting help – Tips on routines, boundaries, and positive reinforcement. If you need more support, we can refer you to parenting programmes
- Managing conflict – Help for parents (together or separated) to understand and reduce arguments. Not for cases involving domestic abuse, court issues, or contact disputes
- Finding the right support – We listen to your needs and guide you to the right services, like mental health support or family programmes
- Speaking up for you – If you find it hard to speak up due to confidence or mental health, we can help or refer you to an advocacy service.
- Family relationships – Support for parents and children, siblings, or wider family issues. We can also arrange meetings to bring family members together
- Short breaks – Help to apply for support like direct payments, personal budgets, and holiday clubs
- Money help – Support to look at income, spending, and where you might need financial help. We can also refer you to money advice services
- Support for children and young people – One-to-one sessions to help them share their feelings about school, home, friends, and relationships
How to make a request for early help support
If your family needs additional support, you can reach out to a professional - such as a teacher, GP, or support worker - who can help you access the right services.
With your consent, they can submit a Multi-Agency Request for Support (MARS) referral to connect you with the help you need.
You can find out more information on professionals requesting early help support, such as when to complete an early help assessment, when to hold a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting and more, on our professional early help support webpage.