Who Are We?
The Resilient Families Service has been designed to identify families in need of support at the right time. We aim to offer families an assessment that can identify the right Services for you depending on your circumstances. We offer quick and effective support and guidance to help families overcome the issues they may be having together. Our aim is to help you learn the best ways to become resilient and better at getting through tough times when they happen even after the support has ended.
How Does it Work?
The Resilient Families service is part of Children’s Services and consists of the following four teams:
The Assessment Brokerage and Review Team provides a timely response to referrals by undertaking proportionate assessments that are focused on a family’s resilience levels. The information gathered will be used to inform a Family plan that aims to build a family’s resilience levels and remove any barriers that are limiting positive change. This plan will include effective short term interventions to support families to make practical and sustainable changes.
The Families Plus Team works with families from across RCT identified as requiring intensive intervention following the initial assessment i.e. where support for complex or entrenched needs is required. These families may have been stepped down from Children’s Services intervention or have been referred to the IAA Team (Information, Advice and assistance) but did not meet the threshold for statutory Children’s Services intervention.
The Families Plus Team comprises of intervention Workers who will deliver a short term intensive package of support to families in order to build positive engagement and reduce risk levels.
The Children with Additional Needs service (CANS) Team works with families across RCT where the neuro-developmental, cognitive or physical impairment needs of their child(ren) are below the statutory threshold for intervention. CANS can help the family with specialist support to understand and manage their child’s needs and/or address the impact this is having on the wider family. The CANS Team comprises of intervention Workers who will provide short term intensive bespoke packages of specialist support to families that focuses on developing strategies to improve the quality of family life.
The Families Team works with families from across RCT identified as requiring early intervention following assessment i.e. where co-ordinated multi-agency support is required. The Families team provides a central point of contact, advocates for families, direct support and works alongside other partners to ensure that the intervention plan is effectively delivered.
How Can I Be Referred?
You can be referred for support in several different ways:
- Through your Health Visitor
- Through your school. Speak to a member of staff
- Through your Social Worker. You may be referred as part of the ‘step down’ from Children’s Services
- Through the Youth Engagement and Participation Service
- Through the Attendance and Wellbeing Service
- Through CAHMS
- Parents and Carers can make a self-referral via telephone 01443 425006.
Community based activities are mostly on a drop-in basis, so just turn up without a referral! Check out our calendar of events to see if there are any drop-in events in your area.
What Happens When I’ve Been Referred?
Once you have been referred, your case will be discussed by our professionals in the Information, Advice and Assessment Team who will decide whether RFS can offer the right support for you at this time. If not, you may be directed to a more suitable support service. You and your referrer will receive a letter to let you know if your referral has been accepted or rejected. You will need to consent to the referral.
What Happens if My Referral is Accepted?
Once you have notification that your referral has been accepted you will be allocated a worker. Support can last for for 6-12 weeks. One to one support usually takes place at your home or a place you feel comfortable.
How Will You Support Me?
The Resilient Family Service will focus on building the resilience of the family, so the support will be tailored to you.
You will be contacted to arrange an Initial Assessment which will be completed by an Engagement and Assessment Officer with your family. Once the assessment has been conducted, our team will identify some personalised goals and actions to improve your family’s resilience. This will be entered into an Action Plan. You will be asked if you agree with the actions before any work is carried out. It may be that support is required from other services such as the Citizen Advice Bureau or Youth Engagement and Participation Service. Don’t worry, we can ask these other services to help if you consent to this.
At this point you will be allocated an Intervention Worker who will be your single point of contact and help you through your Action Plan and support you to access other services, if required.
What is Resilience?
Being resilient means that you are better equipped to respond to difficult situations. It is a key skill often linked to:
- Better mental health
- Improved family relations
- Healthier long-term outcomes for children
The Resilient Families Service can help you build your resilience so you are more confident and have the skills to deal with everything that family life throws at you.
What Other Services Could You Help Me Access?
As part of the assessment process we will ask other services if they feel like they could provide support to your family. We will only ask these services if you agree to it first. These services could be:
- Education
- Parenting
- Family Therapy
- Citizen Advice Bureau
- Health
- Housing
- Childcare
- Youth Engagement and Participation
- Play
- Youth Offending Service
The support from other services may carry on, even after our support has come to an end.
What Happens at the End of the Support Period?
At the end of your support you will be evaluated which will let you see how much your resilience has improved. If further support is required, we can signpost you to others that can continue to help.
Resilient Families Service Survey
The Resilient Families Service would like to get your views and experiences to learn more about how the service support is meeting your needs.
If you have ever received or are currently receiving support from any service within Resilient Families, please tell them what you think by scanning the QR code with your phone or by clicking the link below.
https://RCTCBC.welcomesyourfeedback.net/j90nmx
What Happens if I Miss Appointments?
Unfortunately, you will need to engage with us in order for us to help you. If you cannot attend an appointment you will need to let your caseworker know so they can reschedule another date. If you do not attend multiple appointments your referral will be closed and your referrer and/or parent or carer will receive a letter to notify them.
I Have Had Support From RFS In The Past, Can I Be Referred Again?
If you need support for the same issue, you will have to wait 3 months before another referral will be considered. However, if support is needed for a completely new issue you can be referred back into RFS immediately.
How to contact us
Phone: 01443 281435
Email: rfs@rctcbc.gov.uk