The Lewisham Safer Stronger Families Service was an Early Help Targeted Support service supporting children and young people at risk of harm (but who had not yet reached the ‘significant harm’ threshold and for whom a preventative service would have reduced the likelihood of that risk or harm escalating) identified by local authorities and partners.

We supported families in accordance with the continuum of need, engaging with families either before they need support from Children’s Social Care or as part of a step down plan from a Child in Need plan back to Early Help.

Safer Stronger Families used a strength based intensive multi modal intervention over a 22 week period (12 week programme and 10 week step down period) which involved delivering practical support to the heart of the family in their own home. This used a combination of principles including Triple P, Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Team Parenting™. The support equipped children, young people and their families with the skills and coping mechanisms to reduce unwanted behaviour, increase positive family functioning, and build their resilience. The service:

• Followed an assertive outreach approach
• Used a systemic, strength-based approach
• Allocated a dedicated Key Worker
• Provided a flexible intervention including ‘out of hours’ support

Our 12 week programme was followed by a 10 week step down period, focussing on outcomes identified in the Family Action Plan and have the overall aim of creating resilience and self-confidence.

Delivery was focused on helping families achieve key Troubled Families national outcomes of improving school attendance, reducing worklessness, offending behaviour and supporting children in need of help. Following 12 weeks of intensive support, the service continued to monitor the success of the intervention with a focus on helping the family to sustain the changes through signposting to universal services, convening a Team around the Family closure meeting and finally a family celebration to mark their success.