In 2020 Telford and Wrekin’s Children’s Services were judged to be Outstanding, demonstrating our collective ambition to deliver the best support we can to the children, young people and families that we support.
Our Children’s Services aim to establish compassionate relationships with our children and families. We are consistently reviewing new and innovative ways in which we can better support them to make positive and sustainable changes.
In line with this, we are excited to launch our new Telford and Wrekin Family Safeguarding Service.
Our approach
The Family Safeguarding Model is a strengths-based approach which looks to support parents to make positive changes to family life when they are referred to children’s services. It aims to keep families together, with bespoke and tailored packages of support around domestic violence, mental health and substance misuse. This is achieved through a more collaborative way of working where parents are motivated to identify the changes needed within their own families. The approach helps to achieve better outcomes for children and their families.
The Family Safeguarding Model is a pioneering approach to providing help for families in need. By bringing together children's social care professionals with specialists in adult mental health, domestic abuse and substance misuse we will provide tailored wrap around support for parents.
Better for families
Family Safeguarding focuses on a whole family approach, making it easier for parents to access all the support they need from within one team.
This will help them deal with the complex issues of domestic abuse, mental health and drug or alcohol abuse which may harm their lives and those of their children, if these are not dealt with.
Watch the video about the innovation unit:
Better for professionals
This new way of working will strengthen information sharing between professionals. It will also free up social workers time enabling them to spend more time working with families and less time on administration.
In other areas of the country that have implemented the Family Safeguarding Model, children's social care practitioners report that this way of working increases their motivation and job satisfaction. Support is offered to families using a technique called Motivational Interviewing. This is designed to empower and engage parents to make the positive changes needed to achieve improved outcomes for their children and their own wellbeing.
Our teams
Family Safeguarding teams are made up of:
- Children’s Social workers – will work directly with children and families, supporting them to identify and make changes that will improve outcomes for the family.
- Domestic abuse practitioners – will work with those who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse to support them to understand the impact of domestic abuse on themselves and their children.
- Domestic abuse officers – will work together with parents/carers with children, with the aim of breaking the cycle of abusive behaviour.
- Recovery workers – will work with parents where there are issues with drugs, and/or alcohol. These professionals will provide support to make any lifestyle changes that are needed so that parents can carry on caring for their children.
- Mental health practitioners – will work with parents who are experiencing mental health difficulties
- Psychologists – will work with parents on specific aspects of parenting that may affect their children.
What are the Family Safeguarding Teams doing differently?
Our teams are:
- delivering a whole family focus by spending more time with children and families
- delivering swift and tailored responses for parents where there are issues with drug and alcohol use, domestic abuse or mental health needs
- achieving change through the skilled use of motivational interviewing techniques
- using high quality reflective supervision, within a multi-disciplinary forum, to support information sharing and strengthen decision making
- using a range of tools to develop an in depth understanding of family circumstances
- using a new way of recording to streamline, ensuring more time is available to undertake direct work with children and families. The workbook will also provide the multi-agency team with a ‘real time’ assessment of how things are going for the family.
Our commitment to families
We are committed to working with our children and families to support them to make the changes that are identified to improve outcomes. We are determined to provide an excellent service; will listen to what you say, work with you and support you with what you need. Everyone working with you will be professional and treat you with fairness, dignity and respect.
Referral process
The referral process is the same and if you are worried about a child or young person please visit Telford and Wrekin’s Family Connect website for details.
Visit the Shropshire Star website for more information about the new safeguarding model
Last updated: 02/11/2022 15:55
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