Further Information

What are the benefits of Early Intervention Family Support?

The benefits of effective intervention at an early stage for schools/partners are:

• Increased chance of a child or young person achieving positive outcomes
• Improves long term educational/social/emotional outcomes for children and young people
• Prevents problems escalating
• Reduces the need for specialist service provision
• Strengthens home - school relationships and improved communication with parents/families
• Support/guidance for dealing with families
• Supports and co-ordinates multi-agency partnership working to meet the holistic needs of a family
• Increases others understanding, where required, of issues affecting families, children and young people
• Transferral of strategies from  school into the home and vice versa
• Provide a neutral go-between linking families, professionals and education.

What is a support package?

A support package is broadly categorised under one of four headings:

• One to one work. Tailored, personal support for young people and their families, either working with individual members or the whole family together
• Group work. This could take the form of a recognised parenting programme or a more informal group set up by the early intervention family support worker to address issues such as anger, social skills, protective behaviours or transition with children. Groups and workshops are established through consultation with schools with identified areas of need. They are extremely useful in bringing together a number of parents or children who are all experiencing similar issues or concerns allowing EIFS to address a number of individuals' needs more time effectively 
• Signposting to another service. This could involve some debt management advice, counselling or support from any one of a number of other agencies. Early Intervention Family Support Workers have a sound knowledge of the services and agencies available to support families
• Drop-in sessions. These could be on a wide variety of topics designed to give families more informal assistance if they do not want or need on-going support.  Families waiting for a service are also invited to attend drop-ins to provide interim support until the Early Intervention Family Support Worker has capacity to work with them in a one to one capacity.

The support package is needs led and is delivered in a non-judgemental way with the family remaining at the centre of all decisions.  Through empowering families to make positive changes themselves, there is a greater chance of long term sustained success which benefits the child, the parent and also the school and other professionals.

Example of a EIFS Support Package Timeline  (113KB).