Pathway to Independence Ltd are experienced with a proven track record enabling a range of services to be offered to assist statutory partners in the delivery of family intervention projects.
Our menu of services include:
· Family casework – we can provide caseworker/coordinators to families assigned to Family Intervention Projects.
· Consultancy and Advice – PTI Director Blossom Cole has many years experience of working with complex needs of vulnerable families. Her leadership and innovative approaches have achieved positive outcomes with families in many cases, where other previous interventions have failed.
Contact us to discuss how we can help you meet your FIP objectives
Family Intervention Projects (FIPs)
Our experience of providing services within a FIP is to provide intensive support to families with the aim of reducing anti-social behaviour and working to resolve other high risk behaviours associated with poor outcomes for children and young people.
In May 2010 we are proactively working with xxx of the most vulnerable families in Ealing.
A Family Intervention Project (FIP) involves a multi-disciplinary team including a key worker, job centre worker, housing officer mentor and others is created to tackle the issues. The FIP model was originally established by Home Office funding in 2005, and sponsorship of the programme moved to the DCSF in 2007.
Families are referred into the project through a variety of sources, and referrals are often triggered by some kind of crisis. Typically this might be the threat of imminent eviction for nuisance or non-payment of rent. A key worker is assigned to the family, and the parent(s) are required to sign a contract, setting out what support they will receive and what commitment they need to show to the programme.
Pathway to Independence Ealing FIP Case Study
Presenting Issues
There are three siblings in the household. The 13 year old girl goes to school and is a model student. The 17 year old boy isolates himself and appears to be socially anxious. The 15 year old girl presents with anti-social and risk taking behaviour. They are looked after by their grandmother, Mrs L, who has been unable to assert any level of control. The childrens’ mother is a known substance misuser and appears to sleep in the local park.
The 15 year old is perceived by the grandmother as having a strong resemblance to the mother with negative associations. Mrs L was putting pressure on social services to remove the 15 year old from the family home on account of behaviour. After some level of intervention by Ealing case manager, it was felt the case fitted the criteria for the FIP and was referred to PTI.
Verbal language used in the house is abusive and family members show little respect for each other. 15 year old excluded from school and sent to a pupil referral centre where the structure appears different from school with shorter hours with flexible approach to attendance. Risk around behaviour involves staying out late at night and victim of an assault, which was recorded on the perpetrator’s mobile phone.
Outcomes Achieved
PTI’s intervention enabled measurable improvement in terms of improving relationships within the family and the grandmother no longer feels the need for the daughter to be taken into care.
The grandmother has reported feeling positive about the work carried out by PTI. The worker has adopted an assertive approach taken from best practice learned from established Family Intervention Projects.
PTI feels the successful intervention with this family has been enabled by adhering rigidly to non-judgemental communication, allowing the grandmother to feel empowered to resolving issues herself, and showing that family relations can be improved and change is possible.