Management Information Sheet

Norfolk Family Focus (NFF) is a new initiative which will bring additional support to families across the County. The Prime Minister has stated his objective that 120,000 'Troubled Families' (TF) are 'turned around' by the end of this Parliament. Families are characterised by involvement in crime and/or anti-social behaviour (ASB), children absent from school and having no adult in the family working.

Using both National and Local Criteria, NFF and their partners will identify households who could benefit from intervention. If the family fulfil all three National Criteria they are automatically included in the programme. If a family meet any two of the National Criteria AND one or more of the Local Criteria they should be considered for the programme.

National Criteria

• Crime and ASB where:
• One or more under 18 year olds in the household has received a conviction in the last 12 months
  AND/OR
• One or more members of the household has an anti-social behaviour order, anti-social behaviour injunction, anti-social behaviour contract, or the family has been subject to a housing related ASB intervention in the last 12 months
• Education, where a child:
• Has been subject to a permanent exclusion OR three or more fixed term exclusions over the last three consecutive terms
  OR
• Is in a Short Stay School for Norfolk or alternative provision due to previous exclusion
  OR
• Is not on a school roll (Children Missing Education (CME))
  AND/OR
• Has had 15% or more unauthorised absence over the last three consecutive terms
• Worklessness
• Where an adult is in receipt of out of work benefits

Local Criteria

• An adult in the family who has been convicted in the last 12 months or dealt with by out of court disposal for priority crimes
• Adults who are subject to 180 degree offender management
• An adult in the family who is in prison
• Children subject to Sec 17 Plan
• Sibling who has had an episode in LA care in the last 12 months
• Parental ill health
• Intentionally homeless
• Domestic abuse
• Substance misuse
• Children in receipt of CAMHS
• Young people who are NEET
• Adults who have committed at least one under reported sexual offence

It is likely that schools and other partner agencies will already be aware of these families. The NFF represents an opportunity to take a systematic and strategic approach to target support for families who may present challenges to their community. NFF can offer solutions to families to improve individuals' resilience and life chances and reduce the impact of negative behaviour in the community.

The NFF project works with and alongside families and partner service agencies utilising the national [TF] family intervention model, grasping the family, grasping the system. Once a family has consented to the service, the initial information gathering and risk assessments are completed. The family will then be allocated an NFF Family Practitioner who will co-ordinate the whole family assessment (drawing on the expertise and knowledge of other agencies already working with the family). The NFF Family Practitioner will offer practical support, taking a holistic approach to positive change for the whole family, as agreed in the initial family meeting. This could be a short term piece of work when the family most needs it or co-ordinating services for longer term intervention. The type of service will be tailored to the needs of the individual family and virtual team around the family.

The role of the NFF service is intentionally one of capacity building, in its widest possible terms. NFF does not presume to offer interventions that are different or of a better quality than any other service provider, rather it offers services and interventions that develop capacity within the family, supporting individual agencies in their own service delivery and thereby facilitating the virtual Norfolk partnership of service providers. The aim of the NFF is to prevent duplication of services, while supporting change within families.

Support to families may be undertaken through a single or multi-agency approach, complimenting existing support systems. Partners include; Children's Services, Health, Probation, Operational Partnership Teams (OPT), Registered Social Landlords (RSL) and Youth Offending Teams (YOT). OPTs work as part of Norfolk Police alongside City and District Council Housing Departments and RSL Housing providers, assisting in the reduction of ASB.

NFF teams comprise of a Partnership Co-ordinator, a Partnership Assistant and three Family Practitioners, all based within OPTs across Norfolk in District Council areas. NFF workers will be operational from 8th April 2013, when the 'request for support' process will open. Initially this will start with requests from schools with a planned extension to YOT and Operational Partnership Teams. The support request process will be released in the near future.

NFF anticipates schools to be at the forefront of identification and therefore key to generating requests for support for families.

From 08 April 2013, schools that identify children who meet the National Criteria for Education should consider if the family meet other National or Local Criteria and would be suitable families to receive a service from NFF.

NFF is a resource designed to target support for families and schools. Working in partnership with schools, and other partners, NFF can improve the long-term life chances of children in your school and avoid duplication of services for families.

The Department for Communities and Local Government expects Local Authorities and partner agencies to identify families meeting the criteria to offer them support to improve their lives and those in the surrounding community. Once you have identified the families in your cluster please complete the NFF Request for Support Process which will be published at the end of March.

Further NFF service briefings will take place at the summer round of Head Teacher meetings in June.