Helping Gloucestershire families get the right support at the right time
Gloucestershire County Council is working with partners across health, police, education and the voluntary and community sector to bring professionals and services closer together, so families receive more coordinated support built around their needs.
The new Family Help service follows 18 months of work with families, staff and partners to improve how we support families across Gloucestershire. Children, young people and families have shared their experiences and helped shape the new approach.
The changes are part of the government’s Families First Partnership Programme, which asked councils across the country to change the way children’s services work. It aims to provide help earlier, bring services together and give families a stronger voice in the support they receive.
In Gloucestershire, Family Help will bring together professionals who provide early help and social care support. For families, this means more joined-up and consistent support, with less need to repeat their story as their circumstances change.
Where there are serious concerns about a child’s safety, new Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams will bring together professionals from the council, police, health and education. They will share their expertise and work together to help keep children safe.
Cllr Ben Evans, cabinet member for children’s safeguarding and care at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Families shouldn’t have to navigate different services alone or keep repeating their story. We want to make it easier for families to get the right help at the right time, from professionals who listen and work together to support the.
“Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked with children, young people, families, our staff and partners across Gloucestershire to shape our new Family Help service.
“By working together, we can make support simpler and more joined-up, build on families’ strengths and help children and families achieve positive, lasting change.”
Families can find out more at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/families-first-partnership/.