October 6th 2017

 

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the National Assembly's Children, Young People and Education Committee inquiry into Flying Start.  The members of the all Wales Flying Start Managers’ network have worked with Children in Wales to gather evidence for submission.  Representatives from Merthyr, Conwy and Carmarthenshire will attend the formal meeting on October 26th as will the Caerphilly Flying Start Manager who is the Chair of the network.

Children in Wales is the national umbrella organisation in Wales for children, young people’s and their family issues, bringing organisations and individuals from all disciplines and sectors together to speak with one voice, to exchange knowledge and practice, and to provide opportunities to enhance policy and practice through shared learning.

 

We understand that the Committee’s inquiry will give consideration to the following areas.  This document contains collated comments provided by a number of Flying Start Managers in regards to the outreach and alignment elements of local Flying Start plans.  We have not collated information regarding outcomes for parents and children but the four representatives will be happy to discuss at the formal meeting.

The outreach element of Flying Start requiring Local Authorities to identify children living outside defined Flying Start areas who would benefit from Flying Start services. 

 

 

  

Submission to Committee

This document sets out a sample of the approaches taken to delivering a Flying Start Outreach service in nine counties.

Key issues to consider

  1. Outreach is a very small element of the Programme e.g. only about 30 or so for Swansea out of 3,000. 
  2. Local authorities were given flexibility to define Outreach in their areas as circumstances and models of FS delivery vary from area to area. 
  3. FS has a very clear evidence base, however, the Outreach element principles don't fit the evidence base.
  4. Outreach provision is very diverse, although remains within basic principles, across all 22 Local Authority areas, and can be challenging to nationally prescribe due to the needs in the different communities, size of programmes, rurality and spread of small communities or conversely the density of urban populations, as well as the diversity of the communities’ demographics including ethnicity, language, vulnerabilities.
  5. The Outreach element has to be very carefully managed so as to not raise family expectations unrealistically due to the numbers being small nationally and targeted at the most vulnerable.
  6. There is a concern that spreading services too thinly within the same funding level could build unrealistic expectations for professionals and families, as well as potentially dilute the impact for the targeted population and remove the ability to change outcomes significantly.

Swansea

Outreach in Swansea is used as follows:

  • To meet identified and agreed anomalies in postcodes. (i.e. where there are gaps within existing areas)
  • To provide services for children from Flying Start areas that become LAC during their entitlement.

This outreach criteria reflects the limitations of the funding available for outreach – if we were to open it up as a referral based criteria, it would be unmanageable & closed for most of the time; opening only when one of the 37 spaces becomes available over a 4 year period (as eligibility would be up to the child’s 4th birthday).

 General Comments on Outreach

  • In Swansea our Outreach is purely on postcode anomalies and LAC for both practical reasons due to the FS model but also it would simply be unworkable to open up some sort of referral system. 

·         From 2012 local authorities were provided with additional funding (‘the uplift’) to support the expansion of Flying Start. Local authorities were expected to use 2.5% of this 2012 uplift funds for Outreach activities. This was stipulated in the original guidance for Outreach provided within the ‘Flying Start Strategic Guidance 2012’.

·         As there is a set amount of budget per child (WG currently allocate £2,100 per child per year), in Swansea we have translated financial cost into number of children to enable monitoring and make the services provided equitable. In Swansea our 2.5% uplift equates to 37 children.

·         Each Authority has a different approach depending on the need for the area

·        For the whole FS programme the outreach element is extremely small – in Swansea 37 out of a cap of 2,903 = 1.27%.

·        It is a requirement in the guidance that the full provision of FS entitlements (all 4 elements) is available for all outreach prior to the Service being offered and therefore due consideration has to be given to capacity and proximity. Childcare is the most costly with a year's childcare costing more than the annual £2,100 allocation per child.

·        The funded childcare element is what most parents seek and that is probably the most difficult component to achieve outside FS areas without additional dedicated funds. For this to be more widely available the FS Programme would need to be formally expanded with additional WG resources

·        The Childcare is very difficult to achieve for additional unplanned numbers as settings have been established to reflect typical numbers of children in each age cohort living in each area.

·        Other funds and programmes are available to ensure that most elements of the Flying Start Programme can be offered in some form outside FS target areas. It depends on each Authority’s priority to Early Years as to whether this has/is being done

·        Outreach is not necessarily aligned to the evidence base and fidelity of the Programme.

Gwynedd

Outreach work is offered to areas on the outskirts of Flying Start areas by working closely with the present Generic Health Visitor to assess and utilise a Gyda’n Gilydd referral or FS Generic Referral.

 

This is restricted to the following Generic HV’s:

  • Caernarfon Generic HV’s – Caernarfon Town postcodes only
  • Bangor Generic HV’s – Bangor City - Hirael postcodes only
  • Blaenau Ffestiniog Generic HV – Llan Ffestiniog,Tanygrisiau and Manod
  • Bethesda Generic HV – Bethesda Town postcodes only
  • Penygroes Generic HV’s – Penygroes village postcodes only.
  • Dolgellau Generic HV’s – Dolgellau Town postcodes only.

 

The consented referral from Gyda’n Gilydd will be sent to the FS Referral Panel to authorise access and set work plan for family. Only high need families have access to the outreach service. For transfers out of the programme the FS HV refers directly to the FS Referral Panel.

 

The specific criteria for referral are the following:

·         Children noted as high need in the above areas or moving out of the FS area The Children will be in need of 3 or 4 of the Flying Start entitlements.

·         Children under 8 months old will have priority

·         Statutory Child Protection

·         Claimants of benefits

·         Parents under 25 years of age and parents whom have been under the care system

·         Children placed in temporary housing such as psl.

·         Parents suffering with postnatal depression

 

FS also works closely with the Gyda’n Gilydd Team, Families First and relevant generic HV’s to identify possible outreach. The Gyda’n Gilydd allocation meeting is held fortnightly the same day as the Flying Start referral panel with some panel members sitting on both panels which allow the information to flow effectively in between panels.  Flying Start also refers back to the Gyda’n Gilydd team if a family moves out of the FS area or if the child is too old for Flying Start.

During 2013-14 FS offered outreach service to 2 children and during 2014-15 the outreach numbers increased to 10. The number at 29.1.16 was 13 children.  Numbers will increase further in 2016-17/ 2017-18 up to 26.

 

A budget has been allocated for the 2 yrs. old childcare entitlement for outreach children. The four elements are available for the families by the Flying Start team, and are opened as a case for the nearest team.  If the child moves area within the period and still attends the child care, then on this occasion the child will be able to attend until end of term.

 

Cardiff

The following is the Cardiff Flying Start eligibility criteria;
ne-height:115%;font-family:"Lucida Sans",sans-serif' xml:lang="CY">b. Families in (a) above who are subsequently re-housed will continue to receive their parenting; childcare or ELD entitlement if they have already started to receive a service, and will continue to have a Flying Start health visitor until transfer to generic;

 

c. Any family that transfers out of a Flying Start catchment/LSOA during receipt of specific Parenting; Childcare or ELD intervention will continue to benefit until the end of the term in which they move out, and retain their Flying Start health visitor until transferred to generic;

 

d. Families assessed as ‘high risk/vulnerable’ who move out of a Flying Start area will be considered on a case by case basis for any or all Flying Start core services, alongside opportunities to benefit from the TAF; Families First; IFST and Communities First services;

 

e. Vulnerable mothers with 0-3s in Ty Hafan Supported Housing for Lone parents; and consideration of referrals from Ty Enfys Mother and baby Supported Project will be offered the full Flying Start entitlement, as far as it is practicable.

 

f.  Gypsy Traveller families with 0-3’s resident in Rover Way, Cardiff, will be offered the full Flying Start entitlement as far as it is practicable.

 

In more detail:

 

Health: Homelessness creates significant additional difficulties for already vulnerable families. The Health Visitor; CNN’s and the wider Parenting and Early Language Development teams across Flying Start continue to work within Nightingale House, (Homeless Hostel outside of Flying Start) as well as other homeless hostels within designated LSOA’s.  Detailed discussions with support staff at Hafan Flats has led to new provision for young, vulnerable families becoming incorporated into the Outreach programme.

 

As a result of joint working and collaboration with the Taff Housing SHINE project, a draft protocol has been agreed between this organisation and Flying Start. This is with the purpose of avoiding duplication and taking practical steps towards joint working e.g. planning for transition for families out of hostels into local communities.

 

Gypsy Traveller provision has changed from an identified Health Visitor working within the community, to a sensitively delivered service by a new working group of Health Visitors, supported by managers. The Team leader co-ordinates the joint working from each element of the Flying Start Health, Childcare & Parenting teams as well as education. This provides continuity and “familiar faces” for potential clients to engage with.

 

The team works with the wider health and parenting teams to engage with the Rover Way Gypsy & Traveller community. To support our more targeted communities, the dietetic service delivers at least one cooking course on the Shirenewton Gypsy & Travellers site (April 2017 to March 2018). This is delivered using a more informal approach allowing children to be involved in the cooking and a drop in session. This suits the needs of the families on site.  A bespoke entry level 3 Agored Cymru unit is being piloted.  The sessions are delivered in partnership with Families First, the Flying Start Play Team and Shirenewton FS childcare setting. The dietetics team support 2 courses over 2017-2018 delivered in Nightingale House and Ty Greenfarm Homeless Hostels. (mentioned previously)

 

Over 2017-2018, the dietetics team are delivering an accredited Get Cooking course in Nightingale House Hostel and another in Ty Greenfarm Hostel.  Women living in the Hafon flats in Ely are supported to attend the Ty Greenfarm course. These are delivered by a Dietetics Support Worker and Get Cooking trained homeless service CNN.

 

Parenting: Within the homeless hostels and in conjunction with health professionals, parenting provision is targeted through regular drop-in Stay & Play sessions, individualised Parents Plus interventions and ensuring access to PNP, Get Cooking and other parent groups.  Due to Shine (TAFF Housing) delivery of play sessions and parenting programmes, regular meetings have been arranged to ensure staff and parents are clear about services available and where possible duplication has been avoided as more joined up working is evident.

Gypsy Traveller families are offered parenting provision individualised Parents Plus interventions and ensuring access to PNP, Get Cooking and other parent groups.

 

Flintshire

A review of the processes for Outreach is being undertaken, ensuring compliance with the multi-agency formal review process and a review of outcomes for families in receipt of outreach funding.

 

Due to the funding constraints, Flintshire’s outreach programme has been limited to high need children and families with a focus on continuation of childcare for children with additional needs.

 

Changes to the Families First programme in Flintshire and notably TAF have implications for the management of outreach, therefore a scaling back was necessary in this context also. Flintshire will continue to use the same model of outreach for 2017/18 as new developments in Flintshire mean it is likely to be extremely effective.  The creation of the ‘Early Help Hub’ (EHH) means that any family in need of outreach support can be supported to transition to universal services via a single referral to a multi-agency panel with a particular focus on ACE’s (adverse childhood experiences).  It is anticipated that transition will be managed in a timely and ultimately cost-effective manner.  Established partnerships between Flying Start and some of the Families First organisations who will form part of the EHH will continue to work with Flying Start families as part of a co-ordinated approach to ensuring the right support for families and children.  Work on mutually beneficial referral processes, ISPs and transition periods began in July 2017.

 

Carmarthenshire

The 2.5% of uplift of funds to support the expansion of Flying Start in 2012, which was agreed for Outreach activities as per Flying Start Guidance (2012) equates to 23 children in Carmarthenshire.

 

Outreach in Carmarthenshire can be accessed via a referral criteria which has been devised looking at vulnerability indicators and the assessment processes used in the Flying Start Team, which are based on the Assessment Framework for Children in Need.


This is aligned to the Families First JAFF process and will continue through 2017/18:  Indicators of Vulnerability that we work to and offer services around include: unemployment, housing, qualifications, mental health, illness/disability, low income, material deprivation   (Families at Risk, 2008).

These indicators were used by the Welsh Government in 2011 when discussing ‘troubled’ families’.  Taking into account all the above, the criteria list below was agreed at the Flying Start Management Board in 2012.   In 2017/18 the list has been updated to incorporate the Social Services and Well Being Act 2014 and to take into account the reduction in the Midwifery strand.  Through organisational change, antenatal parents have routinely been removed as a criteria. However if local need determines it, a further review of processes will be carried out.
In order to access Outreach the families need to be residing in an area next to an existing Flying Start area to enable services to be delivered.

 
Criteria List for Outreach Work in Flying Start Carmarthenshire

The following criteria are used to assess and determine access to the Flying Start Outreach Service, for families and children, in order to offer packages  of  care and support:

•Children on the Child Protection Register who have transferred out of a Flying Start area.
•Children whose names have been removed from the Child Protection Register (deregistered) within the last six months and have ongoing need for care and support.
•Children and Families that have ongoing, complex welfare needs, requiring additional interventions e.g. families where there are substance misuse issues, domestic abuse, identified learning disability, parental mental health issues and housing issues which impact on the health and wellbeing of the child. In addition to this these families would have been assessed as having low resilience using the FRAIT.
•Children and Families that have been open cases to the IFSS team and are requiring ongoing additional targeted interventions in phase 2, to maintain ongoing change processes.
•Children with disabilities, where the family require additional welfare support on top of an agreed package of care and support.
•Children who have become Looked After Children and have already been receiving a Flying Start service, to support this transition period, until longer term plans have been established.

(This is not an exhaustive criteria list; each case should be looked at on an individual basis and will be determined through a multi –agency panel which involves receiving of a completed referral form and joint decision making from a budgetary and needs perspective).

Rhondda Cynon Taf

The FS Outreach service is a provision for non-FS children, 2-3 years who have complex and persistent needs.  This falls within the category, ‘communities of interest'.  Children are offered assisted childcare in Flying Start childcare settings with additional support, as per their assessed need.  The children are closely supported by the FS settings.  The overarching outcome of the service is to give children the very best opportunities to reach their potential.  For some children this may mean securing a place at a special school or attending mainstream education with support or attending mainstream education without support.  (Supporting flyer attached)

 

Torfaen

Outreach funding is used to ensure continuity of service and necessary support to children who are moving out of Flying Start areas that are identified (evidenced by the family assessment tool) as medium-high need.

These children should be identified via the Multi-Professional Panel Meeting either prior to or within six weeks of them moving out of a Flying Start area.

Outreach funding is limited therefore consideration is made as to whether the services can be commissioned through Families First strategic projects, Communities First projects or other third sector organisation initiatives if Flying Start funding is not available.

It is at the discretion of the Flying Start Coordinator, or nominated representative, as to whether to commit the funds and resources to provide the support required.

N.B.  Funding can only support up to 12 children.

Caerphilly

The Outreach element for Caerphilly equates to 24 children and as such is under immense pressure. Therefore strict criteria for needs and evidence are applied including considering if the needs can be met through the joint contracts for complimentary early years’ projects in Families First.

These are our elements / criteria for Outreach:

Working closely with both Families First and Supporting People has allowed families access appropriately across the right provision to meet their needs and stemmed the pressures on FS outreach.

Ceredigion

Ceredigion Flying Start is using the WG guidance published in 2014 to shape services in Ceredigion as follows:

  1. Flying Start provides all 4 entitlements to 3 ‘Communities of Interest’ within Flying Start catchment areas – 2 Women’s Refuges and one Homeless Hostel at a cost of @£6,500 per year. @40% of families settle in FS areas; 9.5 children benefit during their stay which on average lasts 4 months (2013 figures).

 

2.   Families transferring out of FS areas with high needs. Flying Start staff who have concerns about the high level of need of families transferring out of a Flying Start area complete a JAFF form and refer the family to the Team Around the Family Co-ordinator.  If the family are high need and are transferring to an area within 5km of an existing FS area, then the FS staff member may inform the TAF co-ordinator that they intend to continue to support the family or if be more appropriate,  be part of a transition plan. They would also inform the FS office for monitoring purposes. 

 

3.   Families referred to FS from non-FS areas. These families are referred to TAF with a completed JAFF in the first instance. The Team Around the Family Coordinator monitors JAFFs being submitted and where she feels families could benefit from FS funding, an application form is completed which states the reason for the application and the entitlement requested. The FS manager then signs paperwork and the delivery is monitored to keep a track of cost.

Funding for outreach for 2017-18 amounts to a total of £12,215. This sum divided by £2,100 per child equates to 6 children receiving their full Flying Start entitlement

 

 

Alignment

Flying Start plans include details of how LAs are ensuring alignment in delivery of services/provision across the range of anti-poverty programmes, particularly with regard to Flying Start, Families First, Communities First, and Supporting People.  They also describe how LAs plan to increase the level of alignment and delivery in 2016-17.

 

Swansea

·         Flying Start and Families First are led and managed by Early Intervention Services in Swansea.  This has enabled a strategic approach to elements of the Programmes that are relevant to both.

·         This has included many services working across both Programmes to ensure consistency and city wide coverage as much as possible.  This has been the case specifically in relation to Parenting, Language Development, Young and First time parents, ALN support for pre-school children, the ethos of TAF and the linkages with primary schools including effective transition into school and beyond.

·         Both Programmes are developed within the broader Education, Health and Well-being agendas for children, young people and their families to ensure that they are complementary and provide effective pathways of early intervention.

·         There are no services within Flying Start or Families First that duplicate in any way with each other. Supporting People is focused primarily in Swansea on Older People’s services and Housing and is as such very different in nature, focus and targeting and there are limited cross overs between the Programmes.

·         The current arrangements provide sufficient opportunity and flexibility to achieve alignment whilst at the same time ensuring that the individual uniqueness of each Programme is retained including the fidelity of Flying Start to the evidence base.

·         It’s difficult to see, even just with Families First and Flying Start which are managed together, how further alignment would be helpful or achieve greater outcomes or indeed efficiencies.

Gwynedd

Flying Start, Families First and Communities First work closely in Gwynedd. Three of the FS areas are also Community First areas being Marchog 1/2, Bangor; Talysarn and Cadnant and Peblig, Caernarfon. The teams are co-located in Ty Cegin Bangor and in Talysarn Centre therefore are able to collaborate on many operational projects.

 

Also some of the Families First packages are managed by the Early Years Unit therefore the teams share managers etc. This promotes a cohesive way of working, the ability to share good practice, share resources and conduct joint training. The Early Years project within Families First has been designed with the FS model in mind therefore FS expertise is shared within Families First. Referrals for FS outreach come through the FF TAF referral meeting and FS refer in to Families First when children leave the programme or when older siblings require the FF service.

 

The three projects are all strategically led from the Children, Young People and Family Support Partnership Board which meet on a quarterly basis led by the Strategic Director of the Council. The Supporting People programme will need to be included in this partnership working.

 

Following the 2016-17 guidance the managers from the four programmes meet up regularly to discuss collaboration and working together to plan and identify opportunities for the potential to jointly commission activities/projects.

 

Flying Start will give a contribution towards the Gyda’n Gilydd TAF team in order to co-ordinate families between both programmes. Gyda’n Gilydd provides a framework for bringing the Families First and Flying Start closer together by offering a co-ordinated approach to families.

 

Flintshire

·         Alignment with the 3-4 year old childcare offer, linking sustainable provision for the ‘early implementers’ with Flying Start childcare.

 

·         Alignment with Healthy Child Wales Scheme and working closely with generic services to support best practice with in Flying Start and the local authority.

 

·         Monitoring developments in Families First procurement process to ensure service continues to benefit Flying Start Families and that appropriate links with existing and new services are maintained.

 

·         Continuing to work with Communities First through the transition period and the new Community Zones.

 

·         Working with Supporting People and the funded projects.  Ensuring Flying Start families can gain access to information, advice and support around welfare changes and universal credits, to help them into employment or education.

 

RCT

In RCT Council a new Commissioning Team has been established within a new ‘Community and Prosperity Service.  The focus of this team is to bring together the activities of the grant funded services through a Single Outcomes Framework.  Much work has focused on Communities First, due to the change in national direction of this programme.  Currently the Team is focusing on Families First, also due to the new guidance which has come from WG.  This has prompted more focused discussions around integrated parenting programme delivery, which was an area of development that was key for collaboration.  The discussions are currently in their infancy

 

Torfaen

The Flying Start Coordinator is part of the Tackling Poverty Leads Group which looks at the alignment of all of the Tackling Poverty Programmes with a view to working towards a ‘Single Plan’.

During 2017/18 Torfaen is reviewing the family assessment tool undertaken across all programmes as part of the Don’t Walk on By Strategy.  Assessments are also been reviewed as part of the First 1000 days programme and in line with the new Health Child Wales delivery.

Work will be ongoing in 2017/18 to build shared database across the tackling poverty groups.

Families First and Communities First are represented at the Flying Start Management Group Meetings.  Here the annual delivery plans are shared and discussed prior to submission, accounting for how the teams can support each other.

The Flying Start Coordinator attends the Families First Panel Meetings.

Some Flying Start staff are also co-located with Early Years Families First team and managed by the same team leaders.  We continue to co-facilitate Parenting and Early Language Development groups with Families First.

 

Carmarthenshire.

Flying Start and Families First are managed by the Family Support Services Manager, which assists in a collaborative, integrated approach to family support and early intervention within the county.

 

Carmarthenshire after a long consultation period has developed a Family Support Strategy and action plan which underpins and drives the alignment and delivery of the ‘Tackling Poverty’ programmes.

 

As part of this collaborative approach a strategic planning group, the Alignment Working Group has been established to include the four ‘Tackling Poverty’ programmes. The Alignment Working Group has further developed a joint action plan for 2017/18 focusing on the following 6 areas:

 

Collaboration and Smarter Planning: This has involved reviewing collaborative working arrangements to create effective joint commissioning and planning arrangements. This includes the progression on the development of joint contacts/SLAs and joint planning and delivery of services such as parenting groups.

 

Information: Development of a clear and accessible pathway for families to get help, information and guidance, linking in  with the IAA implementation Board

 

Needs Assessment: In Carmarthenshire two significant needs assessments have been carried out to date –SSWBA and population assessment. These are used, along with local programme data to form the basis for commissioning services jointly that are fit for purpose to meet the identified family and service user needs and also identifying any gaps in service provision.

 

Team Around the Family and Joint Assessment Family Framework: In Carmarthenshire the TAF approach has been shared and utilised by other Tackling Poverty Programmes, this has been done through training and supporting its usage as an assessment tool.

 

The Flying Start Programme in Carmarthenshire has an internal TAF approach using the new All Wales Health Visiting Assessment Tool / Instrument, FRAIT. Work is currently being undertaken to look at how FRAIT translates into/aligns with a JAFF on transition of families from Flying Start into Families First.

 

Work Force Development:  a programme of multiagency training, a core competency framework and skill mix options are being explored between the Tackling Poverty programmes.

 

Participation and Involvement: Exploration of wider opportunities to engage with service users in an inclusive and participatory approach is being undertaken.

 

Carmarthenshire has also been chosen to pilot the Children’s First Zones using a collaborative approach to family support.

 

The Flying Start Health and Support Services have aligned to the Healthy Child Wales Programme and are working closely with Generic Health Visiting services in Hywel Dda University Health Board to deliver the programme.

 

Progress reports on services are fed into the Anti-Poverty and Local Service Board (LSB).

 

Caerphilly

Flying Start, Families First, Communities First and Supporting People continue to work and strategically plan programme delivery very closely. We meet monthly through the Programme Collaboration Group to ensure we are aware of any current strategic developments across the directorates which adds strength and a wider perspective to our programme strategic planning. The four programmes are represented on the Families First Board and regularly report to Education Scrutiny Committee, Public Service Board and Anti Poverty Board to ensure the strategic fit with Wellbeing Plan and objectives.

 

The programme jointly commission a significant number of projects already and programme delivery has been shaped in each programme to prevent duplication and maximise reach across the borough. CF areas had synergy with FS areas and the revised legacy programme will continue this, with legacy projects being developed to fit the gaps between programmes including employment based programmes.

We have maximised the reach of the Flying Start programme through jointly or complementary commissioning with Families First the Speech Language and Communication groups, Health intervention groups, antenatal support, parenting programmes, developmental support packages in the home for children with developmental delays, Childcare placement packages for children with additional learning needs, etc. Families First is based on a referral process which means those outside of Flying Start areas in the early years have access to provision depending on their family needs. Therefore the only element which has a significantly reduced offer is the childcare which is targeted for those with developmental delays to identify support needs prior to Foundation Phase. Supporting People has also linked into the commissioning process and equally joint commissions with Families First for wider reach of other projects from single person to the whole family perspective including younger children. As a result this commissioning strategic planning process has maximised the accessibility for families in need across the borough. However, there will be continue to be families outside of Flying Start who do not wish to access any support other than the funded Flying Start Childcare provision and who do not have any identified needs including economic so this continues to be a criticism / complaint area for the public. In addition workforce planning through the Programme Collaboration Group has allowed for sharing of training being delivered and places being maximised as well as shared key messages and common language being developed.

The JAFF has been developed to allow for referrals across all programmes and has a central referral point through the IAA team. Although this single point of contact is in its early stages this has been well received by both families and professionals who no longer need to decide which services to refer to, fill in multiple referral forms and families who have to tell their story multiple times to different organisations. Development of the cohesive range of services and the linkages between programmes has also been received well by practitioners. This continues to be monitored as inevitably with the complexity of families’ lives new gaps in provision will emerge.

Supporting Family Change as the TAF approach in Caerphilly continue to work with all programmes to ensure our most vulnerable families access the range of services needed.

In the Wellbeing Plan there is a Public Services Board commitment to ensure there is a quality early years’ interventions programme and as such we are working with Public Health Wales to use the Early Pathfinder tools (1000 day pilots) to identify any further gaps and consider how to address them.

Ceredigion

Ceredigion has no Communities First funding.

Flying Start and Families First share a line manager and are therefore part of the same business unit and contribute to a single business plan within the local Authority. Contact has been made with the Supporting People manager and information shared on programmes and outcomes with a view to developing this work further in 2017-18.

The programme leaders for each programme meet on a regular basis at Ceredigion County Council’s Work stream Groups (see diagram below). Families First and Flying Start also meet at the Children and Young People’s Service Provider’s Forum.

At the end of 2014-15, Ceredigion Flying Start and Families First Steering Groups were combined and in 2015-16, the Terms of Reference were revised to reflect the increased emphasis on alignment. 

The work of developing Parenting Support across the county , sharing good practice and developing common tools such as the Workforce Audit tool is ongoing. There has been a focus more recently on making sure that services reflect and address ‘The Social Services and Well Being Act (2014)’ as well as Families First, Flying Start and local desired outcomes. Work is set to continue in 2017-18.

Families First and Flying Start have a number of shared Service Level Agreements. These are reviewed and re-negotiated annually. Performance measures for these services are jointly agreed between Flying Start and Families First to support the delivery of an aligned service.

The above takes place against the background of Ceredigion’s Single Integrated plan which ensures the coordinated delivery of family support across the whole county and between LSB partners. Flying Start and Families First both contribute to Family Support priorities within the SIP and report to the LSB via the LSB Executive group for Children and Young People (formerly the Children and Young People’s partnership).

In 2017-18 a bid to vie money was submitted with the intention of increasing the reach of support for victims of Domestic Abuse. Our figures show that this is a growing problem. A number of meetings were held with FF, FS and a range of professionals across agencies to address this issue and these have been submitted to WG for their consideration.