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Luton Borough Council

Family Partnership Service

 

 

The Family Partnership service provides intensive support to our vulnerable children, young people and their families. We strongly believe that children belong in natural networks with people they know and who will love them and keep them safe. We expect all practitioners and managers to prioritise this value, and to help children have safe permanent relationships as a basic entitlement.

There are many approaches that the service may use to identify the support and this may include:

  • direct support by a family support worker
  • identification of services either commissioned or provided by other partners within the community or specialist services

 

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The service will be based at three main delivery hubs at the Manor Centre, Limbury Fields Community Centre and Beech Hill.

  • parenting support if you need guidance and advice, from pre-birth through to teenage years, using evidence based parenting programmes (such as parenting adolescents, parenting children with disabilities, reducing parental conflict)
  • advice and support when you have relationship difficulties, or if you are in an abusive relationship
  • if you are worried about your child and keeping them safe, including help to keep your child in education, concerns about non-attendance, friendship groups, gangs, anti-social behaviour, your child is running away from home, or is involved with drugs or alcohol
  • life story work to support children and young people going through fostering or adoption to gain an understanding of their personal journey, to help them integrate their past, enabling them to make sense of their present and develop a clear sense of identity for their future
  • work with partnership organisations to support young carers and their families
  • if you are experiencing emotional or mental health issues which are impacting on your parenting abilities, or if you are worried about your child’s emotional well-being
  • personalised support to prevent teenage homelessness, and supporting families at risk of homelessness
  • if you would like to get back into work we can offer support with CV writing, training and employment
  • support for families with no recourse to public funds including advice, guidance and limited support for people from abroad who are not eligible to receive benefits and are destitute but are ‘ordinarily a resident’ in Luton
  • Supervised Family Time (Contact) providing advice and guidance to parents to help them build on their parenting skills in a safe environment
  • Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support for children and young people and their families
  • we will work in partnership with you, your family, friends and your support network offering an interpreting service if required and we will always respect your cultural needs

We will provide support to families whose circumstances indicate that without support, their difficulties could worsen and the children or young people would be ‘in need’ or at ‘risk of significant harm’. The Family Partnership Service provides support to families in the right place and at the right time.

  • Families where there are intense needs - Domestic violence and abuse, mental, learning needs and disabilities, crime and anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol misuse, no recourse to public funds, NEET, exploitation, financial exclusion.
  • Acute needs - If above issues are acute or chronic and impair the child or young person's health, they will be supported by children's social care service, together with Family Partnership Service.

Trained staff are on hand to provide support, advice and guidance to parents to help them build on their parenting skills.

As part of supervising Family Time (Contact) staff can assess relationships, family dynamics and monitor improvements. 

Family Time can benefit children and birth relatives in numerous ways:

  • it can ease the sense of loss and provide reassurance for both children and their relatives
  • it can help to maintain family relationships
  • through the sessions, children are able to gain a greater understanding of their history and identity, which may enhance their self-esteem

The Manor Centre is newly refurbished and the following facilities are available:

  • nine furnished rooms – all rooms have kitchenettes with microwave and sinks
  • two rooms with full kitchens for baking and cooking with children
  • bathing facilities available
  • outdoor play area with basketball net, outdoor toys and equipment
  • age appropriate toys available
  • arts and crafts materials
  • cots, prams, high chairs and bedding
  • baby changing facilities
  • bottles, sterilising equipment
  • access to resources and tools for service users with learning difficulties
  • disabled Access

The centre provides supervised assessed Family Time for any of the following:

  • children aged up to 18 years old and their significant relatives
  • children subject to court orders
  • parents and children with mental health, learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities
  • parents who have a history of, or are currently undergoing treatment for, drug and alcohol misuse
  • families from diverse ethnic, religious and  cultural backgrounds

The Manor Centre is newly refurbished and the following facilities are available:

  • Traded Services available for private individuals or Local Authorities who wish to purchase supervised Family Time Sessions

Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC)

(13 week course, face to face at Beech Hill Primary School. Luton)

2024 dates:  Wednesday 8 May, Wednesday 11 September

Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities is an inclusive evidence-based parenting programme, designed to promote protective factors which are associated with good parenting, better outcomes for children and stronger co-parent relationships. 

SFSC has enjoyed success with parents from a number of different ethnic backgrounds, teenage parents and parents with learning disabilities. 

For more information: 
strengthening-families.net


A Solihull approach to understanding your child’s SEN needs - (four week course)

2024 dates:  Thursday 1 February, Thursday 18 April, Thursday 27 June, Thursday 19 September

This is a bespoke workshop that will support parents/carers to have a better understanding of their child’s additional needs and where to access resources within the local community.

Week 1 to 3: Virtual (Microsoft Teams) 9:30 to11am
Week 4: face to face 9;30 to 11am

For more information: 
solihullapproachparenting.com


Keeping your Child in Mind (parental conflict)

(face to face  - Beech Hill Primary School) 

2024 dates: Tuesday 27 February, Tuesday 11 June, Tuesday 10 September

10 to 12pm

A four week course exploring how positive relationships within families can be supported by effective parenting and how reducing parental conflict is beneficial to a child's wellbeing.

Find out more about keeping your child in mind programme.


Teen Talks—A Solihull approach to understanding your teenagers needs

2024 dates: Tuesday 27 February, Tuesdy 4 June, Tuesday 10 September

This is a bespoke workshop that will support parents/carers to have a better understanding of their developing teenager.

Week 1 to 3: Virtual (Microsoft Teams)  1 to 2:30pm
Week 4: face to face

For more information:
solihullapproachparenting.com


For more information about the parenting offer

Email: [email protected]

Or if you wish to discuss further please contact:
Michelle Reinsford: [email protected]
Louise Bodswoth: [email protected]

Contact information

To access the Family Partnership Service, please click on the following link: Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub where you will find an online referral form. Alternatively you can speak to one our advisors in the MASH on 01582 547653.

 

© 2024 Luton Council, Town Hall, Luton LU1 2BQ