FFC Family Networks
Introduction
Our vision is that every child’s right to a family life is prioritised wherever possible. Family networks are essential in supporting families to stay together and thrive. When this is not possible, they can themselves offer a safe, loving and stable family home and keep children out of local authority care.
Children and families in Wirral will be supported to identify who in their family network could be a source of support and these networks should be empowered to help and support parents and children when they are struggling. To help with this we will introduce Family Network Support Packages (FNSPs) which will provide practical and financial support to enable family networks to help children stay safe and thrive at home.
Key Features
- Establish family networks as a ‘golden thread’ throughout the reformed system.
- Align family group decision making (FGDM)/conferencing (FGC) with family help and child protection processes.
- Test provision of practical and financial support via Family Network Support Packages (FNSP).
The Approach in Wirral
This part of the Pathfinder had two areas of development: the establishment of a process for Family Network Support Packages (FNSPs); and increasing Family Group Conference (FGC) capacity.
FNSPs
From the Pathfinder budget Wirral set aside approximately £550,000 for the creation of FNSPs. These are bespoke packages of support designed to support a family network to support parents to enable children to safely remain at home. If that is not possible, FNSPs can support children remaining within their family network, and can also be used to support family reunification. FNSPs can be practical and or financial support for the family network and vary in amount and duration depending on the need. FNSPs can’t be used to replace funding which should be provided through another route.
To develop the FNSP process we:
- created an FNSP team, which we located in our children’s commissioning team. The team included two FNSP packages officers and an FNSP administrator
- established an FNSP panel which included the FNSP team, the children’s commissioning manager and a Pathfinder lead from children’s social care. The panel meets weekly to consider applications
- a simple application form was created for practitioners to complete
- a series of ongoing briefings were established about FNSPs, both for the multi-agency partnership and specifically for children’s services. Guidance for practitioners was developed which is included below.
- a prompt to consider eligibility and the need for a FNSP was added to the new single assessment, and a link was also provided between FNSPs and our FGC service
- the FNSP process is set out in the information below. A dedicated FNSP webpage was established for professionals, and the link is: Family Network Support Packages page
- As of March 2025, 88 FNSPs had been delivered at a total cost of £150,000. A key part of year 2 activity will be to measure the impact in the short and longer term the packages have had on outcomes for families.
FGCs
Wirral has utilised FGCs for a number of years now and the local model is accredited by the Family Rights Group. The Pathfinder specification refers to Family Decision Making Meetings (FGDMs) rather than FGCs, but to avoid any confusion the DfE have confirmed that FGCs are models of FGDMs.
To support the greater expectation for the use of FGCs Wirral established a second team of coordinators to double our capacity. The use of FGCs was widely promoted across the continuum of need, especially in Family Help where it had previously been offered but rarely used.
The FGC team also includes trained mediators and offers mediation for families. This is often a useful tool to help prepare families for an FGC and to help them maximise success.
The FGC team are closely sighted on the FNSP process and discuss this with eligible families. And, like FNSPs, consideration of a FGC is also included in the new single assessment. All the locally developed guidance and processes are included on a dedicated FGC webpage which can be accessed here: Family Group Conferences – Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership
Summary Presentation
to be added
Feedback
Things we found Helpful
- Briefings, briefings, briefings for FNSP’s
- Early recruitment and establishment of a FNSP team within current children’s commissioning team
- Design of a simple application and panel approval pathway
- Having a comms officer to help gather feedback and case studies
- Using FNSP’s for reunification
Our Top Tips for Embedding the FFC Partnership Programme (Family Networks)
- Ensure you have an agreed model of FGC/FGDM in place – use this expertise to train/inform the wider workforce
- Build FGC/FGDM into your processes across the continuum of need
- Establish a dedicated resource to approving and building the FNSP’s
- Keep briefing the workforce!
Local Resources
Project Action Plan – Family Networks
Practitioners Guidance
FNSP Flowchart
FNSP Process
Family Network Support Packages page.
FGCs
Family Group Conferences – Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership
National Resources
The families first partnership programme guide
Kinship care: statutory guidance for local authorities
Children’s social care national framework
An illustrated guide to the Children’s Social Care National Framework
Keeping children safe in education 2024
Inspecting local authority children’s services – GOV.UK
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