Supporting Families Enhancing Futures
The Wirral Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) have developed a new model for working with children, young people and their families across levels 3 and 4 (Team Around the Family, Child in Need and Child Protection) of the Wirral Continuum of Need.
The new model is called Supporting Families Enhancing Futures (SFEF) and has a focus on understanding how issues affect the child’s lived daily experience.
The SFEF model was developed by a multi-agency group of professionals in partnership with Professor Jan Horwath from Sheffield University and has been informed by the real experiences of families. Following successful launch events in the summer of 2017 the model launched in October 2017.
SFEF Documents
To support professionals and agencies with the introduction of the SFEF model the WSCB has introduced a programme of multi-agency training and has published a detailed Practice Guidance document and numerous other support, guidance and at-a-glance factsheets. These are all available for download below by professionals and agencies working in Wirral.
Please note all Supporting Families Enhancing Futures and SFEF materials are copyright to the Wirral Safeguarding Children Board and may only be used by professionals in WSCB partner agencies.
Introduction, Practice Guidance and Prompt Sheets
1. Practice Guidance for Professionals
The Multi-agency Guidance documents details the SFEF model and how it supports professionals working with families in the Team Around the Family, Child in Need and Child Protection frameworks.
The beginners guide to SFEF presents the principles and themes of the model including its aims, the responsibilities of staff and how the model aims to improve the lives of children, adults and families
3. Prompts Sheets for Practitioners
The prompt sheets document includes an overview of the principles of the SFEF model and provides guidance for working with children, parents and carers and families.
This A3 colour poster summarises the SFEF model and is designed for easy reference.
SFEF Help Sheets
The WSCB has published a series of help and fact sheets to provide at-a-glance guidance for professionals:
5. SFEF Frequently Asked Questions
The FAQ’s will be regularly updated following introduction of the SFEF model
6. SFEF Help Sheet – Strategy Meetings
7. SFEF Help Sheet – Section 47 Enquiries
8. SFEF Help Sheet – Process to ICPC
9. SFEF Help Sheet – Initial Child Protection Conferences
10. SFEF Help Sheet – Core Group Meetings
11. SFEF Help Sheet – Child in Need Timescales and Process
12. SFEF Help Sheet – Early Help Assessment Tool
13. SFEF Help Sheet – Role of the Lead Professional
14. SFEF Help Sheet – The TAF Meeting
15. SFEF Help Sheet -The TAF Plan
16. SFEF and Children Looked After
17. Single Multi-Agency Assessment – Information for Partner Services
18. Capturing the Daily Lived Experience of a child and adult – Information for Partner Agencies
19. Single Assessment Best Practice Document
20. Best Practice SFEF Plan
Below is an example of a plan from an ICPC. At the first Core Group clear timescales and responsibility for actions should be clarified.
21. SFEF Branded paper for printing and use in meetings with families.
Multi-agency Training
The WSCB has developed multi-agency training for professionals. The multi-agency training introduces the SFEF model, detailing the principles and how the model will work ‘in practice’ with children, young people and families. The training also practically explores how the model will influence key multi-agency meetings such as Child Protection Conferences and Core Groups.
Training courses run regularly. Places can be booked here: https://www.wirralsafeguarding.co.uk/courses/
Useful tools and videos for professionals
The WSCB publishes copies of and links to common tools for practitioners to use when working with families to support an assessment of need:
https://www.wirralsafeguarding.co.uk/tools-for-professionals/
Useful tools which can support practitioners using the SFEF model can be found below:
Professional Portal – External User – User guide This provides a step by step guide for professionals who need to access the Professional Portal to contribute to the single assessment
A series of videos explaining how to register and use the portal are below:
IT Etiquette – guidance poster about the appropriate use of laptops and tablets by professionals in multi-agency meetings attended by children and families
http://www.socialworkerstoolbox.com/ includes a diverse range of free resources particularly useful for discussing parental drug and alcohol misuse, domestic violence and sexual exploitation.
http://www.genopro.com/genogram/symbols/ includes information regarding symbols and how to construct a genogram
Further updates and information will be put on this page as the model develops.