Introducing the Consultation Advice Line and Team Around The Family
Family First is changing the way services are delivered to children and families in East Sussex. This means families getting help earlier, before difficulties become baked in. ESCC have already launched a Consultation Advice Line – 01323 464655 - giving all professionals in education, health, the voluntary and community sector, and the police access to expert guidance from our highly skilled Senior Keyworkers. Families can get help on that number too. If it becomes clear that a family needs more joined-up support, this is when a Team Around the Family Coordinator can get involved to link the right people together. The good news is Childrens' Services already starting to receive calls and actively supporting professionals in getting help to families earlier.
Team Around the Family are here to help you, help families
You might call to get some reassurance that you’re on the right track with the advice you’re offering, but your conversation could also reveal that more support is needed from other professionals. For instance, a child who is absent from school may come from a home where there are mental health issues, unemployment and serious financial challenges which are contributing to the stresses and strains that are leading to the child’s non-attendance. These multiple challenges could prompt a referral, via the consultation advice line, to a Team Around the Family (TAF) Coordinator. The TAF Coordinators can help you to make an assessment and create a plan which could include support from professionals in health, education, the voluntary sector and the police, as well as the extended family and friend network. As you’re probably the person who sees the child or family most regularly, you are probably best placed to be the lead professional (family first advisor), co-ordinating the TAF plan with other professionals, in collaboration with the family.
Meet the Team Around the Family
The Team Around the Family (TAF) offers a holistic approach, wholly focussed on how to make life better for children and their families. It’s headed up by two highly experienced Senior TAF Coordinators: Lucy Dean, (West), and Samantha Mills (East). They lead a team of TAF Coordinators, and they are ready to take your calls.
Get in touch
Call the consultation advice line on 01323 464655.
Monday to Thursday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Friday: 8:30am – 4:30pm
To request a Consultation Advice Referral Form please email: [email protected] or visit Consultation advice line for professionals | Family hubs
N.B.: The advice line is also available to families so please to share this number with parents and carers.
A quick reminder why transforming services is vital ...
Family First has been designed to transform the way services which support children and families are delivered.
Too many families in East Sussex face challenges alone, from financial hardship and mental health difficulties to isolation and a lack of wider family support. This makes it harder for parents to care for their children and for young people to feel safe, happy and able to thrive.
Families also struggle to know what services are available in the community or how to navigate them. This either leaves professionals overstretched as they take on extra work, or results in families missing out on the support they need altogether.
When all professionals work in a more joined-up way around the family, we can provide a better service for vulnerable children and free up capacity across services.
The current system is unsustainable
ESCC has one of the highest numbers of child protection plans in the region and a higher rate of children in care. More children and families are entering the statutory system because they have not received the right support early enough. This approach is costly and unsustainable.
The reality is change is not just necessary – it’s vital.
The government has set out its Plan for Change.
Both the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and the Department for Education’s Families First Partnership Programme aim to improve support for children and families across England.
The plan demands that children live safely, and child poverty is addressed to give every young person the necessary foundations for the best start in life.
In East Sussex, with the Family First programme, ESCC are tackling the need for earlier help first.
To find out more:
ESCC will be sending out further briefings, but please take a look at:
• Family First Programme | East Sussex County Council
• Consultation advice line for professionals | Family hubs
Or for further queries, you can email:
[email protected]
