Nottingham Family Intervention Project

The team was set up in 2006 under the government’s ‘Respect Programme’ to provide intensive support to families at risk of eviction or other enforcement measures as a result of their anti-social behaviour, using strength based approaches as well as assertive measures to motivate change.

The FIP Practitioners assess the needs of the whole family and act as the Lead Professional, co-ordinating a multi-agency team in the delivery of an agreed plan aimed at addressing the needs identified in the family plus the factors contributing to the offending behaviour.

FIP Practitioners will also work their cases alongside social care where appropriate.

The Practitioners are accredited facilitators in a range of parenting programmes including Triple P, Triple P Teen, Triple P Family Transitions, Triple P Enhanced, Triple P Pathways, New Forest Parenting Programme (NFFP) and Dyadic Development Psychotherapy (DDP).

Practitioners are able to provide families with 3-4 sessions per week and can work outside office hours and at weekends.

The team have access to a range of tools that enable us to specialise our work with families who are resistant to change and/or have a history of non-engagement with services.

Family Intervention Tenancies may be available to certain families who are at risk of eviction.

The team have been running Family Group Conferences since 2008 and have found them to be extremely effective at involving extended family members in supporting the families.

The team use the C-Change Framework developed by Bristol University to assess ‘parental capacity to change’.

In addition to the main role, the Practitioners also act as the Responsible Officer for Parenting Orders issued through the Nottingham Magistrates/Youth Court and have an arrangement with the Education Welfare Service to provide the courts with a parenting assessment to assist with sentencing.

Given their experience of housing coupled with assertive approaches, FIP Practitioners also provide a daily duty service to Housing Aid receiving referrals in respect of ‘parental exclusion’ cases. These are cases involving an adult with a child (or pregnant) and is being evicted (excluded) from a family member’s property i.e. grandparent or friend. The staff visit the parties and attempt to mediate a housing solution to avoid emergency temporary accommodation.

Understanding peer groups and relationships in terms of contextual safeguarding  is a critical aspect of the support provided and the team can provide complex mapping using I2 software for complex CSE/CCE cases.

Introducing the Team:

• Kirsty Archer              Business Support        

• Angie Naaman          FIP Practitioner 

• Jean Faulkner           FIP Practitioner   

• Helen Noakes           FIP Practitioner 

For further Information please contact the team on : 0115 8765964

Email: [email protected]