Family Coaching as Early Help for Whole Families

BASPCAN 12th-15th April 2015

‘They helped me, they guided me so I have kept that in mind – I know what to do now’

Family Coaching as Early Help for Whole Families

Marian Brandon

Penny Sorensen

Free Paper Session 39: Innovations in knowledge and service delivery

Background to TF programme

Dept. Communities Local Govt. – ‘nuisance’ families Each Local Authority had a target number of families to

reach – for LA to identify/support Some flexibility in designing services in different

authorities Not statutory, not universal Whole family approach Part of ‘early help’ agenda?


Study Methods

14 months duration - qualitative and quantitative:

Interviews with 20 familiesInterviews with 4 managers and 2 data analystsDevelopmental workshops with 20 family coachesCase study diaries kept by family coachesFocus group with 5 professionalsA detailed analysis of costs associated with 50 families who have completed the interventionInterim report to allow for early changes/improvements


The Family Coaching Service: Findings


The coaches told us about their work Winning over families other professionals can’t work with Building rapport and encouraging progress by: being tenacious,

providing practical help and responding to the family’s expressed need

Whole-family approach, but different family members ready to engage at different points in time

Something simple like a family that has not engaged with anyone else and they have engaged with you makes a big difference; but you do wonder what all these other people have been doing? (Coach)


Families told us:

When she [coach] first came I was very apprehensive…but then when you look at how she is doing oh! Forget it – you say wow!

I remember meeting [coach] for the first time and ... thinking ‘you had better be a miracle maker because I need help!’


Professionals told us: (children’s services, police, education, mental health, housing)

‘Extremely firm but very caring’

…they are able to do a lot more with the family than I am

I kind of felt they needed to be more task centred and you know not encourage dependency


Coaches•Engage with families•Build relationships•Persist•Enjoy their work with whole families•Have ability to work jointly with other professionals

Families•Engage with coaches•Build relationships•Value the intervention•Learn to work with other professionals•See changes and benefits•Feel listened to

Professionals•Impressed with coaches’ work with families•Coaches are excellent communicators•Value the outcomes for families•Admire tenacity of coaches

Congruence


Tensions Engaging families

• Persistence or harassment?

Working with families • Dependency?• Support and supervision• Boundaries

Working with professionals• Boundaries• Whose case?

Endings• What happens to families?


TF in context of austerity and added pressure on services

26.6% reduction in LA budgets since 2010 (Institute for Fiscal Studies in Ofsted 2014:9)

Child protection being more tightly rationed and cases being diverted to early help (NSPCC 2014)

Since 2010 – 84 reports discuss the value of early help – but resources for early help are dwindling. Is this where Troubled Families fit?

Who gets access to this early help?


So ……

Is this a cheap/expensive model of early help – is it cost effective?

Is it a model of social work without social workers?


Family Coaching as Early Help for Whole Families

Government & Nonprofit

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