1. Working Together With Families - Identifying the Families
Lynda Waddington & Rebecca O’Beirne
Partnership Analysts
Lynda and Rebecca assigned to WTWF, covering the four current projects - Burnley, Lancaster, Wyre and Preston.
The project was described to us as a “new way of working” and a project that was here to stay.

2. Working Together With Families
Identification of Partners
Initial task was to assist the Local Management Groups in identifying their top priority families – ensuring involvement from a number of key partners.
Key partners/services to be involved consisted of Youth Offending Team, Probation Trust, Local Authority, Lancashire Constabulary, Social Care/Services, Primary Care Trust, local family intervention teams and a selection of local schools.
If at any point the Local Management Groups felt that any services were missing, who could add value, they were involved at the earliest opportunity.

3. Working Together With Families
Request for Nominations (original methodology)
Request for family nominations by letter
Requested to nominate the top 3-5 priority/high demand families
Nominations to be sent to Analyst
Request for nominations initially by letter via an from each of the Project Leads within each area.
It was requested that all nominations were sent directly and securely to us Analysts in order for us to manage and control the information submitted from each partner agency.
Initial request was to nominate the top 3 to 5 priority/high demand families of which we only required basic details i.e. name, address, dates of birth and a brief synopsis of why they were being nominated.
Basic details allowed us to quickly cross reference all service nominations and carry out general research of their backgrounds particularly in respect of any criminality, vulnerable markers etc.

4. Working Together With Families
Criteria for a Priority Family
“Families who come to the attention of public services and other agencies which require significant and multiple investments of resources to manage their ability to cope, and in which there is at least one young person under the age of 18”
So what are the criteria for a priority family?
Families who come to the attention of public services and other agencies which require significant and multiple investments of resources to manage their ability to cope, and in which there is at least one young person under the age of eighteen.
They may well be families who have history of non-engagement with services, or where support has been provided but with limited discernable improvement in their ability to cope.
Families who may be at risk of losing their children without intervention, or who have high criminal or anti-social behaviour offending levels, which could ultimately result in losing their liberty. These families may also be of concern to a number of health professionals or services due to increased A&E of GP attendances, or due to chronic health issue in one or more family members.
History of non-engagement with services
High criminal or anti-social behaviour offending levels
Support provided - limited improvement in ability to cope
Concerns due to increased A&E or GP attendances
Families at risk of losing their children
Chronic health issues within the family

5. Working Together With Families
Nominations Matrix (original methodology)
Nominations largely came by . Information was submitted on to a matrix, in the following format.
This format allowed us to easily cross reference families. For example, the professional nomination of “Family A” came from four key partners, YOT, Children’s Social Care, Police and Health.

6. Working Together With Families
Professional Judgement (original methodology)
Nominations Matrix shared with the Local Management Group
Decision Making: professional judgement
Involvement from multiple agencies
The Analyst was a point of contact for the nominations, gathering information to support nominations of priority families and controlling the information within the master matrix; making regular updates. We assisted the Local Management groups with their decision making.
Upon developing the list of nominations (work in progress), information was shared at the Local Management Group meetings with attendance from various partner agencies.
Professional judgement was applied when deciding the families to be worked with, which was a crucial, with involvement from those partner agencies around the table.
Considerations involved those children on a child protection plan, families with high levels of criminality etc.

7. Working Together With Families
Identifying Control Families
Number of proposals from partner agencies
Professional judgement
Assess similarities/differences with proposed families

8. Working Together With Families
Issues and Challenges Encountered
Cascade of Information request
Hesitance by partners in submitting nominations
Inaccurate/Incomplete basic family details submitted
Repeated reminders to partners to submit nominations.
Data Protection and existing Data Sharing Protocols.
Changes in family circumstances
Keeping track of changes and decisions made
Cascade of Information request not being cascaded down to the right people –lack of knowledge and information within some agencies.
Hesitance by partners in submitting nominations/reliance on other agencies to nominate ‘well known’ families.
Inaccurate/Incomplete basic family details submitted i.e. limited use of dates of birth, surnames, reasons for nomination, meeting basic criteria.
Repeated reminders to partners to submit nominations.
Reassurance and advice re Data Protection and existing Data Sharing Protocols.
Deadlines – pros and cons. Changes in family circumstances can render families no longer eligible to meet criteria.
Keeping track of changes and decisions made

9. Working Together With Families
Evidence Led Approach (Future Methodology)
The analyst will provide support to a structured, evidence-led approach to identification of the right families to work with.
The data collection process is essential to supporting this approach and one that is a truly partnership-oriented method.
The TF programme cannot work with one or two agencies or even data sets in isolation; it requires cross-cutting support that will improve partnership working (and knowledge), data sharing and improve the lives of families resident with Lancashire.
Click slide to show table
The process is a stage-by-stage data collection exercise that will aggregate various data sets that will ultimately identify those families we need to work with.
(Areas in yellow are the most obvious areas linked to the payment by results framework)

10. Working Together With Families
Top Tips
Identify a point of contact from each service/agency
Establish and agree security and Data Sharing Protocols
Create a Gannt chart
Distribute a proforma for family nominations?
Cascade request to relevant professionals?
Maintain running log to track decision making and relevant changes