Cabinet Office Social Exclusion Taskforce
Last updated: 09 November 2008
The Social Exclusion Taskforce conducted the Families at Risk Review from 2007 to early 2008. This work is now being taken forward by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, including management of the Family Pathfinder programme.
The Review outlines the Government's commitment to improving the life chances of families at risk, including sustained support for systems reform through:
A key next stage of the review is the Family Pathfinder programme, funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. This will test and inform the development and implementation of the ‘think family’ approach, and continue this vital dialogue between central government, local partners and the third sector.
Put simply, the Family Pathfinders aim to improve outcomes for families caught in a cycle of low achievement, particularly those who are not being effectively engaged and supported by existing services.
They will build on Every Child Matters transformation and the learning from innovative family-based services such as the Family Intervention Projects to encourage greater co-operation with health and adult services, including social care, employment, housing, adult mental health and adult skills. Working alongside the network of local authorities involved in the Narrowing the Gap project, the Family Pathfinders will help to generate learning about how local areas can transform outcomes by ‘thinking family’, provide an evidence base on the effectiveness of the ‘Think Family’ model and generate best practice.
The Family Pathfinders will be expected to include a core set of building blocks and key partners, and work towards a clear set of outcomes for their target group. Each of the 12-15 Pathfinders will receive funding for the three year period. There will also be additional funding for up to 6 areas who wish to extend their pathfinders to include systems and support services which will address the support needs of families with young carers in more detail.
All sites will be supported by a national implementation team, run by the Department of Children, Schools and Families. An independent evaluation will be conducted to examine implementation processes as well as the impact of the pathfinders on outcomes for families at risk.
For further details of the Family Pathfinder programme please go to Every Child Matters [External website].