Challenge Fund for social housing Family Intervention Projects (FIPs)
A second round of bidding has been launched, making available a further £2.6 million of central funding. Bids are welcome from areas who did not bid in Round 1, and those who were unsuccessful or who wish to further increase project capacity. For more information, read Housing Challenge Fund: Information on Round 2. The closing date for applications is 23 February 2010.
The Housing Challenge Fund is for new FIPs to be delivered in partnership with Children’s Services and housing providers to work with tenants who are facing eviction or involved in anti-social behaviour. For more information, see the Bidding guidance and Bidding template.
A List of successful Round 1 bids is also available. For background information on FIPs, read Anti-social behaviour family intervention projects monitoring and evaluation (November 2009).
If you have any queries contact housingchallengefund.mailbox@dcsf.gov.uk.
Think Family protocols and guidance
DCSF is developing cross-Government guidance and protocols to support and reinforce the local implementation of the ‘Think Family’ approach to delivering services. These call for adult and children’s services to work more closely together and take a whole family approach to secure better outcomes for children from families with complex needs.
In November 2009 DCSF and its partners across Government published the first two sets of ‘Think Family’ guidance – for joint working between children’s and family services and, respectively, drug and alcohol treatment services and offender management services.
Joint DCSF, Department of Health and National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse guidance for children’s and family services and drug and alcohol treatment services.
Joint DCSF and Ministry of Justice guidance for children’s and family services and offender management services.
Think Family is a cross-departmental programme jointly funded by DCSF, the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health, and supported by the Department of Communities and local government.
Since April 2009 all local authorities have received increased funding to support the introduction of:
Think Family practice - making sure that the support provided by children’s, adults' and family services is coordinated and takes account of how individual problems affect the whole family
targeted support for parents and families - such as Family Intervention Projects and Parenting Early Intervention programmes designed to provide evidence-based support to families experiencing problems.
Think Family toolkit
Published in September 2009, the Think Family Toolkit contains many examples of local practice, research findings, sources of reference and contributions from a range of government departments and local agencies.
It replaces a draft version which was circulated prior to a series of Think Family seminars organised in each region in early 2009, and as such addresses the issues raised by the 650+ local authority and third sector managers who attended.
Available to download or order for free from ECM Online Publications, the Think Family toolkit contains:
emerging practice in implementing Think Family systems and services, and when working with adult services
targeted support for parents and families and for Family Intervention Projects
evidence and cost effectiveness for parenting and family interventions
safeguarding children supported through family interventions
Toolkit review
Individual sections will be updated from time to time. If you wish to register for updates, email the thinkfamilygrants.mailbox@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk.
Download: http://publications.everychildmatters.g ... 0685-2009&
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Associated documents
Housing Challenge Fund: Information on Round 2 (33.5Kb) http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatter ... d/?id=7291
Housing Challenge Fund: Bidding guidance for Round 2 (5.3Kb) http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatter ... d/?id=7289
Housing Challenge Fund: Project proposal template (106Kb) http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatter ... d/?id=7290
Housing Challenge Fund: List of successful Round 1 bids (28Kb) http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatter ... d/?id=7303
Anti-social behaviour family intervention projects monitoring and evaluation (November 2009) (1.1Kb) http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatter ... d/?id=7308