Family Help

What Family Help is, who can get help from Family Help, how to get help.

What Families Help is

Family Help supports families and children aged 0 to 18 years who need intensive and co-ordinated help and support to meet their needs.

Family Helpworks with children and families with multiple needs or whose needs are more complex, such as families:

  • struggling with parenting and child behaviours, such as anxiety or violent outbursts
  • who live with physical or mental health difficulties which have a significant impact on their wellbeing
  • where children are at risk of exploitation
  • living with drug and alcohol misuse
  • affected by domestic abuse

Who can get help from Family Help

If your family or child has had early help support which hasn't met your needs, you may be able to get more support from Family Help. 

To get help from Family Help, you must agree to:

  • working with a range of services specific to identified need
  • accept support
  • work collaboratively with professionals

How to get help

Talk to the professional who's been helping you. They'll do a First Assessment Service referral for you, requesting a Family Help response.

You can also refer yourself to Family Help by calling First Response on 0117 903 6444.

How Family Help work with families

Family Help allocate a keyworker for each family they support. 

Family Help Workers

Family Help Workers work with children, young people and families in different circumstances. This could include support with:

  • mental health
  • domestic violence
  • substance misuse
  • unemployment and financial difficulties
  • SEND and education issues
  • understanding child behaviour
  • parenting

Family  Help assessment

Your Keyworker will work with you to understand and identify your family's needs, focusing on the children and young people in your care. They'll consider these needs in the context of the wider family, school and community.

Your Keyworker will visit children and families at home, in the community and at their education setting.

Family Help plan 

The Keyworker will make a support plan with your family and other professionals. This plan includes different support and interventions depending on the children's needs and ages and the parents' needs. This might include:

  • work with the child or young person to talk about their emotions and wellbeing
  • life story work, to help children understand their past experiences
  • managing anxiety and looking after yourself
  • parenting support

Your Keyworker will work closely with other agencies and services to provide this support.

Family Workers will also work with families to develop and strengthen a network of support through:

  • friends and family
  • other professionals

They'll chair Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings to keep the plan on track. They'll review and change the plan as often as needed.

Family Workers aim to work with families for up to 6 months. After this, your family and network continue with the progress made. You maintain the changes with the support of services such as schools, health services and community organisations.

Make sure chilren can remain safely in their family and friends' networks and communities 

Specialists

Families Help specialists:

  • support the lead professional's work
  • work directly with children and young people and parents and carers

If Family Help think your family needs support from a specialist, they'll talk to you about making a referral. The Family Help specialists include:

  • Adult Mental Health Specialists (AMHS)
  • Primary Mental Health Specialists (PMHS) for children and young people
  • Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs)
  • Substance Misuse Specialists
  • Supporting Families Employment Advisors
  • Youth and Community Workers

Parenting courses

The Family Help parenting specialists provide parenting courses which support parents with children aged 3 to 17.

The parenting courses are based on principles of participation and collaboration. Parents tell us they learn a lot from others facing similar challenges and enjoy the support a group can offer.

All courses are free, and you can refer yourself.

You can also do parenting courses at Bristol's Family Hubs, including antenatal courses and shorter parenting courses. To express an interest in these courses, visit your local Family Hub. 

For the full list of courses on offer, including those from Bristol Autism Team, see  pdf parenting courses(292 KB) .

Some families who meet the criteria and are already working with Family Help or social work services are eligible for one to one parenting courses.

For more information go to Parenting courses, advice and telephone support.

If you're a professional

If the early help provided has not met the child and family's needs:

  • discuss this with the parent or carer
  • do a referral to the First Assessment Service, requesting a Families Help response.

There are 3 Families Help teams in Bristol:

Tell us about a problem with a form, page or account