The Family Solutions Team has skilled project workers with experience of supporting families and young people in difficulty. We work with social workers, children, young people and their families to promote family welfare and help prevent family breakdown and young people being accommodated.
We generally work with children and young people between the ages of 10 & 16 years old although we may work with under 10s where there is a clear risk of breakdown.

Who is eligible for our services?

Families are referred to us by their social worker for us to consider if we are able to help. We give priority to the following circumstances:

• Where there is a clear and urgent need for work to avoid family breakdown or to help re-unite a family
• Where there is a clear and urgent need for work to avoid foster placement breakdown
• Families who need support in parenting children or adolescents to prevent potential breakdown.

The aim of the Family Solutions Team

• To help young people and their families recognise and use their own strengths and resources to find practical solutions to their problems
• To help families commit to change
• To be flexible and creative in our solutions
• To respect individual and family needs whilst recognising that the welfare of the child/young person is paramount
• To respond quickly in times of crisis
• To promote a culturally aware service which both recognises and respects difference in race, gender, sexuality, social class, age, beliefs and abilities
  

How we work

We work together with each member of your family and with your social worker in a way that suits you. We try to involve everyone to make sure our work has long term benefits. Our aim is not to stay in your family's life on a long term basis and our work will be time-limited to three months.

The type of work we do involves:

• encouraging everyone to be honest
• helping you communicate with each other
• understanding how each other feels
• giving constructive advice
• recognising the positive things in your family life
• improving family relationships
• seeking solutions to problems
• setting realistic tasks for change:we work with you in your home or at local venues that suit you; we make notes on our work and send information to your social worker weekly.
  

We can provide a follow-up programme to ensure you are able to sustain improvements in your family life. This will consist of phone or direct contact one month after the work finishes, with the possibility of further contacts if required.
We accept re-referrals if appropriate.
Family Solutions are available 7 days a week.
We challenge any action or language that may cause another person to feel hurt or ridiculed.

Other organisations that can help

We can let you know about other services such as:

• Connexions
• Bournemouth Education Service
• Community Adolescent Mental Health Service
• The Junction
  

Our promise to you

• To treat you with respect, to be honest and open at all times
• To make sure you receive clear and accurate information about our service
  To involve you in making decisions about the services you receive
• To ask you what you think about our services to enable us to continuously improve
  To take your comments or complaints seriously and do our best to resolve problems quickly and fairly.
  

Charges

There is no cost to you for receiving support from the Family Solutions Team.

If you are not happy with the service

Please talk to your project worker if you are not happy with the service. You can also speak to the Team Manager, Louise Bartlett, or your social worker. If you are still unhappy, you can make a formal complaint.