Level 3 - Intensive Family Support, further information

Intensive Family Support services are where a multi-agency approach is required to help families cope with significant stressors or problems that interfere with their ability to nurture their children.

Child development

Child Development
 Strengths Needs
  • The child has met developmental milestones
  • General health is good
  • Child/young person has some level of emotional resilience
  • The child/young person displays adequate self-care skills
  • Has positive peers associations
  • Can show empathy or understanding of consequences
  • Can articulate positive aspirations for the future
  • Child not meeting milestones
  • Have unmet complex needs
  • Chronic, recurring health problems
  • Not engaged in Early Years provision
  • Despite intervention attendance is below 90% and still dropping (persistent absentee)
  • Regular fixed term exclusions and/or at risk of permanent exclusion
  • At risk of becoming/or NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)
  • Behavioural issues identified in school
  • Displays challenging behaviours at home
  • Involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour
  • Risky sexualised behaviour
  • Concerns about young person’s substance misuse
  • Early evidence of self-harm or poor emotional wellbeing
  • Presenting as hungry to professionals, with evidence of no healthy meals being offered routinely
  • Where there is medical evidence that the child is unlikely to achieve/maintain a reasonable standard of health/wellbeing, but parents are engaging and/or there is no immediate risk of significant harm
  • Specific dietary requirements of the child are not met, e.g. nut allergies
  • Quality of diet includes a disproportionate amount of sugary and fatty foods

Parenting capacity

Parenting Capacity
 Strengths Needs
  • Parents/carers are willing to engage in agency support but require support
  • Parents/carers provide some positive stimulation for child
  • No concerns regarding parental substance misuse
  • Parents see themselves as part of the solution to resolving issues
  • Free from domestic abuse or mental health difficulties impacting on child
  • Parental substance misuse
  • Parental mental health
  • Lack of emotional warmth
  • Parents disengaged in relation to child’s behavioural concerns
  • Missed health appointments
  • Have experienced domestic abuse as a victim or perpetrator
  • Regular arguments between carers not resolved appropriately
  • Inconsistent care arrangements
  • Parental learning or physical disabilities
  • Conflict between parent and child including violence towards parent/damage to property

Family/environmental factors

Family/Environmental Factors
 Strengths Needs
  • Family are engaged in some form of employment
  • The family has some extended support network
  • Housing is stable despite overcrowding or issues of disrepair. Family are rectifying these problems
  • The family have access to some social activities
  • There is a lack of a supportive network and some social isolation
  • Risk of eviction or prosecution
  • Family in temporary accommodation
  • Overcrowding or repair issues impacting on the family
  • Financial issues – no employment, incorrect benefits, rent arrears
  • Parents finding it difficult to find employment due to poor skills
  • Community harassment/discrimination
  • Reliance upon food bank or assistance