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Family Futures
Family Futures
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a specialist service for traumatised children and their families
     


What is Family Futures? top

Family Futures was established in 1998 in order to develop a specialist service for children in adoptive families, foster families and families living with children who have experienced separation, loss or early trauma.  It is now recognised as a first class centre of excellence, specialising in therapeutic work for children who have experienced early trauma and who have attachment difficulties.

Family Futures also offers a wide range of training programmes, seminars and workshops for therapists, social workers and parents; and has produced various books and videos.

Family Futures’ services are based on the following assumptions:

  • that the child’s needs should be at the centre of the placement process
  • that early trauma severely affects a child’s ability to form secure attachments in new families
  • that adoption or a permanent family placement is the preferred option for ‘looked after’ children who are unable to return to their birth family
  • that parents, children and families require a comprehensive and integrated assessment, followed by a long term support service, which provides appropriate therapy
  • that positive change is possible if the needs of the child are seen in a developmental perspective and if their parents and families are properly supported

What services does Family Futures offer? top

Family Futures offers an integrated multi-disciplinary assessment and therapy programme for children who are adopted, fostered or who have experienced early trauma and attachment difficulties.

Family Futures offers the following:

Therapeutic Service:

  • a free consultation to parents and professionals
  • a comprehensive child assessment
  • an integrated family assessment
  • an intensive treatment programme (a Tier 4 Service)

A Consultation Service to Local Authorities and CAMHS teams:
  • to enable service development in line with the Adoption Support Agency’s guidelines
  • case specific consultations

Training Service:

  • a training programme designed for Social Workers, Psychologists, Therapists and other allied professionals, as well as for Parent Mentors

Publications:

  • training videos
  • books
  • monographs

Who are we? top

Our multi-disciplinary therapeutic team comprise the following:

  • Parent Mentors
  • Social Workers
  • Therapists

Our team of consultants comprise the following:

  • Teacher
  • Paediatric Occupational Therapist
  • Educational Psychologist
  • Paediatrician
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
  • Child and Family Psychotherapy Consultant


What do we do? top

Family Futures offers an integrated multi-treatment service for families with children who have experienced early trauma and are exhibiting attachment difficulties, impaired executive functioning and challenging behaviour. Our process of engagement with children and their parents begins with a free consultation, where parents and professionals can learn more about our work in order to make an informed decision about a referral.

If agencies wish to proceed, a Child Assessment would be completed by a multi-disciplinary team. In the light of that assessment, an agency may wish to refer the child and their family to an intensive therapy programme.   Our multi-treatment programme encompasses:

  • Dyadic attachment therapy
  • Family Theraplay and family therapy
  • Parent mentoring and a parent support programme
  • Educational appraisal and school liaison
  • Couple counselling
  • Individual therapy
  • A range of specialist interventions designed to enhance nutrition, neurodevelopment and sensory integration.


Why do we do it? top
There is now a large body of research and theoretical evidence for the profound long-term impact that repeated early trauma has on a child’s development. The impact of pre-birth and post-birth toxic environments, birth trauma and illness, neglect, physical and sexual abuse and multiple separations, singularly or in combination cause impairment to a child’s psychological, neurological and physiological development and impacts on every aspect of the way they see themselves, on the way they view the world in which they live and which dictates how they learn and assimilate new ideas.  Such complex, profound and long-term problems require a complex and holistic approach which Family Futures has pioneered and developed.


Who can refer? top
  • Parents
  • Social Workers
  • Children’s Guardians
  • Solicitors
  • Paediatricians
  • Psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Therapists
  • Schools
  • Health professionals


Does it work? top
A recent evaluation of our work, showed that only 5% of families referred to Family Futures for the treatment programme broke down, compared to a national comparison of 30%. This we are proud of especially since the children with whom we work at Family Futures are all in the high risk group, i.e. those children whose placements are at most risk of breakdown. Indeed one of the criteria for a referral of a family to Family Futures is often because the placement is at the point of breakdown.

Over 200 Government and Voluntary Agencies UK wide have used Family Futures services.

Children attending Family Futures come from all over the UK, from John O'Groats to Lands End.

Families referred to Family Futures showed the following characteristics based on Form E data.


NUMBER OF RISK FACTORS IDENTIFIED IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF CHILDREN ASSESSED AT FAMILY FUTURES

Risk Factors comprise of the following
(as reported on Form E which under reports trauma):

Emotional Abuse / Neglect
Sexual Abuse
Physical Abuse & Domestic Violence
Alcohol and Drug Abuse in birth family

Mental Health problems in birth family





PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN REFERRED TO FAMILY FUTURES THAT ARE ADOPTED AND FOSTERED


Age at Final Removal from Birth Family

Percentage of Children

referred to Family Futures

Age at Referral to Family Futures Percentage of Children referred to Family Futures
0 - 6 85% 0 – 6 16%
6 - 12 15% 6 -12 58%
12 - 16 0% 12 – 16 26%



Direct Services Vs Core Costs Ratio



Family Futures is committed to the policy of open access to enable anyone in adoption today to gain information, advice and an adoption support service.



Who's who? top


STAFF:

NAME POSITION HELD
Alan Burnell Registered Manager (Social Worker)
Christine Gordon Court & Expert Witness
Service Manager
(Parent Mentor & Social Worker)
Jay Vaughan Therapy Services Manager
(Dramatherapist)
   
ADMINISTRATION  
Laura Alayo Business Manager
Sarah Blair Therapy Services Co-ordinator
Joanne Collett Training Services Co-ordinator
Azyta Farzadneia Therapy Services & HR Administrator
Sally Hillman Family Services Co-ordinator
Miriam Magugu

Book Keeper

Kathy McLoughlin Intake & Assessment Services Co-ordinator
Lyn Vince Facilities Co-ordinator
   
THERAPY TEAM MEMBERS  
Marion Allen

Education Specialist
Dee Bamford
Elaine McCullough
Parent Mentor & Trainee Therapist
Clinical Psychologist
Wendy Daniel Manager of the Phase One Assessment Service (Social Worker & Trainee Therapist)
Eugene Ellis Integrative Arts Psychotherapist

Dom Guard
Sue Hughes

Integrative Arts Child Psychotherapist
Social Worker & Integrative Child Arts Psychotherapist

Charlotte Khan Child Psychotherapist in Training
Ann Kitson Parent Mentor
Roz Read Integrative Arts Child Psychotherapist

Rachel Staff

Social Worker

Elizabeth Wickham Integrative Arts Child Psychotherapist
   
CONSULTANTS  
Adrian Briggs Panel Advisor
Peter Daniel Child Protection Consultant
Dr Neil Harris
Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist & Psychotherapist
Dr Deborah Hodes Paediatrician & Agency Medical Advisor
Dr Jeanne Magagna Psychotherapist
Amanda Owen Educational Psychologist
Mike Sherwin Agency Legal Advisor
Roger Weissman Independent Inspector
   
   

 

Where are we? top

Family Futures Consortium
3&4 Floral Place
7-9 Northampton Grove
London N1 2PL

For more details, please see CONTACT US page



Are you unhappy with our sevice? top

Here’s What You Can Do

Sometimes we get it wrong!

Family Futures’ Complaints Policy was developed specifically to embrace the following principles:

  • All service users will have access to the policy including children, who have a separate complaints policy and procedure.
  • The policy will be transparent
  • Complaints will be handled with efficiency and concluded within 28 days
  • Complainants will have the right of appeal
  • Confidentiality will be maintained at all stages

The Process


Stage 1 - Informal:  If a parent or guardian is unhappy about any aspect of Family Futures’ service provision / operation, the initial action is to discuss the matter informally with the Director of Therapy Services at Family Futures who will endeavour to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of the complainant.  Ideally a meeting will be held.

Stage 2  - Formal:  If the complaint remains ‘active’ i.e. unresolved, the Director of Therapy Services completes a Family Futures’ Complaint Form which is then given to the Registered Manager who will commence a formal investigation which will explore the complaint in greater detail.  This is likely to involve speaking with staff of Family Futures, obtaining statements, considering the child’s or service user’s record and gathering other sources of information.  In some cases where ‘wires have been crossed’ an explanation may resolve the matter.

Where the complaining party remains unhappy with the explanation, they will be invited to complete a Service User Complaints Form by the Registered Manager.  If the complainant has a communication problem then the Registered Manager will respond appropriately.  Complainants will be invited to write down full details of their complaint and what outcome they would like to see done to resolve their issues (if writing is a problem, assistance will be offered).  The Registered Manager will give full consideration to what has been written.

The management team will formally respond in writing within 28 days with Family Futures’ position statement to the complainant, clearly setting out the:

  • original complaint
  • the range and content of the investigation
  • content of any statements obtained
  • the management team’s conclusion

The commissioning authority will be sent a copy of this report.

If the complainant is unhappy with the formal response, they have 28 days to let the Registered Manager know and he will pass the file to our Independent Person with a request for him to carry out an independent enquiry.  Our Independent Person is Mr Roger Weissman: telephone 07957 657721; email roger.weissman@lineone.net.

Stage 3 - Independent Review:  The Independent Person, Mr Roger Weissman, will then be sent the complaint file and carry out an independent review.   A report will be completed within 28 days.  The report will have clear conclusions and recommendations.  A copy of this report will be sent to the Complainant and to the Directors of Family Futures.  The Directors of Family Futures will be obliged to comply with these recommendations.

If the Complainant is still not satisfied, they have 28 days to engage their commissioning agency’s complaints procedure, or contact Ofsted, who inspect our organisation on behalf of the government.

Ofsted
NBU, 3rd Floor
Royal Echange Buildings
St Ann's Square
Manchester
M2 7LA
Tel: 08456 404 040.


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