Support is now available to vulnerable families in the Welshpool area designed for them to make positive lifestyle changes in the interests of their children and the whole family.
The Integrated Family Support Service (IFSS), officially launched by Gwenda Thomas AM, Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services, is being delivered in partnership by Hywel Dda and Powys Teaching Local Health Boards with Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys Local Authorities.
Initially concentrating on families where parental substance misuse is coupled with concerns about the welfare of the child, the multiagency Integrated Family Support Teams will work to provide targeted support and better connect children and adult service with a focus on the family as a unit.
The Powys team will be based in the Children’s Services offices in Llandrindod Wells but will have links to the area’s multi-agency teams. The team will consist of five multi-disciplinary professionals which will include a Community Psychiatric Nurse, Consultant Social Worker, a Health Visitor and a Senior Practitioner.
Julie Hughes, Consultant Social Worker and team leader for Powys, said: “Our aim is to support families to stay together by empowering them to take positive steps to improve their lives. The service is very much family focused and will help us improve services by working together across agencies to better support the family as a whole.
“We will provide intensive support to those affected by parental substance misuse by focusing on the strengths within families and deliver the service around their availability and needs. To do this we can also be available at evenings and weekends, it is important for us to work flexibly to succeed.”
For further information on Integrated Family Support Services, please visit
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/childrenyoungpeople/parenting/help/ifst
PICTURE: Members of the Integrated Family Support Service (IFSS) along with Gwenda Thomas AM, Ruth Marks-Twelvetrees, Head of Public Health & Pediatric Community Nursing in Powys and Pauline Higham, Area Manager North for Powys County Council's Children's Services.
