Extended telephone support

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Extended telephone support

• Anonymous and confidential
• Based on How Helping Works with parent-to-parent
  ethos
• Parents can currently access 6 sessions of
  individual telephone support through the
  helpline
• Funding to pilot online booking referrals

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Who can it help?

• Parents not facing an immediate crisis
• Parents with complex and entrenched problems
• Who can commit to six weekly phone calls
• And are ready to make change in their family life

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Of particular value to parents who

• Do not meet the criteria for a statutory service
• Are on a waiting list for a service
• Have exhausted their quota of service provision
• Present with needs greater than the service can
  meet or the worker is confident to discuss

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How does it work?

• Parent led
• Identifies areas they wish to work on
• Helps parents think of ways of changing the
  situation
• Provides an opportunity to test these out with
  support

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What parents say

• "Everything has changed in our house. I feel as
  if I am in control now and not that the children
  are controlling me. Things are nice and calm. I
  also now enjoy hearing my child. say that Its
  no fun arguing with you anymore, cos you dont
  shout back. These calls have really helped me!
• I will greatly miss the calls. She gave me great
  support and encouragement when I needed it most.
  Never telling me that I had done it wrong The
  service this line has provided has been
  fantastic. I only wish it could have gone on
  for longer

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Telephone groups

• Free, made up of small groups of 5/6 parents plus
  a facilitator
• Parent will have similarly-aged children and will
  be experiencing similar challenges
• Parents are called for one and a half hours for
  six weeks, at the same time each week
• Funded to expand service and to pilot new
  referral routes

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What parents say

• "Its been a pleasure, its been a good group. I
  am more assertive. Its fascinating its been
  good for my family"
• "The sessions gave me time and space to reflect
  upon and think of things through and be more
  objective about what was happening. The sessions
  increased my confidence enormously. I am far
  more assertive and I have consciously changed my
  behaviour in response to my difficult situations
  involving my daughter

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The pilot

• Funded by DCSF through the Childrens Plan
• To be independently evaluated
• 5 Local Authorities Bournemouth, Medway,
  Lincolnshire, Nottingham, Bristol
• And CAFCASS
• The future?

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