Agenda item

To recommend an additional Family Solutions Officer Post (Harwich) for a fixed term period of 12 months based on a review of the value for money / benefits such as the post would deliver on behalf of the Council and District.

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

(a)    approves the value for money / benefit review as set out in the Portfolio Holder’s report (A.7);

(b)    following the earlier set aside of the associated funding, agrees to the establishment of an additional Family Solutions Officer Post in Harwich for a fixed term period of 12 months;

(c)    requests that future funding of this fixed term post be included within the intended wider review of external grant funding; and

(d)    requests that potential future funding be also considered as part of the review of ongoing cost pressures within the long term financial forecast.

Cabinet considered a report of the Partnerships Portfolio Holder (A.7), which sought its approval for an additional Family Solutions Officer Post (Harwich) for a fixed term period of 12 months based on a review of the value for money / benefits such as the post would deliver on behalf of the Council and the District.

Cabinet recalled that the Tendring Family Solutions Service provided an intensive service until families were able to sustain positive progress, or for a maximum of 12 months where risks and needs suggested that this was necessary. The service helped families experiencing a wide range of complex issues and disadvantages – ranging from domestic violence and truancy to unemployment and mental ill health. Families entered the service on a voluntary basis in order to identify what they would like to change about family life, and were then empowered to go about making a change, and crucially to sustain it. This sustainability of change in their circumstances was key to reducing the demand on higher levels of social care and other services. Tendring Family Solutions was part of Essex Social Care, which had been found to be outstanding in a recent Ofsted report.

Members were informed that a Family Solutions Officer (District wide role) had been employed by Tendring District Council (TDC) on a permanent basis in September 2018, following a number of fixed term contracts since 2013. The role was seconded to work alongside Officers within Essex County Council (ECC) as part of the Tendring Family Solutions Team. The role was matrix managed across both ECC and TDC.

It was reported that, an additional full time Family Solutions Officer post, funded through health inequalities funding from the Integrated Care Board had commenced in September 2022, on a fixed term contract to work within Tendring Family Solutions with a focus on supporting families in the Harwich area.  It had been agreed to extend this post for a further year to September 2024 (utilising health inequalities funding).

Cabinet was made aware that the Harwich post undertook to understand the needs of families in the area through a Community Asset Mapping exercise, as well as holding a case load of up to five families at any one time.  Key highlights/outcomes of the post holder (working with partners) had included:-

·      forming the now established Harwich Community Forum;

·      the launch of the weekly ‘Heart’ food bank at the Salvation Army, with a number of partners in place to support those attending; and

·      working alongside The Lounge, and relevant partners to support families in attendance, and as a result of demand, launching an after school weekly open session for children & families.

In addition to the above, a further Family Solutions post had been agreed following a bid to the ECC Local Levelling up Fund, in order to support an additional Family Solutions post (District wide) for a period of 12months.  This post had been agreed with match funding from the Council’s Health Inequalities funding in 2023. 

Members were advised that, following the resignation of the Family Solutions officer for Harwich and as there had been a limited amount of contract time and funding left for the Harwich post it had been agreed to put the proposed funding to the 12 month District wide post with health inequalities funding to provide a more viable employment offer.  That post had now been filled.

Subsequent to this, and due to the previous success of the officer in Harwich, an additional sum of £48,750 had been identified as part of the Quarter 3 Financial Performance Report considered by Cabinet on 19 April 2024. As set out in that associated report, this sum had been set aside pending the consideration of the value for money / benefit to the Council and District that was subject of this report. Appendix B to the Portfolio Holder’s report provided an analysis of the savings to wider public services as a result of the interventions of the Family Solutions Officer working with a family.

It was recognised that the work of the Family Solutions Officers continued to have a significant impact on the families that had been supported, showing both positive family outcomes and significant savings elsewhere in the public sector, and that this work supported families for a maximum of 12 months and as outcomes were achieved, new families were allocated for support.

It was moved by Councillor Placey, seconded by Councillor Barryand:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

(a)    approves the value for money / benefit review as set out in the Portfolio Holder’s report (A.7);

(b)    following the earlier set aside of the associated funding, agrees to the establishment of an additional Family Solutions Officer Post in Harwich for a fixed term period of 12 months;

(c)    requests that future funding of this fixed term post be included within the intended wider review of external grant funding; and

(d)    requests that potential future funding be also considered as part of the review of ongoing cost pressures within the long term financial forecast.