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Whole Family in a Bag
Whole Family in a Bag contains national guidance and justifications for whole family working and a range of resources and tools to support local developments.
An effective whole family approach supports all members of a family to ensure that a young person is prevented from taking on an inappropriate caring role that negatively impacts on their own mental or physical well-being, education, access to leisure or life chances.
In families affected by parental mental ill health or parental substance misuse a caring role can often be compounded by other issues such as, financial constraints, inappropriate housing, dual diagnosis, family secrets, community isolation and fear of service intervention.
"Children and young people do not care in isolation, they care because someone in their family has an unmet care need"
Research finding from the governments Family and Young Carers Pathfinder Programme (Turning around the
lives of families with multiple problems link), which aimed to develop local responses to the needs of families with multiple and complex social, economic, health and child problems, showed significant improvements in nearly half of families supported.
For those families were inappropriate caring was identified as a concern evidence showed that on exit from the Pathfinders three fifths (60%) showed overall improvements in their situation an for nearly a third (32%) all concerns were removed.
Emerging national guidance and legislation is supporting a whole family, joined up approach to support for families with multiple and complex needs, particular where a child is at risk of / or is taking on an inappropriate caring role. Below is a list of guidance, strategies and resources to support local developments:
National Legislation and Guidance Justifications – this document pulls together key statements and items that are emerging nationally that support this approach
Programmes and Established
Joint Working – containing information including Community Budget areas, Health and Well-being Boards and Family Nurse Partnerships
Updated Memorandum of Understanding - Adult's and Children's Services protocol to ensure young carers are actively protected from excessive or inappropriate caring
Signposts - Short paper that aims to share evidence based practice, promote local discussion and encourage improved outcomes
Young carers: Personalisation and whole family approaches - Published by The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS)
Turning the tide - addresses the huge financial and social costs of society’s failure to support the 60,000 adults facing multiple needs and exclusions in Britain today
You are not on your own - A booklet to help children and adults talk about a parent’s drinking
'Listening to Young Carers' and 'Ask Me About Me' DVDs - Order Form
Refugee Toolkit, Engage Toolkit and the Whole Family Pathway - Toolkits to help support a wide range of families
CarersTrust Carers Hub - Model of comprehensive carer support based on the outcomes of the refreshed National Carers' Strategy
The Children's Society Include Programme Leaflets and Booklets - Available to download
The Children's Society - Stars National Initiative: You are not on your own
Promoting positive well-being for children - A report for decision-makers in parliament, central government and local areas
National Young Carers Forum - Participation in the Include Partnership Training Programme (A timeline 2007-2011)
Young Carers Festival - Messages from 2000 to 2011
A new approach for young carers - Supporting the whole family
Key Principles of Practice - Invaluable tool for policy makers and practitioners