Question
summarize the text below
Family support provision
Informed by EurofamNet’s remit to optimise family support for children, parents and families; and in recognition of the range of their support needs and the diversity of children’s and family lives, family support provision is recognised to incorporate multiple types, approaches and levels of support and services. It is proposed the full range of provisions should be developed and sustained in order to enhanced resources, capabilities and welfare for children, parents and families. As set out in the introduction to this Briefing, this conception of family support provisions incorporates a number of key aspects including:
A targeted response to the support of children/young people and their parents, and/or their families and communities, depending on their circumstances (Daly et al 2015; Williams & Segrott, 2018 in Devaney et al., 2021). This can mean that support is aimed at a focal child with parental support, parenting support in general, or encompasses a wider ‘whole family support’ as needed (Daly et al 2015).
Provisions must span a range of supports and services to children, parents and families including economic, social, employment and professional support and services (Churchill et al, 2021). Furthermore, these supports must include universal, targeted and specialist options to meet the diverse needs of families in different circumstances (Devaney et al, 2021; Rodrigo, 2015 cited in Herrera et al., 2020; McGregor & Devaney, 2020). This can include supports that are orientated towards prevention, early intervention and remedial/child protection outcomes (Devaney, 2017; Gilbert et al 2011; 2012).
These supports can incorporate both informal everyday social and community support for family members as well as formal family support which is funded, organised and delivered by the state, often in partnership with voluntary, charity and civil society organisations (Melo & Alarcão, 2015 cited in Devaney et al., 2021). More formal supports can be provided by state agencies or by voluntary sector agencies or private market providers in partnership with state agencies (Abela et al., 2021).
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Key Types of Provision (Churchill et al., 2021)
• Financial and Material Supports (Birth Grants, Income Supplement, Social Security, Taxation measures)
• FormalSupportthroughServiceprovision(caninclude generic family support services, community-based open access services, statutory protective support services, parenting support services, parenting education initiatives and remedial therapeutic interventions etc.)
• Informal Support or Semi-formal Support characterised by community or familial assistance
•Family Friendly Employment Legislation •Early Childcare and Education Provision •Health Care & Early Years Programmes
• Housing Support and Social Welfare support schemes
These provisions provide the vital resources of ‘time, cash, information, professional expertise, and in-kind services’ that assist parental and family roles, promote family welfare, promote child welfare, and ensure children’s rights (Canavan et al., 2016; COFACE, 2019).
An additional practical consideration relates the level of support that a family may need at a particular time, and in particular circumstances. Mc Gregor and Devaney (2020; 2020a) highlight the complex relationship between family support and child protection as delivered by state child and family agency services and the requirement to balance between responding to needs for prevention and early intervention and needs for protection and legal intervention. They also emphasise that is it essential that those who have responsibility to deliver support and protection to children and families have the capacity to work in a manner that puts the child at the centre and the skills and values to engage effectively in protective support work and supportive child protection. McGregor and Devaney present a model which emphasises the fluidity needed in a system of ‘protective support and supportive protection’, which has to respond to the complexities and changing levels of need and risk in families’ lives over time. The model adds value in two key areas: it usefully focuses attention on ‘families in the middle’ and their fluctuating need for supportive as well as protective responses and it brings ‘informal support networks’ (Level 1a) into the frame of analysis, acknowledging the role of family, wider kin and community in preventative support (Mc Gregor and Devaney, 2020:28) (see Figure 3 below).
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Figure 3 A fluid and open model of supportive and protective service provision
Additional key concerns within prominent literature and policy debates have been orientated towards ensuring local and national systems of family support are well coordinated and connected (Devaney et al, 2021). This is vital to ensure effective and equitable responses to the range and diversity of family support needs. Prominent literature therefore promotes a holistic and comprehensive family support provision paradigm (Devaney et al, 2021). There are a number of different principles for practice of relevance to the provision of coordinated, connected provision that integrates key aspects of support provisions. These are:
• That practice is inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary, encompassing professionals, practices and knowledge from different areas, theories and approaches (Herrera-Pastor, Frost & Devaney, 2020). This builds on the
• That practice integrates informal, community, voluntary sector (semi-formal) and statutory/professional (formal) networks of support (Herrera-Pastor, Frost & Devaney, 2020).
• And incorporates universal and targeted levels of need (Canavan, Dolan and Pinkerton, 2016; Devaney and Dolan, 2017; Frost et al., 2015; Churchill and Fawcett, 2016)
• Promote positive parenting orientations (Churchill et al, 2021)
Studies and reports have indicated a range of strategies and mechanisms that can assist services and professionals to deliver coordinated and holistic family and parenting support on these terms. These include ensuring accessible and up-to-date information about available
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services and supports; developing open-access services and generic roles that operate as gateways to support and services (e.g. community-based children and family centres which combine universal and targeted services; online signposting services, generic family support roles); employing common approaches to needs assessment and service referrals across local services; and embedding effective systems for understanding local and national support needs (Devaney et al, 2021). Further, approaches found to promote improvements in inter-disciplinary and cross-sector understanding and working also include multi-professional and multi-agency training, joint-working and joint-funded initiatives (Canavan et al 2016). These features of comprehensive and coordinated systems of provision highlight the importance of systemic planning, coordination and development (Canavan et al, 2016).
Family support provision
Informed by EurofamNet’s remit to optimise family support for children, parents and families; and in recognition of the range of their support needs and the diversity of children’s and family lives, family support provision is recognised to incorporate multiple types, approaches and levels of support and services. It is proposed the full range of provisions should be developed and sustained in order to enhanced resources, capabilities and welfare for children, parents and families. As set out in the introduction to this Briefing, this conception of family support provisions incorporates a number of key aspects including:
A targeted response to the support of children/young people and their parents, and/or their families and communities, depending on their circumstances (Daly et al 2015; Williams & Segrott, 2018 in Devaney et al., 2021). This can mean that support is aimed at a focal child with parental support, parenting support in general, or encompasses a wider ‘whole family support’ as needed (Daly et al 2015).
Provisions must span a range of supports and services to children, parents and families including economic, social, employment and professional support and services (Churchill et al, 2021). Furthermore, these supports must include universal, targeted and specialist options to meet the diverse needs of families in different circumstances (Devaney et al, 2021; Rodrigo, 2015 cited in Herrera et al., 2020; McGregor & Devaney, 2020). This can include supports that are orientated towards prevention, early intervention and remedial/child protection outcomes (Devaney, 2017; Gilbert et al 2011; 2012).
These supports can incorporate both informal everyday social and community support for family members as well as formal family support which is funded, organised and delivered by the state, often in partnership with voluntary, charity and civil society organisations (Melo & Alarcão, 2015 cited in Devaney et al., 2021). More formal supports can be provided by state agencies or by voluntary sector agencies or private market providers in partnership with state agencies (Abela et al., 2021).
A framework for child and family support in Europe | 21
Key Types of Provision (Churchill et al., 2021)
• Financial and Material Supports (Birth Grants, Income Supplement, Social Security, Taxation measures)
• FormalSupportthroughServiceprovision(caninclude generic family support services, community-based open access services, statutory protective support services, parenting support services, parenting education initiatives and remedial therapeutic interventions etc.)
• Informal Support or Semi-formal Support characterised by community or familial assistance
•Family Friendly Employment Legislation •Early Childcare and Education Provision •Health Care & Early Years Programmes
• Housing Support and Social Welfare support schemes
These provisions provide the vital resources of ‘time, cash, information, professional expertise, and in-kind services’ that assist parental and family roles, promote family welfare, promote child welfare, and ensure children’s rights (Canavan et al., 2016; COFACE, 2019).
An additional practical consideration relates the level of support that a family may need at a particular time, and in particular circumstances. Mc Gregor and Devaney (2020; 2020a) highlight the complex relationship between family support and child protection as delivered by state child and family agency services and the requirement to balance between responding to needs for prevention and early intervention and needs for protection and legal intervention. They also emphasise that is it essential that those who have responsibility to deliver support and protection to children and families have the capacity to work in a manner that puts the child at the centre and the skills and values to engage effectively in protective support work and supportive child protection. McGregor and Devaney present a model which emphasises the fluidity needed in a system of ‘protective support and supportive protection’, which has to respond to the complexities and changing levels of need and risk in families’ lives over time. The model adds value in two key areas: it usefully focuses attention on ‘families in the middle’ and their fluctuating need for supportive as well as protective responses and it brings ‘informal support networks’ (Level 1a) into the frame of analysis, acknowledging the role of family, wider kin and community in preventative support (Mc Gregor and Devaney, 2020:28) (see Figure 3 below).
A framework for child and family support in Europe | 22
Figure 3 A fluid and open model of supportive and protective service provision
Additional key concerns within prominent literature and policy debates have been orientated towards ensuring local and national systems of family support are well coordinated and connected (Devaney et al, 2021). This is vital to ensure effective and equitable responses to the range and diversity of family support needs. Prominent literature therefore promotes a holistic and comprehensive family support provision paradigm (Devaney et al, 2021). There are a number of different principles for practice of relevance to the provision of coordinated, connected provision that integrates key aspects of support provisions. These are:
• That practice is inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary, encompassing professionals, practices and knowledge from different areas, theories and approaches (Herrera-Pastor, Frost & Devaney, 2020). This builds on the
• That practice integrates informal, community, voluntary sector (semi-formal) and statutory/professional (formal) networks of support (Herrera-Pastor, Frost & Devaney, 2020).
• And incorporates universal and targeted levels of need (Canavan, Dolan and Pinkerton, 2016; Devaney and Dolan, 2017; Frost et al., 2015; Churchill and Fawcett, 2016)
• Promote positive parenting orientations (Churchill et al, 2021)
Studies and reports have indicated a range of strategies and mechanisms that can assist services and professionals to deliver coordinated and holistic family and parenting support on these terms. These include ensuring accessible and up-to-date information about available
A framework for child and family support in Europe | 23
services and supports; developing open-access services and generic roles that operate as gateways to support and services (e.g. community-based children and family centres which combine universal and targeted services; online signposting services, generic family support roles); employing common approaches to needs assessment and service referrals across local services; and embedding effective systems for understanding local and national support needs (Devaney et al, 2021). Further, approaches found to promote improvements in inter-disciplinary and cross-sector understanding and working also include multi-professional and multi-agency training, joint-working and joint-funded initiatives (Canavan et al 2016). These features of comprehensive and coordinated systems of provision highlight the importance of systemic planning, coordination and development (Canavan et al, 2016).
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GPT-4o mini
The text discusses family support provision as a multifaceted system aimed at optimizing resources and welfare for children, parents, and families. It emphasizes the importance of diverse types of support, which should be developed and sustained to address various needs. These provisions include targeted responses to children and families, encompassing a range of supports such as financial aid, formal services (like parenting education and health care), and informal community assistance.
It highlights the significance of a coordinated approach that blends informal, community-based support with formal state services, advocating for a fluid model of "supportive protection." This model responds to the varying needs of families over time, balancing prevention with protective measures.
Key aspects for effective family support include interdisciplinary practice, integration of various support networks, and the promotion of positive parenting. The text calls for comprehensive strategies to improve coordination among services, such as accessible information, open-access service hubs, and joint training initiatives. Overall, it stresses the importance of coordinated, holistic family support systems for effective and equitable responses to diverse family needs.
It highlights the significance of a coordinated approach that blends informal, community-based support with formal state services, advocating for a fluid model of "supportive protection." This model responds to the varying needs of families over time, balancing prevention with protective measures.
Key aspects for effective family support include interdisciplinary practice, integration of various support networks, and the promotion of positive parenting. The text calls for comprehensive strategies to improve coordination among services, such as accessible information, open-access service hubs, and joint training initiatives. Overall, it stresses the importance of coordinated, holistic family support systems for effective and equitable responses to diverse family needs.