Wiltshire receives funding boost to offer help for families that need support

Wiltshire Council will use the latest announcement of government funding to provide a range of help for families that need additional support to get back on track and make positive changes to improve their lives.

Wiltshire's Supporting Families Programme helps people and families, who are experiencing difficulties or complex challenges, to access appropriate support for their specific needs.

The council has received just over £1m from the government's Supporting Families Programme. The programme uses dedicated key workers to work with every member of a family and bring local services together to resolve issues at an early stage, before they develop into more significant problems. 

Families are supported to leave abusive relationships, receive joined-up support for mental health issues and help people find work. 

The programme has been running in Wiltshire for 10 years and has supported 5700 families during that time.

The latest funding will support a range of frontline professionals with access to additional support resources, including:

•                   Employment Advisors seconded to Wiltshire Council from the Department for Work and Pensions. This offers targeted support for parents to increase their opportunities in the job market

•                   Splitz - support for victims of domestic abuse

•                   Family Group Conferences - a wider family network work with professionals to make decisions and plans for children and young people who need support

•                   Parenting groups and courses - to support parents with children all of ages to strengthen their relationship with their children

•                   The Mind of My Own app which offers mental health support for teenagers

Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: "We have a well-established programme to support our families who need that additional help. This funding is going to be directed at specific projects that are making a real difference to families and helping them to get back on track.

"We offer a range of support including employment advice, support for domestic abuse victims and mental health support for teenagers. It really covers a range of issues and we will be working with all our groups to ensure every penny makes a difference to people's lives."

Wiltshire has received a total of £1,048,300 from the government's Supporting Families Programme.