Our Position on the Future of Family Support Across East Staffordshire

Our Position on the Future of Family Support Across East Staffordshire
January 18, 2022 esfs_webadmin
PUBLISHED: TUESDAY 18 JANUARY 2022

East Staffordshire Family Support Service, Harvey Girls and Dads4Dads are sharing this information to be open and transparent with all families, partners and stakeholders, setting out the charity’s position in relation to the recent tender by Staffordshire County Council for the Family Support & Outreach Service, and the implications for how they will be working with communities in the future.

After careful consideration, our charity’s Board of Trustees decided that it is not in the best interest of our charity beneficiaries to re-tender for the Family Support & Outreach Service. Having delivered this contract for the last five years, our Board of Trustees feel that the new specification of the Family Support & Outreach Service does not align to the extent needed, with our charity’s commitments to supporting families across East Staffordshire, Burton and Uttoxeter.

More about our decision

The key factors behind our Board of Trustee’s decision are as follows:

  • Our commitment to remain focussed upon the needs of families in Burton and Uttoxeter, with which we have extensive experience, rather than become a contract manager and deliverer across the whole of South East Staffordshire.
  • A reduction in the available budget to deliver this service that would not allow us to maintain the current high quality of support offered to local families.
  • Retaining a staff team that feels pride in, and respected for, their work.
  • Remaining focused on sustainable, long-term family support that meets the families’ needs.
  • Developing new relationships and opportunities directly with Staffordshire County Council’s schools across Burton and Uttoxeter, offering a responsive service, that directly reduces barriers to education and attainment through pastoral, whole-family support at the earliest opportunity.
  • Developing relationships with committed and engaged local business, to offer whole family support to local employees, benefitting the local economy.

We would like to publicly thank Staffordshire County Council for working in partnership and enabling us to support families over the last five years and we understand that some funding decisions are beyond their control.

We hope that they are able to recognise our commitment to a high-quality service that has resulted in positive impacts for local residents.

The Future

East Staffordshire Family Support Service, Harvey Girls and Dads4Dads remain committed and passionate in our mission to support families to achieve their full potential.

Our charity’s decision to not re-tender for the Staffordshire County Council Family Support & Outreach Service does carry risks for our organisation as we step forward ‘into the unknown’, not knowing where and how we will continue to fund our core family support going forward.

However, having been a top-performing family support service for the last 17 years, we have a strong understanding of the needs and assets of our local area. We are here to serve those needs, enabling families to make lasting, sustainable change.

We are committed to serve and remain focused on making a difference in East Staffordshire, for the residents of Burton and Uttoxeter. We want to ensure that local families get the support they require in the areas identified by them, working restoratively with the family – “doing it with them, not to them”.

We are expanding our service offer to include School Link Workers, including support for children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and other initiatives for the benefit of children and families across East Staffordshire.

We now need your support.

Our charity has planned ahead to ensure a degree of resilience. However, our reserves are limited and will not last forever.

We want to build relationships with local business who support our cause.

We ask you to recognise our brave decision to remain focused on supporting our local towns – Burton and Uttoxeter – and to consider supporting our charity to continue its life-changing work in the years ahead.

For an informal chat with our team about how we can work together, please get in touch today: 07557 529983 or 01283 533449, or email [email protected]

 

Yours faithfully,

Ian North (Chief Executive) and Glenys Wallis (Chair of Trustees)