Home Based Help
From 10th March 2025, we are taking new referrals for families living in Allerdale and Carlisle. Unfortunately, due to staff and volunteer capacity in the Eden area we are still not accepting new referrals until w/c 28th April 2025 at the earliest.
Please note, if you are a professional from Children’s Services and are wanting to make a new referral for a family living in the Eden area, please contact Catherine Hodgeon, Team Leader on 07594 863466 or email catherine@cumbriafamilysupport.org.uk
This is our core service, providing practical and accessible support to families in their own homes, by qualified and experienced staff and trained volunteers.
All support is tailor-made to individual family’s needs and aims to provide positive outcomes for the children and the whole family.
Our work is most effective when working at a Level 1 or 2 (Universal or Early Help) threshold, however Coordinators will consider other thresholds on a case-by-case basis if we have the resources and if there is a specific and clearly defined role for CFS.
All families have a plan of support which is formed from the initial assessment, identifying the needs for support and the outcomes the family wishes to achieve.
The majority of our work is delivered by volunteers.
Examples of support our volunteers provide:
- Befriending for a parent who is socially isolated. This might be in the home or e.g. meeting in a café for a coffee, going for a walk
- Help to access activities and services in the community (such as groups, going shopping, attending GP appointments)
- Supporting parents to be attuned to their child’s needs through play and interaction
- Practical support in the home such as decluttering, help with routines, simple budgeting, healthy cooking
When a family situation is more complex, a Family Support Worker may be required. Please note however that our staff team is very small, so the number of these referrals that we can accept is limited.
Examples of support our Family Support Workers provide:
- Parenting (responding with empathy to children, routines, boundaries, consequences – our parenting support is based on the Family Links Nurture Programme but we can also help consolidate and implement parenting strategies learnt via other programmes by applying the learning to everyday situations at home)
- Help to access activities and services in the community (such as groups, going shopping, attending GP appointments) where the family’s circumstances are more complex or multiple services are already involved
- Helping parents and children have a voice (listening to their wishes and feelings and supporting them to make these known to other agencies e.g. at Team around the Family meetings)
We are NOT a crisis service and do not offer respite/childcare services. Please consider carefully whether we are the most appropriate service at this time and whether there are alternative/additional referrals that could be made to deliver targeted, timely support where it is needed. We build trusted relationships with families to establish positive coping strategies and cannot respond to immediate or urgent needs.
We do not automatically accept every referral. Once we have assessed the information in the referral, if we feel that Cumbria Family Support isn’t the best service for that family we will advise/signpost where possible.
We do not accept referrals where the primary identified need is to improve-school attendance.
We do not accept referrals where there may be a risk to our staff or volunteers, e.g. where there is violence/aggression from adults or children in the home.
While there may be a role for us (see What we offer) we are not a service that specialises in SEND, Autism, ADHD or complex needs.
How to make a referral
Professionals
Before making a referral, please ensure you have read the ‘Information for Referrers’ leaflet to check whether the family’s needs meet our criteria. The family should understand who we are, want our support, be motivated to make positive changes and give active and informed consent to the referral.
Completed referral forms should be emailed to admin@cumbriafamilysupport.org.uk along with a copy of any current plans (such as Early Help or CiN).
Families
Please contact our head office or your local Family Support Coordinator to make a self referral.
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