Service providers
Family by Family is designed by families for families. It is grounded in social theory and evidence-based practice, and has been implemented in Australia and the UK since 2012.
Supporting over 2,100 families, and over 4,000 children, has helped us understand what is needed to successfully implement the service to make lasting change in their lives. Four independent evaluations confirm this.
How it works
The program is built by families for families and accesses knowledge from social theory, evidence based practice and leverages the lived experiences of families to create an enabling environment for change through the creation of confidence and self-agency.
The key program stages are:
1. Finding families
Both Seeking and Sharing – through public events, going where families are and through referrals within and across the service system.
2. Assessing and training Sharing Families
Families are Family by Family’s biggest resource – through whole family dinners and training we prepare Sharing Families for their volunteering with the program. Once they’re in a link up we provide weekly coaching sessions to continue to build on a families’ natural style and strategies.
3. Linking families in “Link-Ups”
Where Seeking and Sharing families meet up at least once a week, for either 10, 20 or 30 weeks, depending on the size of change the family wants to make.
4. Coaching families
Both Seeking and Sharing, to maintain a focus on the change that families want to make.
5. Measuring change
Throughout the program, where families rate how they are progressing against their change goal which contributes to continued motivation and engagement of families.
Who it works for
Family By Family is designed to engage and support whole families.
The model is a targeted early intervention and prevention program. It supports families across universal and targeted early intervention spaces.
Success is also seen where families are at the cusp of statutory intervention – when families are committed to change.
Prevalent stresses for Seeking Families
Stresses reported by our Seeking Families are shown below and directly correlate with vulnerability markers in Australia’s Welfare Report 2017.
Typical family cohorts
The following cohorts engage in the program and generally require link ups of varying levels depending on the size and complexity of the change identified. It has also proven to be a valuable support in post family restoration/verification.
Families in & out of crisis
Families experiencing different crisis triggers, ranging from domestic violence to moving on after child protection. Service engagement has often stopped but life events can make things worse again.
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Typical link-up: 30 weeks
Families moving on after crisis
Family want to move on after working through crisis E.g. child protection, domestic violence, financial difficulty.
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Typical link-up: 20—30 weeks
Families who are stuck
Families somewhat open to change. Have often tried lots of things but can’t find the right thing to help them.
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Typical link-up: 10—20 weeks
Families wanting more
Families doing well, who want to understand what more they can do for their family.
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Typical link-up: 10 weeks
Refer a family
The only eligibility for Family by Family is that families have a child or children under 18 years living in the home, they want something to change and they live in a community where Family by Family is up and running. If you’d like to connect a family to Family by Family, you might walk them through one of our brochures or watch our short film together. Then you or the family can get in touch.
How we help Service Providers
Family by Family is designed to be delivered by service providers through a capability building approach which walks alongside partner service providers in the scoping, adapting and implementation of the service.
To learn more about what is entailed in becoming a partner service provider, get in touch.
Family by Family for professionals
Want to know more about how the program works and who it works for? Download our booklet which explains the ins and outs of Family By Family for the service sector.
South Australian child protection reports reveal that one in four children under the age of 10 are being reported to child protection authorities. Alumni Family by Family Mum, Nicole talks about how Family by Family helped her family change direction.
Our coach Kveta Vlotman talks to SA Weekend about how important sport is to kids health and social wellbeing.
Recent research shows that it’s not just the kids that benefit from time with their grandparents – the connection works both ways too.
For families
We link families up with other families to support them and enable them to achieve their goals.