Early Support for Separating Families: A Pilot within Family Hubs
Two Spurgeons Family Hubs in Birmingham hosted the Family Solutions Group (FSG) to deliver an early support pilot for separating families. The ‘Family Solutions Drop-In’ sessions were run for anyone struggling with issues following a family separation. The needs of the parents who attended spanned a variety of issues, largely addressing communication difficulties about their child(ren), and being unsure where to turn for help.
The pilot ran from January to July 2025 and offered a weekly ‘Family Solutions Drop-In’ service involving in-person, online and phone appointments with clients over the 6 months. Seven examples of client interactions are described in this report. FSG also attended weekly Family Hub triage meetings held to discuss and action cases. Over the course of the Pilot, several hundred cases were reviewed within the Family Hub triage meetings and on average, at least 10%, and sometimes 20% – 25% of cases centred around separation. This 10% – 25% were all identified as suitable for Family Solutions support, sometimes alongside other services identified for the cases.
The report, Early Support for Separating Families, includes eight recommendations around the following themes:
- Focus on Relationships
- Embed Family Solutions in Hubs
- Train Frontline Workers
- Roll Out a National Blueprint for Family Solutions Support
- Strengthen Community Links to Family Solutions Support
- Promote Early Options
- Break Down Silos
