About Supporting Families

The 'Supporting Families' programme has been extended for a further 3 years, April 2022 - 2025.   The objectives for these three years:

• To see vulnerable families thrive, building their resilience by providing effective, whole family support to help prevent escalation into statutory services.
• To drive system change locally and nationally, working with local authorities and their partners to create joined up local services, able to identify families in need, provide the right support at the right time, and track their outcomes in the long term.

The Milton Keynes Supporting Families Outcome Plan outlines the eligibility criteria for the programme. The expanded Programme focuses on transformational change at local level to encourage all agencies to deliver a ‘whole family approach’. 

As of October 2022, the criteria changed from 2 out of 6 criteria to be eligible for the programme to now meeting at least 3 out of the 10 headline eligibility criteria below:

1. Getting a good education
2. Good early years development
3. Improved mental and physical health   
4. Promoting recovery and reducing harm from substance use
5. Improve family relationships
6. Children safe from abuse and exploitation
7. Crime prevention and tackling crime
8. Safe from domestic abuse
9. Secure housing
10. Financial stability

There are a few updates to the programme. The key changes are:

• Extend the programme from families with dependent children to expecting parents;
• Broaden the criteria to those families at risk of homelessness and experiencing in work poverty;
• Clarify that involvement in gangs, knife crime and county lines are all legitimate indicators of eligibility.

Please note: We only accept referrals from professionals who work with children, for example: Social Workers, Schools, CAMHS, Youth Offending Team, Health Visitors, Children and Family Centres. It is not possible for families to self-refer.

• Supporting Families Toolkit
• Supporting Families Privacy Notice (Milton Keynes Council)