Bright Start 5-19 (school-age to 19 years)

Coronavirus update

If you have a family support worker they will continue to remain in contact with you during this period. If you need family support please contact: 020 7527 4343 between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and email Early.Help@islington.gov.uk

Practitioners wanting to refer will need to make a referral to Islington Children's Services Contact Team (CSCT).

We support families with school-aged children up to 19 years old. We’re here for you, in your community when you need us.

What we can help with

We know that being a parent is not always easy and that all families need extra help at some stage as children grow up. This might be because your housing situation is difficult or you are hoping to get into work or training. A relationship may have broken down or someone close to you has gone to prison. Your teenager’s behaviour might be challenging at home or at school. You may have growing debts or you may be at risk of losing your home.

How do we work?

You’ll work with the same trained family worker every time you see us, at your home or in our community locations, in the day or in the evening.

What do we do?

We’ll ask you what you and your family need and plan what we need to do together. We will bring together other services to work with us depending on what you need. For example, this might be housing, schools, prison, probation, young people’s services and Jobcentre Plus. We also offer parenting support and community events.

This service also supports clients with:

Debt advice and help with mone
Help with benefits or grants

Other Details

Who is this service for?

Families who live in Islington or have been placed in temporary accommodation by Islington Council outside the borough; families who have additional needs and may be considered to be vulnerable; have a child aged 5 or older; have lower level needs so they do not require a statutory service like Children's Social Care.

Can I refer myself?

Yes

How to refer or apply

Families can make referrals over the phone on 020 7527 4343.
All professionals wanting to make a referral to Families First, are required to complete the Islington CSCT referral form and to email it by secure email to csctreferrals@islington.gov.uk.

Referrals can come from a wide range of services including children's centres, schools, housing and health services, children's social care, adult social services, adult mental health services, 'Contact Islington', Family Information Service, libraries, community groups, job centres, CAMHS. Families First will also actively target families who might benefit from the service and will run drop-in sessions to encourage families to take up the support on offer.

Please be aware that Early Help has a wide scope but may not be the right service for some families. We will look at each family individually and make a decision about whether Early Help is the best service for them. When it is not the right service, we will help them to use a more appropriate service.

Please note we are a consent-based service so to enable better engagement, please discuss the referral with the family prior to submitting.