Opportunity Links Response to the Families & Relationships Green Paper: Support for All

Yesterday we submitted our response to the Families and Relationships Green Paper: Support for All. 

Overall, Opportunity Links welcomes the value given to families by the Green Paper, and particularly its recognition of the important role of high quality, accessible information and advice. We also agreed with the Green Paper that the role played by family members other than mothers - including grandparents, kinship carers and fathers - should be acknowledged and supported.

Our response focussed primarily on the proposals put forward around information and advice for families, and specifically addressed consultation question 6, which asked: “Would a comprehensive advice service on family issues based on successful models like NHS Direct and the NHS Carers Direct service make it easier for families to find the help they need?  This could consist of a national online service coupled with a single telephone number.”

In responding to this question, we reviewed priorities that our work in this area over the past 15 years has shown are critical for information and advice to reach and be of value to those who need it.  We also took into account feedback from Families Information Services, and other key stakeholders, gained through discussion and consultation at a number of regional sessions.

We concluded that a national comprehensive advice service could help families to find the help that they need.  However, we believe that this should complement, rather than replace or duplicate, existing information and advice provision such as FIS and is likely to require significant investment to be successful. 

We see potential benefits as including:

• Increased public awareness and access to information, assuming a strong brand and marketing approach similar to NHS Direct
• Simplicity of a single number / website, linked to the specialist and local support required, through which to direct all enquiries about family issues
• Extended access, ideally through a 24/7 phone line and website
• Increased integration across the current range of services and delivery points, leading to efficiencies and reducing duplications.

Our response also included a number of specific recommendations covering points which we believe are required to ensure such a service truly supports the needs of parents and families.  These include a clearly defined brand and scope (also incorporating local and specialist services); integrated service delivery; and recommendations for ensuring needs are understood and met, such as training and experience of staff responding to phone enquiries.