In a move welcomed by Wrexham Assembly Member, Lesley Griffiths -The Welsh Government has announced a £1.4 million expansion of a Wrexham piloted scheme to support families affected by substance misuse.
The Integrated Family Support Services (IFSS) was launched in Wrexham in October, and coordinates teams of multiagency professionals to provide joined-up support to families with complex needs.
Teams are already helping families in Wrexham, along with teams in Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Newport. Now, following the success of this approach in these areas, the IFSS teams will be rolled out across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
Families with complex needs who access IFSS benefit from the support of a highly skilled team of multi-agency professionals who work intensively with children and families. The teams also work closely with partner agencies and professionals to ensure the family has access to a wide range of services to enable them to make positive lifestyle changes in their child’s best interest.
The expansion of the programme is being backed with an additional £1.4m million, bringing the total Welsh Government funding for IFSS to £3.3m.
Assembly Member for Wrexham, Lesley Griffith said:
“The Welsh Government has taken a farsighted and joined up approach to tackling problems associated with families with complex needs.
“Through the provision of an additional £1.4m million to expand this scheme, the Welsh Labour Government has once again demonstrated its commitment to tackling child poverty and to bringing about positive change for families with complex needs.
“I was pleased to be at the launch of Integrated Family Support Services in Wrexham in October. This farsighted initiative has been successfully helping families with complex needs in Wrexham now for nine months, and it is great news that families in other areas can now benefit from the approach being taken here.”
The roll out of Integrated Family Support Services (IFSS) across Wales is a key plank in the Welsh Government’s ‘Sustainable Social Services: A Framework for Action’.
