New initiatives for West Sussex families

A County Hall meeting was told that from year one the benefits would outweigh the costs by at least two to one, based on national and international evidence.

The children and young people’s services select committee heard the proposals involved the introduction of a family nurse partnership (FNP) for the mums, and the extension of the current family intervention projects (FIPs), described as a tried-and-tested way of working with some of the most anti-social families in society.

FIPs are already targeted at Arun, Adur, Worthing and Crawley, where most pockets of child deprivation were said to be found. The select committee supported the introduction of an FNP and the extension of FIPs, to provide further preventative and early intervention input in around 244 cases over three years.