The Families Going Forward (FGF) course is designed for outreach practitioners based in or linked to Sure Start children’s centres but may be suitable for anyone who works in a family outreach role.

It was developed in 2009 to meet the development needs of Sure Start children's centre outreach practitioners.

A set of learner resources have been produced to support the Families Going Forward training:

  • Session one - introductions, expectations and common purpose
  • Session two - key principles about families, layers of support and the nine C's of outreach support
  • Session three - the principles and values underpinning the National Occupational Standards for Work with Parents and the principles of the partnership model of working
  • Session four - the partnership model of working, the helping process, a strength based approach, recognising resilience and risk factors and evidence based practice
  • Session five - difference and diversity, the frame of reference model, equality and anti-discriminatory legislation
  • Session six - the importance of reflection, models of reflection and reflective practice
  • Session seven - preparing and planning first visits, potential barriers to engagement, the relationship building triangle, unconditional positive regard and emotional literacy
  • Session eight - good and poor communication, the key barriers to communication and reflective listening
  • Session nine - contracting skills, ways of introducing self and service, ways of creating expectations and boundaries and negotiating information sharing and confidentiality
  • Session ten - parenting capacity, key responsibilities of parenting and family function and well-being
  • Session eleven - family strengths and areas for growth and development, helping families set goals and developing a step-by-step approach to reaching goals
  • Session twelve - practitioner professional development, appropriate referral and signposting, local and national agencies and organisations and unhealthy and dysfunctional practitioner/client relationships
  • Session thirteen - coaching principles and helping families meet challenges and setbacks
  • Session fourteen - review and celebration and endings and closure.

The training:

  • is based on unit 300 of the Work with Parents qualification, although practitioners who completed the FGF training could undertake further units and gain a full Level 3 award
  • was made available to all practitioners engaged in Sure Start children's centre outreach work including volunteers.

Has the training been evaluated?

Cordis Bright was commissioned to evaluate the impact of the training on outreach practitioners’ behaviours and practice. The evaluation ran concurrently with the delivery of the training programme and helped evaluate the intermediate impacts on children’s centre outreach practitioners’ behaviours and practice as a result of this training, based on evidence about what makes a difference to children and families.

Download the evaluation report here: