High Sheriff finds out how Sussex charity Family Support Work has eased parents’ worries

There are some in our communities, those families with complex needs, who were having a tough time well before coronavirus appeared and, for them, the additional problems of social distancing and isolation have been particularly challenging.

And while the associated risks are not usually medical, the impact of Covid-19 emotionally, socially and financially has been very significant indeed.

Families can become vulnerable for many reasons – there may be only one parent, no extended family nearby, unemployment and physical or mental health difficulties. The family may have slipped through the net to obtain social aid and their household budget may well be inadequate to cover all the food they require, let alone run a car or afford an internet connection.

Trying to home-school a child when the only access to online local educational resources is via a small mobile phone does not encourage children to engage with learning and, without stimulation, challenging behaviour can easily come to the fore.

However, for 300 of these families across East and West Sussex, help has been at hand from the charity Family Support Work (FSW), which has been supporting children and families across Sussex for more than 130 years. FSW’s aim is ‘a strong family for every child’ and in almost every part of the two counties, FSW has a highly-trained professional support worker on hand to provide practical and psychological support to families needing help.

Families are referred by social services, health visitors and GPs but they may also self-refer. For some, this relationship may just last a few months, while the family navigates a specific problem. For others, it is a much longer relationship – one West Sussex family has been supported for the past 13 years.

Caroline Steer is one of FSW’s senior practitioners and she has 30 families on her books in the Haywards Heath and Cuckfield area. For her families, the effect of lockdown has been radical.

“Without warning, I had to stop group sessions, drop-in clinics and Lego therapy, which are all greatly missed,” Caroline tells me, “but, instead, I have been phoning the families up very regularly and visiting some of them at home by standing in the street while the mum stays inside by a window.”

Caroline’s work is greatly appreciated by Gail and Tony: “When lockdown first started it was scary in the shops to see little or no food on the shelves but family support and Caroline did everything possible to make sure each and everyone of us had essential items.

“They have made sure that the children have plenty of activities to do, to help with boredom and to help with aiding family fun times such as puzzles, books, problem-solving activities for little ones and many more great things. This service is and has been amazing and the girls look forward to seeing what new activities they as individuals and us as a family can get to do.”

The work of FSW will ensure that all these very special families has every chance of coming through this crisis stronger and more resilient than they were before. And, while it is a great shame that the families’ annual outing to Warnham Park for the much-loved teddy bear’s picnic cannot go ahead next week, FSW is well set-up to stand by each of its families whenever they find the going gets tough.

As Peter from Cuckfield said: “We thought before this pandemic that FSW was pretty fab and with all sorts of help when this pandemic started, they stepped up to the mark and exceeded expectations.”

For referrals, individuals can call 01273 832963 or alternatively email [email protected].

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