Family Network Support Packages (FNSPs)

Family Network Support Packages help children stay living safely at home with support from their wider family network. 

They are designed to remove practical or financial barriers so children can remain safely at home or with family members.

What are FNSPs

A FNSP is funding specifically for family networks. It helps them to provide support to families where there are currently barriers preventing them from doing so. FNSPs are a preventative tool.

The primary aim of FNSPs is to:

• help children stay living safely with their birth parents, and
• for birth parents to keep sole parental responsibility, while being supported by a wider family network

When a child cannot remain with their parents, FNSPs can provide support to wider family and friends to enable them to offer a safe, stable, and loving alternative to children having to live in care. 

In this situation, the use of FNSPs could support a transition into a formal kinship care arrangement such as a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements order.

What support do FNSPs provide?

FNSPs can provide support by:

• funding a child’s immediate needs, such as school uniform, a desk, bus passes, car seats
• providing funding for items needed by family networks to support the child, such as:
  • appliances
  • beds
  • furniture
  • redecorating
  • transport  
  • activities
• ‘buying in’ additional support for the family network
• covering unpaid leave for family members (not parents)

This is not an exhaustive list. Practitioners will work with each family to design a package that meets their specific needs. Support can only be given to family network members, not directly to parents.

FNSPs can also support reunification if practical or financial barriers prevent a child returning home.

Funding through FNSPs does not affect any state benefits.

Packages must be sustainable and cannot include items that require ongoing costs (such as rent).

FNSPs cannot fund things if the cost could be met by other funding programmes.

Who is eligible for a FNSP?

A family may be eligible if at least one of the following applies:

• if a child in the family is open to Family Help services and receiving help through a Family Help Plan or Child Protection Plan
• if an identified Family Help Lead Practitioner or Social Worker is involved
• if the child is already living with wider family and a FNSP could support keeping the arrangement stable
• if the child cannot remain with their parents, but could live with wider family if the FNSP helps overcome barriers
• if the support from a FNSP could allow a child return home to their birth family

Family Group Conference or Family Led Decision Making meetings

These meetings bring family members together to plan support that will help children remain with family. 

These meetings create a Family‑led Plan. Any support through an FNSP should be included in that plan.