Team Around the Family (TAF)

• TAF provides a service to families who are likely to need help from two or more agencies (e.g. schools health services and housing)
• TAF brings everyone together with families to identify strengths and any needs, and how best to enable families to meet those needs
• TAF is a way of identifying who is best placed to offer any of the additional advice and support your family may need

What sort of things can you get help with?

• Parenting support and groups
• Routines and boundaries
• Relationship building
• Co coordinating services
• Disability support
• Support with emotional wellbeing
• Financial advice
• Social Isolation
• Housing support
• Improving home conditions
• Internet safety
• Healthy relationship work

For further information or advice on Team Around the Family please contact  (TAF) (Open 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 4.30pm on a Friday) 

Once a referral is made then it is sent to the Early Invention and Prevention Panel to consider the strengths and needs that have been highlighted in the referral.

A decision is then made on whether the case is transferred to Team Around the Family (TAF) or whether a single service from one of the families First Services and or other support services in NPT is best placed to support you and your family.

Stage 1 - Request for service

• You can be referred to TAF by another professional that knows your family; such as a teacher, GP, Health visitor, youth worker, or you can refer yourself.
• Referrals must have your consent so it is your decision whether you receive TAF support and you can stop at any time.
• The Early Intervention Panel (EIP) team will determine whether referral requires TAF involvement - if not, advice will be provided as to how to proceed further with a single agency response.

Stage 2 - Home visit and assessment

• A TAF Family Worker arranges a home visit to talk with the whole family about what is going well and what they may need support with.
• A TAF Family Worker will also organise a TAF meeting involving the family and other agencies involved with the family.
• The assessment will help identify strengths and areas of support agreed. A family plan will be developed between the family and the TAF worker.

Stage 3 - Family support plan

• Your family support plan will be drawn up from your assessment
• The family support plan will initially look at support for approximately 12 weeks - it will include actions for everyone in the family and for other agencies
• The family support plan is yours, so all actions will be agreed with you and your family.

Stage 4 - Review process

• The family support plan would be reviewed regularly to see how things are going to make sure we are on track and that you are receiving the right support.

The Family support plan is reviewed and amended as necessary to meet the changing needs of the family and will be reviewed regularly.

Stage 5 - Closure

• Family progress towards achieving the Family Support Plan is reviewed and if outcomes are achieved case will be closed.
• Family progress towards achieving the Family Support Plan is reviewed and amended as necessary to meet the changed needs. If outcomes are then met case will be closed.
• If the needs of families cannot be met via TAF, family referrals to specialist services will be considered.

This will be different for each family, but the Family Support Plan would initially look at support for around 12 weeks and include actions for everyone in the family where needs have been identified and also for the agencies involved.

The plan will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that your needs, views and wishes continue to be the focus of your support plan. This allows the TAF worker to ensure that you are being given the right support at the right time.

A commitment is needed from everyone to ensure positive change. 

You can access TAF through a professional working with your family e.g Headteacher, Health Visitor. Written referrals can be made by parents/Carers or other Professionals with the consent of parents, and are made to the Single Point of Contact Team (SPOC) on:

You can download a referral form

and returning to

Family information service:

Families First: