Quickfire questions: Jenny Ling
The head of Bright Futures on all there is to know about the council’s new wraparound family support service
What is your role?
I am currently head of Bright Futures, the council’s targeted support and outreach service for families in Islington.
What is Bright Futures?
Bright Futures offers families with children aged five-to-19 support with parenting, employment, family relationships, home finances, getting to school – whatever families need to thrive. We work with people to assess what they need, ensuring that the right professionals and services are joined up in supporting them to make lasting, positive changes.
We collaborate with organisations across Islington as part of our Fairer Together way of working, including schools, health professionals, employment services, housing, voluntary and community organisations – anyone engaged in helping children and families.
How does it work?
We work with the whole family to build positive, productive relationships, both with each other and the network around them. We give people as much help as they need: whether that’s a phone call to provide information, a home visit, a chat with a ‘parent champion’, or meeting people out in the community – or wherever they feel most comfortable. We can do that regularly, for a long period of time, until they are ready to say goodbye, having made the changes they want to see and with ways to maintain them after we leave. If they want more help in the future, they can always come back.
Who’s it for?
Families with children aged five to 19. Bright Futures is about understanding what families want and enabling them to access the services they need, at the right time.
What are the benefits?
It’s about providing the right support at the right time. We aim to help reduce the stresses families face and build resilience for the future.
We harness the full power of Islington’s community to help families meet their aspirations – to have brighter futures.
If you would like to speak to Bright Futures, call 020 7527 4343 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. You can also follow Bright Futures on Twitter @ISBrightFutures or find them on Facebook.
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