At Family First we are committed to ensuring that we provide the best support and services to our families. An important part of this is undertaking regular evaluations of our work. I am delighted to share the following highlights from the year Mar 23 – Feb 24:
- We saw 44 referrals into the service (up 6 from the previous year) – it is worth noting that for Mar 24-Feb 25 we received 52.
- 95% of families who complete work with us report an increase in overall wellbeing score – this figure is up from 82% the previous year.
- 85% report an increase in the self-esteem score, up 3% on last year.
- 57% of the families who have increased their self esteem moved from low to healthy range.
- We are seeing a wider range of referrers using our service and seeing families with children in the 0-5 and 12+ age ranges.
Whilst we of course celebrate the success, we also recognise the challenges we face. We have seen the level of complexity of needs rise significantly and, combined with the drop in volunteers, this has led to us investing in more paid staff to ensure we continue to meet the rising demand in both the number of referrals and the complex nature of the work required. We have seen experienced staff leave the service to pursue other exciting challenges and welcome the new staff we have employed.
We very much look forward to what the next year has to offer and remain committed to supporting the families of Ipswich.