Child Protection and Family Support Service

“The course helped us to review our parenting style and also make deliberate actions to improve. We are applying the knowledge gained through the process in dealing with the kids. We engage more and involve our older child in the planning of things we do that may affect him. We have learnt best practices when it comes to raising children.
”
— Parent supported by AFRUCA Family Support Service.

The AFRUCA Child Protection and Family Support Service is a multi – disciplinary team of qualified social workers and a team of Independent registered Children and Family Therapists. The overall goal of our service is to help reduce the number of children in Black and Ethnic communities going into the foster care system through effective support and one-to-one positive training for their parents. This will help improve parents’ skills and ability to provide a safer and happier home environments for their children.

This is a paid service working nationally with Black, Asian and ethnic families open to children’s social service. We offer early intervention support, provide culturally focused specialist assessments and positive parenting training. We engage in direct work on child protection and care proceedings. We also support family re-integration processes and provide advice to social workers who might need help to address on-going cases. Please read more about our services and download our referral form below.

Send completed referrals or any enquiries to us here

OUR Team

We have six UK qualified social workers who are registered with Social Work England. We also have a team of independent, registered psychotherapists. You can read more about our healing and reconciliation service for children in the child protection system or returning home from foster care here. Our staff are based in our London and Manchester offices. Our team works nationally across the country and we are increasingly asked by colleagues in other European countries to be involved in ongoing activities.

Our team has specialist knowledge and experience of working with families in a culturally sensitive way to explore child protection concerns, provide family interventions and support parents to gain new and useful skills to create a safer and happier home environment.

Our team is multilingual and able to work with families in their first spoken language. Languages include Yoruba, Edo, Twi, Mandinka, and Pidgin English . Additionally, we have different levels of fluency in other languages which includes Fanti, Ibo and Patois.

Generally AFRUCA is a multilingual organisation. Other languages spoken by our staff include, Efik, French, Creole, Swahili, Tigrinya, Amharic and Svenshka.

OUR Services

Specialist Assessments

The AFRUCA initial assessment is undertaken with all families referred. The assessment enables us to build a relationship with the family, explore their culture, faith/belief background, gather their views, opinions and understanding of the child protection concerns.

Rehabilitation Support

We offer rehabilitation services, including psychotherapy, to support children and families who are in the child protection system or being reunited after time apart. Read more here

Targeted Interventions

The AFRUCA Positive parenting work is a 7 – 8 week parenting intervention. The length will vary depending on the family’s needs.

The positive parenting work plan will be informed by the AFRUCA initial assessment. Support includes; developing knowledge of UK laws in relation to Child Protection and cultural sensitive parenting support.

Specialist Training

We provide training for professionals to develop and improve their cultural competency. We offer in-house training for agencies. Session are delivered face to face or virtually. Read more about our Specialist Training Programme here

Family Support

We offer early intervention support to families in need. This work includes an AFRUCA family support initial assessment followed by one to one positive parenting interventions.

OUR Mission

Our Child Protection and Family Support service aims to help reduce the number of children from Black and Ethnic communities in the child protection and foster care systems.

We work objectively with families, ensuring parents are provided with new skills so they can create a positive home environment for their children, free from abuse, exploitation and harm.

FREQUENTLY ASKED Questions

  • Please find the Child Protection and Family Support Service referral form at the top of this page. Click the ‘download the referral form’ button. Please complete the referral form and send it to socialworker@afruca.org.

  • The length of work will vary depending on the family’s needs. We aim to meet with parents weekly. The reports will be summited within one month of completing work with the family.

  • We work with parents and carers on a one-to-one basis to promote child protection awareness and to build positive parenting skills, using a cultural competence approach. Also:

    • Build knowledge of UK law as it applies to children and help parents navigate the child protection system.

    • Offer advice on specific cultural practices and how they are understood within the child protection system in the UK.

    • Support parents to manage challenging behaviour and set boundaries without resorting to physical chastisement or other forms of abuses.

    • Raise awareness of child development and help parents meet the needs of their children through all the stages of childhood.

    • Provide parents with practical advice on all aspects of parenting, including the importance of emotional support, attachment, communication, internet use, bullying and working with schools and professionals.

    We work with families in range of different area, please contact us today to find out more.

  • In order to start the initial assessment we require a Purchase Order document from the Local Authority. Once this has been received work can commence.

  • Our work is generally completed with parents and carers remotely, however in some cases, we will conduct in person work. If you would like the work to be in person, please make this clear in the referral. This will attract a different charge.

  • All work completed with the family will be captured in a comprehensive report submitted to the referrer. These assessments can be used to strengthen court and parenting assessments.

  • The AFRUCA initial assessment and positive parenting sessions are with parents and carers. We work occassionally with children when requested. Their views and wishes are explored through their social worker.

  • We do not have access to professional interpreter at AFRUCA. In cases where professional interpreters are required we ask the Local Authority to provide and organise this.

  • Once your referral has been reviewed by our team, it will be allocated to an AFRUCA social worker.

    Presently, we do not have any family support workers at AFRUCA

TALK TO OUR TEAM

Please click the link below to email us for any further information or questions.

Alternatively you can call us. London Office Tel: 0207 704 2261. Manchester Centre Tel: 0161 205 9274

Our team: for the safety of our team, we have removed all staff names on our website

Testimonials

  • “I wanted to say a big thank you for the work you did with the XXXX parents. You were very dynamic in your approach and very detailed. I also thought we worked closely together and that it really helped me with my assessments at this end’’

    (Senior Social Worker, Manchester CSC)

  • “I have read through the assessment and it was comprehensively written, as you considered the cultural interpretation of some of the concerns. I was impressed with the work done with the family and the outcome was positive, as a result, the children are no longer on the Child Protection Plan. I was also pleased how you made yourself available at meetings and contributed to assessing the progress of Child Protection and monitoring the risk to the children”

    (Social Worker, Kingston CSC)

  • "I must commend your good report, which the judge even mentioned in court today as very detailed and comprehensive. So well done’’

    (Assistant Team Manager, Wrexham CSC)

  • “Excellent. I was given the platform to talk and you also listened’’

    (Parent, Salford)

  • “My experience with AFRUCA was wonderful! It couldn’t have been any better. The social worker exercised a high level of empathetic display therefore, giving room to a proper in- depth understanding and assimilation of the parenting lessons. Well-done her!’’

    (Parent, Manchester)

  • "There has been positive engagement from parents since AFRUCA started to work with the parents. Parents are now participating in the child protection process and making changes, while showing greater understanding as to why children's services are involved and working with them'"

    (Social Worker, London Borough of Newham)