IPC completed an evaluation of the Integrated Family Support Service (IFSS) in Newport in April 2016. The evaluation identified many very positive aspects and outcomes of the services on offer, in particular for children and families on the brink of or engaged with Social Care Services.
A key question identified and explored by IPC during the evaluation was the extent to which services and therefore children and families benefit from the Partnership Delivery Model applied in Newport, which is still relatively unusual in this field.
The Newport model is based on an integrated approach to the commissioning of services, forming a unique partnership between the public and voluntary sectors. There are many ‘partnerships’ in operation but it is believed that the Newport Collaborative Partnership is the only one of its kind in the UK, creating as it does a legal framework between the local authority and a preferred voluntary sector partner with whom to jointly deliver the full range of family support services.
This paper was produced in partnership between evaluators at IPC, Newport City Council and Barnardo’s. It explores:
- What the IFSS Partnership model is
- Reasons why this model was chose for Newport and how it has evolved
- The value of a partnership model, including in comparison with more traditional commissioner-provider models
- Key learning from the Newport experience
